Roasting Turkey

[tommy]

Someone needs to revisit Chef Fowke's trussing method here with pictures. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like a brilliant technique. (Even if it does look like a baby. )

Where is that thread, anyway? Will someone with better searching talents please provide a link?

best. chicken. ever.

fresh out of the oven.

same again, sort of.

Edited November 16, 2003 by tommy (log)

[origamicrane]

hi there

I know its a little early for thanks giving or xmas but recently i learnt to make a lovely chicken ballotine and wanted to know if anyone has made a turkey ballotine using the whole turkey? not just breast or leg

Tell us all size of bird? what stuffing? deboning technique? string? muslin? cheesecloth? roasting time? results?

Mainly asking as i be visiting my friends overseas this xmas and want to really wow them/ show off by making a really toffee nosed high class xmas dinner for them.

So what was the most amazing turkey dinner you had? what side dishes and veg accompanied the bird? etc etc looking for ideas to make them go

ooouhhh!!!! and arrrr....

[winesonoma]

Most amazing and I don't remember the rest. http://www.gumbopages.com/food/poultry/turducken.html

[viva]

My best turkey was brined & drained a la Cooks Illustrated (although I doubled the water in the brining solution without doubling the salt, which I think prevented the too-salty complaints others have had). Then made a paste of an ungodly amount of roasted garlic (40-50 cloves), ancho chiles, honey & corn oil. Massaged that under and over the skin in every nook & cranny of the turkey. Nothing says love like your hand buried under a turkey's skin. Cooked it upside down, then flipped (those orca oven mitts are key here) halfway through. Didn't bother with the sideways flip as the logistics just seemed too difficult. Crispy, tasty skin, juicy, tangy meat. Yeah, baby.

This year will be my first turkey-on-grill experiment, I need the oven space.

[lemoncoke]

I am trying to cook a turkey at home for 10 people AGAIN.

2 years ago, the turkey thigh was not cooked enough....

Last year the turkey was OVERcooked....

This year....... i need help. Does anyone have a no fail, guaranteed to work recipe for roasting a turkey??

thanks!

[Gifted Gourmet]

this is basically what I have always done .. with success!

Be sure to read the 39 tips section as well here ... good luck with your turkey dinner!

[MsMelkor]

Despite Harold McGee's well-informed opinion on the matter, I like to brine the turkey (1 cup of kosher salt per gallon, sometimes with bay leaves, peppercorns, etc. too). I always let it air-dry completely to make sure the skin gets crisp, and I rub the meat under the skin with an herb butter.

You might want to use a digital probe thermometer that can be left in the turkey while it cooks so you don't end up with an overcooked/undercooked bird.

[tanabutler]

If you can follow a recipe, I've made Roast Turkey with Herb Rub and Shiitake Gravy for ten years now. I'd never made a turkey in my life before, and this recipe just knocks it out of the park. Definitely get a meat thermometer.

I make the spice blend in my coffee grinder (I don't do coffee), and keep some on hand for roasting chickens year-round.

I promise you a spectacular bird if you make it. 83 rave reviews, 97% would make it again, and many of those who reviewed say, as I do, I'll never do turkey any other way.

I am in 100% agreement with Harold McGee on brining: I hate it. You lose the underlying sweetness of the turkey meat. If the only excuse to brine is so the bird's not dried out, that's a bad reason, in my book. I've never had a tough/dried turkey, and the year I brined, I just thought it ruined the recipe.

Do your "mise en place," and be ready to bask in utter adulation when you serve this turkey. Can you handle it?

Good luck!

[lemoncoke]

Thank you everybody for the recipes and tips.

I think this year I am definately going to go out and get a digital mean thermometer.

Everytime I roast a turkey, it starts out well, and it looks GOOD. But it's just never cooked right.

Either the breast is cooked but the thigh isn't , or I just OVER COOK period!

One quick question, is it important to keep basting every 30 mins??

thanks for your help!

[Gifted Gourmet]

One quick question, is it important to keep basting every 30 mins??

←

Options instead of basting so frequently:

#1 three strips of bacon on top of the turkey while roasting... the bacon grease keeps the turkey moist

#2 roast the bird with the breast side down at the bottom of the pan..... all of the juice and grease from the dark meat passes through the white meat as well, as it cooks in the juices

#3 cover turkey with cheesecloth and baste over that .. it will hold in the basting fats longer.

[Toliver]

For years, my mom has used the Reynolds Oven Bags to roast her turkeys. Not only do they cook a little faster in the bags than if you roasted them in the regular manner in the oven, the turkey also gets very fall-apart tender. One year, my mom went to check if it was done by wiggling a leg and the bone came completely out in her hand.

One drawback is, even though the skin browns in the oven bags, it's not a "crisp" skin like you get when you do a regular roasting.

Other than that, it's a great way to cook a turkey.

[tanabutler]

No crispy skin?! Sacrilege!

Lemoncurd, I baste. It's fun. No cheesecloth, though, it would mess with the herbs. And if you roast upside down, the breast will be a mess. (That's just an aesthetic choice, but I've never had a dried-out bird or an undercooked one. Because I followed the recipe!)

[Mayhaw Man]

Melissa is on to something with the bacon, and I take it one step further by using a cheesecloth soaked in Olive Oil for part of the process.

That link has a brief description and a link to the book (The Cotton Country Collection-Everybody should have one copy) that the recipe is pulled from. The bird turns out great every time and the skin is beyond description. Try it this way once and you will never go back.

And my mother once told me that if you will just take the attitude that "a turkey is just a real big chicken" they suddenly become much less daunting. While I have famously ignored alot of her advice (to predictable results, according to her ), I trust her absolutely in matters relating to food, and you can too. That woman knows all about rattling pots and pans to fine result.

[Dr. Funk]

Roast breast down on a rack, then flip over for the last hour. Good skin, juicy breast, thighs are the place to check for doneness. Also, never over 350. The best, however, is on your Weber with indirect heat and a water pan. Smoke or not depending on preference. Takes longer, but worth the effort. I'm going to do one this year along with a ham and I'll deep fry two pork butts. We're feeding the local derelicts who have no family around - about 30.

[tanabutler]

I just returned from Harold McGee's appearance at Bookshop Santa Cruz: a packed house. Oh, did he skunk the briners, but not in a mean way. I think he just wanted to see who was blindly following a trend, and who dared to buck it, as he clearly has.

He asked a crowd of 50+ who'd brined and approved. A sea of hands went flying up. Slam dunk.

Then he asked who'd brined and didn't enjoy the results, and boy, my hand could not go up high enough. As far as I know, it was the only one aloft.

He spent easily five-ten minutes on brining, and why it's not good for flavor, not good for the meat. (Like this: the salt moves in and replaces the actual flavor of the meat.) He knew his stuff. I knew my stuff: it's way too salty, it doesn't taste like turkey any more, and the pan juices taste like battery acid (says me, he was milder in his distaste). He also said, perhaps rightfully, that the problem is that we're using inferior meat. (Which I may be, but I've had such good results with my birds. Important note: I am much on the under-salting side of the populace of home cooks.)

He made many points that were eloquent/scientific about the idea of using salt water to replace flavor, the idea that sugar just conceals the over-saltiness of the brine, and so on.

His statement, reluctantly accepting dry breast meat (needlessly!), "Breast meat was born for mayonnaise. Use it for sandwiches!" (I could disprove that.)

Anyway.

For those who have suffered dry turkeys, Blue Hill restaurant in New York (hallowed be their name) has posted a new technique, which involves actually separating the body from the legs, with extra cooking time for the legs.

They brine. I don't! Me and Haruld's just a coupla hicks, I reckon.

New York magazine article with recipes from Blue Hill: Dan Barber & family for the Last Thanksgiving Supper (very silly picture).

That mushroom and hazelnut dressing (it isn't "stuffing," those heretics, unless it's inside the bird) looks wonderful.

I feel so refreshed to have been given permission from Mount Olympus never to brine again. I'm sure the SF Chronicle would like to take him on, but I don't need to. I've been making the same good turkey for a decade, and it just doesn't turn up dry.

Mayhaw Man, 'scuse me, doll, if I can't do your mama's recipe because I got my own. You know my respect for you is intense (INTENSE) and that every post of yours I come across, I read twice or more. You are the real deal. (Ain't just anybody who gets to be The Real Deal, but I know 'em when I see 'em.)

I backed out of cooking the perfect turkey into realizing that a chicken is just a little turkey. Seriously. That's when I started making batches of that herb rub.

Meaning absolutely no disrespect, because I think you have sufficiently proved that you rock.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am thankful you are alive and posting in your singular, groovy voice. With all that entails.

[wkl]

For those who have suffered dry turkeys, Blue Hill restaurant in New York (hallowed be their name) has posted a new technique, which involves actually separating the body from the legs, with extra cooking time for the legs.

They brine. I don't! Me and Haruld's just a coupla hicks, I reckon.

Interesting technique from Blue Hill.

I wonder how it would work if you seperated the legs and thighs initally and slow roasted or braised them, while baking or grilling the breast meat (bone and skin intact).I kinda got this idea from a pheasant dish I had at a local restaurant a few weeks ago.You could have turkey two different ways if you wanted.Slow roasted dark meat and grilled or baked breat meat.

Any thoughts?

[Hest88]

I have to brine. My Chinese relatives are happier the saltier it gets and keep requesting that I add more salt to the brine. However...

I used to also brine chicken before roasting it and now I use the Zuni Cafe method where you rub the bird generously with s/p and let it sit for 24-36 hours. I'm wondering if this will work as well with a turkey, with its much thicker meat. Anyone try it? It would certainly be easier.

[howard88]

I roast a kosher turkey and find the taste and moisture of the meat superior.

I roast breast side down at 275 to 300 degrees using an electronic thermometer

and remove when the breast shows 158 to 160 degrees. I do turn the turkey over

for about the last hour of cooking.

No basting whatsoever.

I do use a couple of cups of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan for my

base to make gravy.

It slow cooks and finishes perfectly.

[waves2ya]

The best, however, is on your Weber with indirect  heat and a water pan...

←

Good Dr. Funk; hopefully you will return to peruse this thread and thus be 'in'...

Re: Weber. A 'q' aficionado, I have both a kettle (22 1/2") and a WSM. And I have read rather obsessively the forum at Virtual Weber. I wish crispy skin. I do not plan on brining. I plan to flip bird. I understand the Weber kettle methodology is better for the big bird as high heat temp more easily achieved - but seasoned qmasters seem to debate.

Will you expound on the Weber portion of your turkey day plans?

[andiesenji]

I posted my no-fail method on another thread. It requires a heavy bottomed roasting pan with a lid that will cover tightly.

The turkey is placed on a rack, depending on the size of the roaster, 2-3 cups of turkey or chicken stock are put in the bottom and it is put over two burners, for a large roaster, and the stock is brought to a boil, then reduced to medium so it is a fairly vigorous simmer.

The top goes on and you cook it about 8 minutes per pound. At this point it should be nearly done, but I use meat thermometers (designed to remain in the meat during the entire cooking time) which are stuck into the tight and also into the thickest part of the breast, if not stuffed, into the center of the dressing if so.

When the thermometer reaches the temperature I want, about 160 degrees, I remove the cover, place it in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes for a small bird, more for a larger one until it is nicely browned.

By this time the thermometer should have reached the preset temperature (another advantage of a meat thermometer) between 175 and 180 degrees.

Remove the roaster from the oven and let the bird coast for 30 minutes.

I guarantee it will be done all the way through and will not be dry.

This lessens the cooking time considerably. I have cooked a 35 pound turkey in 5 1/2 hours, total. Total cooking time would be figured at 10 minutes per pound, including the time in the oven for browning. Half the "usual" recommended cooking time.

[andiesenji]

By the way, I recommed a Magnalite roaster for this method. It can be used on a burner as well as in the oven. They are available on ebay because the new ones are quite expensive. The lids fit very tight which is essential for this method.

If you have a small bird and one of the LeCruset oval ovens, you can use it. Almost as good but I still prefer the Magnalite.

[hot.chef]

I am trying to cook a turkey at home for 10 people AGAIN.

2 years ago, the turkey thigh was not cooked enough....

Last year the turkey was OVERcooked....

This year....... i need help. Does anyone have a no fail, guaranteed to work recipe for roasting a turkey??

thanks! 

←

This one always works for me! Don't forget always use a fresh bird, and always remember they cook much more quickly than a pre-frozen bird. The total cooking tine here is appx. 4 hours!

hot.chef

Fresh Farm Raised Turkey with Cornbread and Merges Sausage Stuffing

1 16-18# Turkey

Sea Salt

4 qt clean water

1 # butter

¼ C orange juice

¼ C Fresh limejuice

2 T chopped fresh thyme

1t grated lemon peel

1 t grated orange peel

pepper mill

1 recipe corn bread

1# Merges Sausage

1 small onion diced

Combine ¼ Cup Sea salt with 4 qt. Water and soak the turkey for 2 hours turning occasionally. Srcub inside and out with the brine, then rinse and dry throughly. Soften the butter and add the orange juice, limejuice, thyme, lemon peel, orange peel, salt and pepper.

Lay the bird in a roasting pan with a removable rack. Rub the butter all over the turkey making sure to get all the cracks and crevices. Return to refer and chill overnight.

Make one recipe cornbread, roast and chop the Merges. Now sauté the onion, when it’s soft remove it from the heat, add the crumbled cornbread and chopped Merges.

Stuff the Turkey loosely and truss the bird with wings underneath.

Place the turkey in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1.5 hours, baste the bird and then loosely cover it with foil. Baste every half hour 3 or 4 times until the Turkey reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand. Remove the stuffing from the bird, carve the meat and serve with giblet gravy.

[Dr. Funk]

Good Dr. Funk; hopefully you will return to peruse this thread and thus be 'in'...

Re: Weber. A 'q' aficionado, I have both a kettle (22 1/2") and a WSM. And I have read rather obsessively the forum at Virtual Weber. I wish crispy skin. I do not plan on brining. I plan to flip bird. I understand the Weber kettle methodology is better for the big bird as high heat temp more easily achieved - but seasoned qmasters seem to debate.

Will you expound on the Weber portion of your turkey day plans?

←

[waves2ya]

If you can follow a recipe, I've made Roast Turkey with Herb Rub and Shiitake Gravy for ten years now....

←

Potential is looking pretty delicious; however, no stuffing (or, really, 'other dishes') are suggested to go w/ the big bird. Scrolled thru stuffing selections on epicurious but they did not strike me as within the same tune as bird recette...

How have you accompanied this treat...?

Thanks...

[tanabutler]

If you can follow a recipe, I've made Roast Turkey with Herb Rub and Shiitake Gravy for ten years now....

←

Potential is looking pretty delicious; however, no stuffing (or, really, 'other dishes') are suggested to go w/ the big bird. Scrolled thru stuffing selections on epicurious but they did not strike me as within the same tune as bird recette...

How have you accompanied this treat...?

Thanks...

←

I still have the original magazine.

Their menu suggests:

NEW ENGLAND SAUSAGE, APPLE AND DRIED CRANBERRY STUFFING

(They are missing a recipe at Epicurious for whipped carrots and parsnips.)

POTATO AND CELERY ROOT GRATIN WITH FONTINA CHEESE

They are also missing the recipe for Cranberry Sauce with Raspberry Vinegar, darn it!

I have made green beans to accompany (there are some good green bean recipes at Epicurious; I narrowed the focus to "Thanksgiving," though I don't suppose that's necessary). Green beans with lemon and rosemary? Green beans with sautéed persimmons and chives?

I also always make Spicy Roasted Herb Nuts.

Hope that helps. I hope you try this turkey; it's so fabulous. Let me know if you're dying for either, and I'll type up the recipe for the cranberry sauce and/or the whipped carrots and parsnips.