Has Anyone Tried Poached Roasted Turkey?

[sheetz]

Has anyone ever tried this method of roasting a turkey? The turkey is first poached in stock the day before, and then then roasted at 475F for 30 minutes. I've used a similar method for a Chinese style deep fried chicken but never on a roasted turkey.

http://www.dartagnan.com/recipe.asp?id=11&category=4

It sounds fairly foolproof and if the results are good would really help free up the oven for the side dishes.

Edited October 10, 2008 by sheetz (log)

[heidih]

I have done something similar with Cornish game hens which have a similar skin and fat content to turkey (I think). I steamed rather than poached. I did it with the steamed bird straight into the oven so I wonder about getting the bird up to temp so you get even quick roasting and browning.

[CalumC]

heidih - How was the skin after roasting, considering it had been steamed and then straight in. I can imagine the skin being a little wet, even more so with poaching, and not browning correctly.

[andiesenji]

I have cooked very large turkeys in a similar fashion.

I have one of the super-size Magnalite roasters, which will hold a 38-pound turkey (the largest I have tried) on a rack.

The roaster will set over two burners and I start out with about two cups of turkey stock in the bottom over medium high heat just long enough to get the stock actively simmering, then place the cover on the roaster (this one fits tightly) and reduce the heat to medium.

Now I use a remote temp probe inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, set to signal at 160 degrees F.

The biggest turkey was done in 5:15 hours, much quicker than doing the entire thing in the oven. I didn't hold it overnight but stuck it in a 400 F. oven to brown it - less than 30 minutes - and it turned out perfectly, as have several smaller ones I have done this way.

When I stuff the bird, I insert an aluminum baster (sans the bulb) into the center of the stuffing and this conducts the heat into the center of the mass to cook it all the way through.

It should work as well with a smaller bird, but the smallest I have done in this manner was well over 20 pounds. With my method, the bird produces enough liquid so that only the lower 1/4 is actually in the liquid when finished.

I did this originally with the giant bird because I did not want it roasting in the oven for 12+ hours, which is the time it would have taken using the normal roasting procedure.

The flesh is moist and tender and the skin crisps nicely with the finish in the oven.

[azureus]

This method intrigues me. Would the poaching or steaming help to tenderize an older and very tough bird? I have some old, heritage breed tom turkeys that need to go.

April

[heidih]

heidih - How was the skin after roasting, considering it had been steamed and then straight in. I can imagine the skin being a little wet, even more so with poaching, and not browning correctly.

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I dried it well and it crisped up. It has been a while so I don;t remember if the skin was pricked during the steaming process. I do remember that the flesh really picked up the seasonings well.

[andiesenji]

This method intrigues me.  Would the poaching or steaming help to tenderize an older and very tough bird?  I have some old, heritage breed tom turkeys that need to go.

April

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It worked just fine with a wild turkey that dressed out at 28 pounds and which I thought was going to be tough and gamy but turned out quite nice. Much less breast meat but huge thighs and strappy back muscles and mighty wings.

[jdanton]

It's also in the Le Bec Fin cookbook..similar recipe.

[HKDave]

The D'Artangnan recipe is from their 1999 game cookbook, and the version there differs slightly from the website. The cookbook is more liberal with the truffles and duck fat, and less concerned about refrigeration.

http://www.the-golden-egg.com/dir_rec/rec_dgg_0008.html

The method looks interesting (it's similar to techniques used in cooking chickens here) but I'm wondering how long you would have to leave the bird in the oven to bring it from fridge temperature to serving temp. The D'Artagnan recipe is unclear on this; they just say turn the heat off after 30 min and leave the bird in the oven.

[azureus]

This method intrigues me.  Would the poaching or steaming help to tenderize an older and very tough bird?  I have some old, heritage breed tom turkeys that need to go.

April

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It worked just fine with a wild turkey that dressed out at 28 pounds and which I thought was going to be tough and gamy but turned out quite nice. Much less breast meat but huge thighs and strappy back muscles and mighty wings.

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Thanks, that's good to know. Now I have an excuse to purchase a larger roaster.

April

[paulraphael]

It's also in the Le Bec Fin cookbook..similar recipe.

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I've done George Perrier's method a few times and since have done several variations on it. Basically a poach in court bouillion and then roast at high temperature.

It makes the best turkey I've ever had.

No issues at all with the skin--my birds have been crisp, with mahogany brown coloring. I think about 90% of the cooking happens in the poaching. The high roasting just brings the meat up a few degrees, and does a killer job on browning the skin.

One of the keys to this method is keeping the poach low ... ideally well below a simmer. If you just see ripples on the surface of the water, that's ideal. The other key is getting the bird out of the stockpot without dropping it back in and sending yourself and any helpers to the emergency room. I have some suggestions on this topic, including this one: don't pick up a 16lb bird by the trussing, the way Mr. Perrier tells you to.

[Abra]

I'm interested in trying this method, but I have the same question as HKDave. Do you put the poached turkey straight from the fridge into the oven, or bring it to room temp first? The 30 minutes in the oven sounds like way too little if the turkey is still cold when you put it in.

[paulraphael]

I'm interested in trying this method, but I have the same question as HKDave.  Do you put the poached turkey straight from the fridge into the oven, or bring it to room temp first?  The 30 minutes in the oven sounds like way too little if the turkey is still cold when you put it in.

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I've never done it on separate days. Always went straight from the poach into the oven. I'm not sure why you'd want to split it up (other than to sleep in later on turkey day ...)

[paulraphael]

So I just took a close look at the d'artagnan recipe. I'm not so impressed by it. The only reason I can imagine you'd poach in stock made by diluting their duck demiglace is if you feel compelled to hand d'artagnan unnecessary amounts of money.

A court bouillon is the traditional poaching liquid. It can be tailored to add any subtle seasoning you like. I don't know why you'd choose duck, unless you're a closeted turducken fetishist.

I'm also not crazy about the two day process. I would want a hot bird going into the oven, so I'm not depending on the radiant heat warming a big bird all the way through (I don't even know how it's possible to do in 30 minutes). And I don't like the idea of a poached bird cooling at room temp for 4 hours and then being refrigerated. Most likely any colonies of bad things that form would get killed off in the oven, but the outer parts of that bird will spend a long time ... well over two hours ... in the breeding zone, and then won't be cooked at all again for another 12 hours or so.

The one detail I like is basting with goose fat. I use butter, but I'll bet goose is a nice touch.

My recipe is here. It includes suggestions for stuffing and a pan sauce, which can be freely interpreted. It started as George Perrier's recipe and evolved over the years as I learned more about food science and roasting.

[Abra]

Thank you, paulraphael, that looks awesome! I'm contemplating the use of veal in a stuffing. I've never heard of using it, but it actually sounds quite French, so my guests here might grok it.

I have the same food safety concerns about the D'Artagnan recipe, but they're very reputable, she's the daughter of a famous chef, and so on, so I'd probably take that part on faith.

My free, unsolicited advice for the day - get a stainless steel stockpot!

[sheetz]

I think there probably wouldn't be an issue with letting the turkey rest for that long because the harmful pathogens would have been killed within the first few minutes of the poaching. In order for harmful bacteria to grow during that time they'd have to be reintroduced to the turkey somehow, which I think would not easy to do in a covered pot.

As for the roasting part, the directions say to roast for 30 minutes, but then to turn the heat off and leave it in the oven for an unspecified amount of time. So in the end the turkey would actually be spending quite a bit longer than 30 minutes in a warm to hot oven.

Edited October 13, 2008 by sheetz (log)

[Daniel]

Tried it tonight with a 10 pounder.. Brined the turkey for 2 days. I took 4 large carrots, a whole stalk of celery, garlic, leeks, 3 onions, thyme, sage, white pepper, black pepper corns, and salt.. Made a broth and cooked the turkey for an hour and 20 minutes at 160 degrees in the water..

Then let dry for a little bit and lathered the bird in a mixture of butter, salt, and mashed up garlic.. Cooked at 500 with onions, and giblets.. Roasted squash with brown sugar, nutmeg, butter.. Made mashed potato puree, and made a wonderful gravy out of the pan drippings, wondra, and turkey stock..

We now have a ton of turkey stock that we will make into various soups through out the week..

Poached:

Roasted: Put the wings in for longer as they were added after the bird was poached.

Plated:

Serving number one gravy was crazy good.. Can't wait for sandwiches tomorrow.

Miss A made this chocolate cake with a pound of chocolate and 9 eggs separated.. Folded in all the egg whites.. It was like a mousse cake..

Thanks for the help Paul R.. Followed your procedure not the recipe by the letter.. The bird came out amazingly.. The meat was juicy and perfectly cooked.. I also like the fact that it was quicker then just roasting the turkey.. Not to mention the wonderful soup I have leftover.. Its a ton..

Edited October 19, 2008 by Daniel (log)

[paulraphael]

Cool, Daniel, looks delicious.

I suspect the brining might have been unnecessary (and might have contributed to the uneven browning on the breast).

It would be an interesting side by side comparison.

Anyone making two turkeys on thxgiving?

[ambra]

paulraphael, do you still have this recipe? You link doesn't work. I know it's been a while, so if you don't have it anymore, no worries!

[blue_dolphin]

paulraphael, do you still have this recipe? You link doesn't work. I know it's been a while, so if you don't have it anymore, no worries!

I wonder if it's this one for Poached and Roasted Turkey in the Style of Bresse?

It's a little vague on the total oven time. Says to roast for 30 min, then turn off the oven and leave the bird inside.

[sheetz]

I did manage to try a modified version of this technique and it came out fine. Since I didn't have a stock pot large enough for the turkey I spatchcocked it and poached it in my covered oval roaster. Poached it until the turkey hit 145F and then shut off the heat. After it cooled to room temp I then removed the turkey from the poaching liquid to dry on a rack in the fridge overnight. Next day roasted it according to directions. Skin was crisp and meat juicey and tender.

Edited November 13, 2011 by sheetz (log)

[operaflute]

I'm giving this technique a try this year.

 

I'll poach tomorrow morning, cool in the bath. (I'm making broth out of a bunch of turkey backs right now - I'll use that for the bath.)

Then I thought I'd take it out and dry in the fridge overnight, because I, too was worried it might not brown nicely from being so wet. (Reports here, however, are good in that regard.)

I'm not sure why you'd put the fat on the bird before poaching - makes more sense to do this before browning.  I'll use the turkey fat I get out of the stock I'm making now.

Finally, I'm considering putting the already cooked and still hot dressing IN the bird while it's browning, just to give that stuffed bird effect...

[paulraphael]

I've just blogged about this method in some depth here, and posted an updated recipe.

[operaflute]

Ah yes, ran across the pdf last night. Thanks for that.