Icing down your breasts?

[mcdowell]

It's about that time of year, in the US, where we start thinking about Thanksgiving and all that goes along with it.

Each year we quest for the perfect bird. I've done my duty and tried all the tricks, attempted all of the variations (including a deep-frying incident once on an upper level apartment balcony where, as I should have posted in the "what i will never do again" thread, we failed to account for the mass of the bird when filling the pot with oil, not realizing our bourbon-induced mistake until the bird hit the hot oil, much to the downstairs neighbor's horror).

Or, rather, I'd believed that I'd tried all the tricks.

Browsing through Steingarten's It Must've Been Something I Ate the other night, I ran across this passage:

Harold McGee has a solution for turkeys. He believes that the ideal temperature for turkey breast is about 155F, and for turkey leg, at least 180F. Harold achieves this with an extreme measure: He straps ice packs to the bird's breast as the rest of it comes to room temperature; because the breast comes out much cooler than the legs, it ends up that way too...

He goes on to say that it doesn't work for a goose.

Has anyone tried this technique?

[col klink]

Nope. It's cute though and it does illustrate that the breasts and the legs need to come up to different temperatures.

You haven't mentioned brining yet.

I discuss smoking a turkey here. It's much easier and most of the time, less dangerous than frying a bird.

Here's a tip, try quartering the bird before you throw her in. That way you can bring the breasts out early, or put the legs in early. Just remember, don't forget your probe thermometer.

By the way, I talk about smoking the turkey at around 225. If you're roasting the bird in the oven, I suggest a higher temperature of at least 350 or else the skin will look pale and inedible. Plus, the little roasted bits on the bottom of the pan won't taste as good.

[SethG]

While we're plugging our own threads, have you tried Thompson's Turkey?

That ice pack idea sounds inspired.

[elyse]

Sorry, I thought this was about something else.

[slkinsey]

I've given up on trying to roast a whole turkey all in one piece. These days, I debone the turkey entirely (keeping the breasts whole); braise the leg meat in red wine, port, aromatics and super-reduced turkey stock from the bones; and then roast the brined breasts by themselves. The braising liquid reduces down to an amazing sauce with the addition of some butter, the breasts roast to the perfect temperature in about 45 minutes, and the braised leg meat is everything one could possibly want in turkey dark meat. One does miss out on the "drama" of a whole turkey carved at table, but I plate everything so it makes no difference to me,

[mcdowell]

I debone the turkey entirely (keeping the breasts whole); braise the leg meat in red wine, port, aromatics and super-reduced turkey stock from the bones; and then roast the brined breasts by themselves.  The braising liquid reduces down to an amazing sauce with the addition of some butter, the breasts roast to the perfect temperature...

I'm heading to Sam's for Thanksgiving.

I'll be waiting for a PM with directions.

[KarenS]

I'm still a huge fan of brining (and have converted my friends and family too)...

[fifi]

If you trussed a turkey using Chef Fowke's method and added the ice packs, that would be some strange looking bird.

[slkinsey]

I debone the turkey entirely (keeping the breasts whole); braise the leg meat in red wine, port, aromatics and super-reduced turkey stock from the bones; and then roast the brined breasts by themselves.  The braising liquid reduces down to an amazing sauce with the addition of some butter, the breasts roast to the perfect temperature...

I'm heading to Sam's for Thanksgiving.

I'll be waiting for a PM with directions.

Seriously, though, it's a great way to cook turkey -- easier and better than the traditional methods, IMO. I can give you a write-up if you want.