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Thompson's Turkey


SethG

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Just a quick postscript now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. I made neither the Thompson's turkey nor the stuffing for our holiday meal. I went the opposite route, brined a turkey and didn't stuff it at all. I used an Alton Brown recipe which calls for 500 degree browning, followed by 350 with foil over the breast. Couldn't be simpler, and it resulted in a bird with breast meat at 160 and thigh meat at 180.

I thought the brining produced very juicy breast meat, and the simple roasting made for a much easier day than a Thompson's turkey would have. However, I really missed the rich complexity and tenderness of the Thompson's turkey dark meat. And I believe that if I solved the problem of the white meat cooking too fast in the Steingarten/Thompson method, I might prefer that white meat as well.

As far as the stuffing is concerned, I made two stuffings from Anthony Dias Blue's Thanksgiving Dinner: Sausage crouton and cornbread. Both were very good. But I think the Thompson stuffing, like the meat, has a depth that I missed with these two stuffings today. Is it worth the extra effort? That's a more difficult question.

I'll come back to Thompson's turkey again, and then I may have an answer.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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Dear Seth,

Could this be an alternative: make the Thompson stuffing, place in a baking pan, top with turkey thighs, skin up, to completely cover the stuffing. Then paint the skin with the paste, and bake for the requisite amount of time. In another pan, bake a whole brined breast over another layer of thompson stuffing; do not cover the skin with paste; bake for appropriate internal temp and skin crispness?

Saves a lot of hassle with manipulating a whole large bird; also makes brining more convenient if the bird is jointed, as it would be here? Also, total cooking time may drop?

Please do carry on your experiment, especially now that you have surmounted the learning curve and gained valuable practice. Best wishes, Gautam.

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I've made a lot of turkeys in my day (and I'm not that old), but I cooked them at least once a month for several years (shabbat dinners at Hillel during college). Anyway, the best turkey I ever made was when I was running late one year. I took the kosher bird (for the non-jews out there, it makes brining unnecessary), washed and dried it, then put it in a roasting pan, breast side down, and just bung it in the oven. I think the temp was around 350, 15 min per pound. Perfect and juicy with crispy skin.

Main thing for any turkey to cook perfectly, IMO, is to do it breast side down and sacrifice the table presentation and carving. Besides, to properly carve a turkey, it is impossible and too messy to do at the table.

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Could this be an alternative: make the Thompson stuffing, place in a baking pan, top with turkey thighs, skin up, to completely cover the stuffing. Then paint the skin with the paste, and bake for the requisite amount of time. In another pan, bake a whole brined breast over another layer of thompson stuffing; do not cover the skin with paste; bake for appropriate internal temp and skin crispness?

That sounds like it would work, so long as you completely cover the stuffing.

Rachel, have you ever tried to cook the turkey in a bag? How did that compare to the breast-down bird?

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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No, I haven't. I don't see how you could get crisp skin if the turkey were cooked in a bag.

Oh, no, you can't get crisp skin that way. I was just asking if you'd tried it since you have so much turkey experience. I've never tried it either, and I'm wondering how people like it.

Edited by SethG (log)

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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  • 1 year later...
I've had the recipe for many years, a couple of versions in fact, but haven't been brave enough to try it. Anyone out there make it successfully? Any tips/advice to pass along?

I saw Martha Stewart's investment banker make this on Food Network. Supposedly she only cooks once a year, and this is what she makes!

It was a funny show because she wasn't inhibited by Martha's presence in the least. In fact, she even got in a couple good verbal jabs.

SB :biggrin:

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Here ya go. I don't have any way to know if this link is genuine. I can't remember where I first heard of it years ago. It may have been some newspaper feature.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Thanks for the insight and information.

Even though I am rather adventurous in the kitchen, I think I'll pass on this bird and stick to my cognac roasted or fried turkey this Thanksgiving.

I lost interest when I read about the water chestnuts and the roasting time for the bird. I'll give this a try with my "free turkey if you spend $25 or more at my store" deal on a Saturday after the holiday.

Please let us know how this works out for you and enjoy.

M. :smile:

Edited by Motochef (log)

Motochef! Enjoying fine food while motorcycle touring.

Motoblog! Motochef's Notes, Comments and Points of Interest

Motochef!

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Wow what an amazing topic SethG. You are definitely my culinary hero, especially working wounded with all of that chopping, mixing, stirring, basting, turkey turning. Your painstaking, step-by-step description of the whole process was awesome.

I've seen Thompson's Turkey done twice on tv. Once was by David Rosengarten on his wonderful show "Taste." The second time it was Martha Stewart with the assistance of rather dour, humorless woman who I believe is both a friend and her financial advisor. She was the one actually who was showing Martha how she does this turkey every Thanksgiving. Both produced beautiful results. I would think that if one could secure a tape of either of these shows (I especially loved Rosengarten) that would help a lot. I think I'd like to attempt the stuffing, but would actually consider hiring someone to help me with the rest of the process. :smile:

BTW, what happened to the photos? They seemed to have disappeared. Also, will you be doing this again this year?

Take care.

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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I've had the recipe for many years, a couple of versions in fact, but haven't been brave enough to try it. Anyone out there make it successfully? Any tips/advice to pass along?

My son made it a few years ago. The whole procedure took quite a while, but it was fun to watch the turkey turn black and ruined-looking while it was cooking. When the shell was broken off, the turkey within was beautiful and golden. Sadly, it was dry. Perhaps since he picked such a big turkey it just came dry? Or, maybe since you can't see the actual turkey it's difficult to judge?

If it intrigues you you should go for it. In spite of the dryness, it tasted good, and again, the process of preparing it was as much fun as it was work.

"I'm not looking at the panties, I'm looking at the vegetables!" --RJZ
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I made this a couple of years ago after being inspired by "The Man Who Ate Everything". In my opinion, it was not worth the hassle of acquiring the long list of spices and ingredients.

The stuffing turns out more like a salad/chutney item, than what I would consider "real stuffing", which ought to be buttery and starchy and chock-full of turkey goodness. The meat was tasty, fairly moist and is indeed perfumed by all the items in the stuffing. The skin, in my experience, was a failure. I very, very carefully excavated my turkey from the black crust and while it was beautiful and tasty, but I really missed the crunchy caramelized texture that you get from long direct exposure to the oven's heat.

I am sticking with my traditionally brined and roasted turkey from now on.

This was interesting as an experiment, but not very soul-nourishing which a Thanksgiving turkey really should be.

“How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?”

-Julia Child

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