The Bird: Fresh or Frozen?

[SabrinaFair]

Since 2004, my friends and I have hosted The Friends' Thanksgiving Potluck. Held on the Tuesday before the big day, this event has spiraled into a massive celebration that now requires TWO apartments. (I live next door to one of my best friends, so we share hostessing duties) It's a great night, and gets better every year. My involvement has varied over the years, but in 2005 and 2007, I was in charge of The Bird--the piece de resistance, the turkey. Last year's turkey, a brined and herb-roasted masterpiece, is going to be a tough act to follow. Not to toot my own horn too much, but I literally had people telling me it was better than their mama's/grandmama's, and the sight of it induced a vegetarian to eat meat for the first time in five years. So this year, I'm once again doing the turkey.

I've purchased the turkey already--I went with frozen this year for the first time. She's a 20-pound beast of a bird that takes up most of my freezer. I decided to opt for frozen this year because I needed a bigger bird--I've had trouble finding fresh turkeys larger than 15-17 lbs. Moreover, it helped space out some of the expense of putting the meal together. So my question is--does fresh or frozen make that big a difference? I'm a little nervous about this. I'm brining the turkey beforehand, and stuffing it with aromatics (onion, celery, a cinnamon stick, some herbs, etc) beforehand. Should the fact that the turkey has been frozen make too big a difference?

Care to share?

Love,
Saby

[roachboy]

i think there's a difference, but it's not a big deal.
i wouldn't be concerned.

here's a trick:
boil some water and pour it over the top of the turkey 2-3 hours before you start cooking. let it sit at room temperature after that. it does magical things for the skin. it's particularly good when you're roasting duck or chicken--higher temp, shorter time---but it works for turkey as well.

[snowy]

It's not noticeable enough for most people to pick up on it, especially if you're brining it. I certainly wouldn't worry about it.

[skizziks]

It won´t make any difference at all really. Start thawing it out a few days in advance so its ready to go when you brine it. With the brining, if cooked properly, it will be juicy and delicious. I´ve always used frozen and never (well, not after I knew what I was doing) had a dry tasteless bird.

[Charlatan]

Just make sure it's thawed well in advance. You don't want to be dealing with it the morning of the feast. Because you are brining it, the flavour difference will be negligible. Don't worry about a thing.

[Ayashe]

I have not personally found a major difference between fresh and frozen turkeys. One thing that is nice is that most grocery stores that I know of will order your fresh turkey in the size that you want so you can pick it up fresh a couple days before the holiday. One of those things you don't know unless you ask, that's one of the reasons for the bell at the meat counter.

People will always talk about what brand they bought the previous year, was it moist or dry, was it fresh or frozen. What I have found to make the biggest difference personally is to use a brine. This is about what I use but it sounds like you have one in mind already.

1 gallon and 1 qt. water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
6 cloves garlic, mashed
5 bay leaves
3 stems sage
3 stems rosemary
3 stems thyme
3 sprigs Italian parsley
Tablespoon whole peppercorns

Toss those ingredients in a pot, boil until the salt and honey are well dissolved. Allow mixture to cool(I usually do this a couple days before cooking the turkey) and pop the turkey into the brine mixture and allow it to soak adding/subtracting liquid to allow for your container/turkey size. Now I have heard some say to brine for an hour per pound, but I am always so busy putting things together I tend to not pay so much attention to how long I am brining it exactly. I would say probably around 12 -16 hours or so. I have had a turkey soak for as much as 24 hours with no issues. You will have a very moist turkey with a beautifully browned skin if you use a brine. After this, I pull the turkey out of the brine, remove the herbs and set aside and discard the liquid. Chop up the herbs, loosen the skin and insert the herbs beneath it and roast accordingly.

[SabrinaFair]

I do have my own brine recipe (it's a spin on Alton Brown's) but I may incorporate pieces of yours into it; thanks for sharing! I love putting herbs under the skin--good stuff. I wish my hands were a bit smaller, as its not an easy task with my large paws, but it's well worth it.

Last year was the first year I tried brining; it was on the suggestion of my now-ex boyfriend, the Food Network junkie. Since then, every time I roast a chicken (every couple of months--whole chickens are just so damn cheap compared to cut-up parts) I give it a "brine bath". I've had a lot of fun experimenting with flavors.

[dworkin31]

Why does brining work? How does it insure a moist turkey?

[newtx]

Never had any problems with a frozen bird.

[Ayashe]

Originally Posted by dworkin31

Why does brining work? How does it insure a moist turkey?

I am no scientist to explain how it works but the way I was made to understand is that the salt flows in and begins to break down some of the proteins causing them to hold more water. As the meat cooks the proteins squeeze out the water but leaving a juicier meat.

[Stone]

While frozen turkeys can be quite good they never quite measure up to a fresh Shady Brook.

[Amaras]

My Oma (german grandma) has been serving frozen turkeys for 40 years now, and it's the single greatest meal
of the year (ours is on Xmas eve) for me.
Done right, it won't matter.
Let us know how it went!

[wolf]

Pretty much the difference is the tempature when you buy it. I've cooked both frozen and fresh. I've used marinades and brines and to be honest I find little difference between the fresh and frozen, other than the thawing time. I like to cook my turkey in a bag, it cuts the cooking time roughly in half and ensures a very juicy turkey. I'd love to try a fried turkey.

[SabrinaFair]

My beautiful bird (minus the piece I sampled before I remembered to take a picture....)

IMG_0685.jpg

All the food...my bird, stuffing, and corn pudding, plus all the dishes our friends brought. Good eatin'!
IMG_0694.jpg

The bird turned out perfectly. I ended up doing the brine, then rinsing her off with cool water, then giving her a good rinse with very hot water. Some aromatics in the cavity, some rosemary under the skin, and some herb butter on the outside, and then into the oven. Thanks so much for all the advice!

Love,
Sabrina