Delicious turkey receipe

[MASTER_J]

I'm cooking a turkey for my family and my gf's family next week. I have never made a turkey before, can anyone share their experiences or suggest a method/receipt that is delicious?

Thanks!

Just to note, I also made prime rib 2 weeks ago with method x suggested in the other thread, and it was soooo delicious! It really is a perfect med rare prime rib! Now I want to take on the challenge of a turkey!

[Bonka]

Brine the turkey for at least 24hrs and temper the bird before it enters the oven. Brine can consist of anything - I usually start with a base of 1 cup coarse salt to 2 cups sugar into about 8L of litres of water and go crazy from there. Cloves, bay leaves, oregano, basil, whole peppercorns, what have you. Before putting it in the oven, I like to slather the entire bird with butter. No basting required as to avoid opening the oven door during the cooking process.

I prefer to cook at 325F with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. If presentation doesn't matter, I find it cooks a lot faster and evenly if you detach the thigh portion and cook them seperately so you can pull the bird out first and finish off the thighs in the oven. 165F internal temperature is the time to pull it out and let it rest for 30-40min though I prefer to pull it out earlier.

The biggest obstacle is the cooking element. Every oven I've used has had significant differences in cooking time. Best to rely on the meat thermometer and if you're good, by touch. I just made a turkey on Friday at a friend's home and the 15lb bird took a mere 2.5hrs in an old oven.

Good luck
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[Culverin]

+1 about no basting.

also, by tempering, he means bringing the turkey out to let it come to room temp.

you can also consider tenting the breast with a piece of foil to prevent it from drying out.

[impulseX]

for me, i debone my turkey and make a stock out of that for gravy
brine (salt, rosemary, thyme, bayleaf, garlic, peppercorn)
airdry for a day in the fridge (for crispy skin)

325 for a few hours. use the thermometer in the thigh area closest to the bone and let it rest for a good 15-20 mins tented

[MASTER_J]

ok great, this is all great advice!

What about the kind of turkey? frozen Butterball? Air chilled Lilydale from costco? Other frozen turkey from PC or other supermarkets?

Thanks again!

[pintoBC_3sgte]

not butterball if your going to brine. non frozen if possible, but if you do decide frozen just make sure its fully thawed for even cooking.

if you do brine and dont have time to air dry , pat the skin down with paper towel . you can rub the turkey down with some butter or slide some under the skin if you wish to give it some more flavor hope it turns out good for ya

[willystyle]

For crispy skin, do you guys apply butter after it's been airdried prior to cooking?

[pintoBC_3sgte]

Originally Posted by willystyle

For crispy skin, do you guys apply butter after it's been airdried prior to cooking?

yes.

[SkinnyPupp]

I always buy Butterball turkeys, and they always come out perfect. They are pre-brined I think.

[willystyle]

Originally Posted by pintoBC_5sfte

yes.

Damn, preparation will take a week from thawing (refrigerator), brining, to airdrying.. lol

[dlu]

i cook my turkey upside down (breast side down) so all the juices go to the breast and half hour before its done you flip the breast side up and crank up the heat to 450 for half an hour or till whenever the skin starts crisping up.

the flipping can be a tricky as the meat is super tender so you gotta be careful.. I use the handle of two spatulas to lift up the turkey and stick it in from both sides like a spit roast then get someone to help you rotate the turkey.

this method ensures that the breast is super moist and juicy

[Manic!]

brined for the first time last year. Turkey was the frozen type. brined it for 24 hours took it out dried it with paper towel and had mom cook it. Turned out super most and juicy. had a bit to much thyme and sage. Everyone loved it. Going to try a fresh turkey this year.

[Culverin]

Originally Posted by dlu

i cook my turkey upside down (breast side down) so all the juices go to the breast and half hour before its done you flip the breast side up and crank up the heat to 450 for half an hour or till whenever the skin starts crisping up.

the flipping can be a tricky as the meat is super tender so you gotta be careful.. I use the handle of two spatulas to lift up the turkey and stick it in from both sides like a spit roast then get someone to help you rotate the turkey.

this method ensures that the breast is super moist and juicy

I use some celery carrots and onions as my roasting base.
If you end up roasting the turkey breast side down, doesn't all the pokey bits actually end up squeezing out breast moisture?

[MASTER_J]

So once I have brined the turkey 24hrs prior to cooking, I leave it in the fridge overnight? And then take it out for a few hours to let turkey reach about room temperature, at this point are you suppsoed to dry the turkey? why do you dry the turkey? and then cook?

Anyone ever try the Lilyday air chilled turkey's from costco, those aren't frozen....

thanks again!

[Culverin]

Pat it down with paper towels.
Then I usually stuff butter under the skin, and use my buttery hands to give it a massage outside the skin.

[MASTER_J]

how long do I let it sit for to reach room temp?

Okay, so big decision time!
1) Frozen butterball from save ons
2) Frozen superstore brand butterball
3) Costco air chilled lilydale

Those are the three options I have, I'm not quite sure which one to buy (Unless you have another place for a turkey please do share). They are all relatively around the same price, and I do have alot of time to prep and watch the turkey ,so time and money are not issues. I just want the turkey coming out delicious! So which turkey is it?

I'm leaning towards the costco turkey, simply because it's not frozen, I can brine it a day prior, and I usually like the products that costco put on the shelf. I've been reading mixed reviews on the butterballs, of chemical or something they inject into the turkey and etc... Although in the past years, I have had butterballs before and they have never fail to satisfy.

[Santofu]

Originally Posted by MASTER_J

So once I have brined the turkey 24hrs prior to cooking, I leave it in the fridge overnight? And then take it out for a few hours to let turkey reach about room temperature, at this point are you suppsoed to dry the turkey? why do you dry the turkey? and then cook?

Anyone ever try the Lilyday air chilled turkey's from costco, those aren't frozen....

thanks again!

I wouldn't take it out to let the turkey reach the room temperature because the bacteria will grow... I recommend to dry the turkey because at the end of the results, your turkey will get crispy skin, in the other hand, if you don't, the skin will turn into slimey fat.

For all of you who want to flavor the turkey, I add some chopped garlic, herbs, black pepper mixed with butter (no salt because it'll make the turkey lose moisture during the roasting process) And I add it under and all over the skins. I haven't try the basting process cuz I didn't have time.

[pintoBC_3sgte]

so with it being christmas and all made me think of turkey dinner tonight and i wondered about this thread. How did it turn out?

[unit]

did all my family related dinners and what not
staying home alone tonight.
gonna make some chili crab. not exactly traditional but still a feast for one.

[impulseX]

bumping an old thread..

so i didnt actually do a turkey dinner for christmas because i was working, but did it closer to new years when i actually had time to enjoy it with friends.

as i mentioned. Brine the turkey after removing the bones(to make my stock->gravy)
let it airdry
put butter cubes underneath the skin on the breast and thighs.
roast at 300 for about 2-3hrs
take it out, tent it to rest. then cut up and serve.

most of my friends were having my turkey for the first time while others a second time (this was my 2nd time making it) and they were amazed how they were eating turkey that wasnt dry and stringy.

will be doing this again sunday night when we have our party up in whistler, so i can only assume the same results will happen. any questions feel free to ask!

anyone else care to share their turkey dinner experiences?

[t-sang92]

What I did for my turkey was first to de bone it. Then I tied up the breast and the legs into roasts, put it into a brine solution (lime, green apple, bayleaf, peppercorn). Left it for about couple of hours. In the mean time I took the bones and made a turkey stock out of it.I took the roasts out of the brine and I seasoned it with S&P, thyme, oregano, basil. Turkey took no longer than 2 hours to cook and came out nice and moist! I then deglazed the pan, added mirepoix, made a rough, added turkey stock and made some gravy. For more flavour I took some demi-glace and added that as well!

[impulseX]

Originally Posted by t-sang92

What I did for my turkey was first to de bone it. Then I tied up the breast and the legs into roasts, put it into a brine solution (lime, green apple, bayleaf, peppercorn). Left it for about couple of hours. In the mean time I took the bones and made a turkey stock out of it.I took the roasts out of the brine and I seasoned it with S&P, thyme, oregano, basil. Turkey took no longer than 2 hours to cook and came out nice and moist! I then deglazed the pan, added mirepoix, made a rough, added turkey stock and made some gravy. For more flavour I took some demi-glace and added that as well!

roux.

sounds good. so do you seperate the legs from the breast? (the skin keeping the two together) and do little mini roasts?

[t-sang92]

lol thanks for the correction, no auto correction here!
No I didn't I kept it together and yes I made mini roasts
I find that this shortens the cooking time and you get more yield out of your turkey.
It's more labour intensive but makes cooking way easier.

[racerman88]

I've had this and even the white meat was tender and juicy.

Here you go. This turkey is supposed to be fantastic when used in a turkey fryer. Just be sure to dry the turkey thoroughly inside and out before submersing in the hot oil to prevent a disastrous boil-over and fire works show. Best done outdoors, away from any flammable objects such as wood piles, siding, cars, etc.

Brine
4 quarts sweet apple cider (not the booze), divided
slivered rind of 1 orange, pith removed

1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1/4 cup whole allspice
8 bay leaves
4 quarts cold water
1 turkey (neck and gizzard reserved)

Sage Broth
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/2 onion, quartered
1 celery stalk, cut into 4 pieces
8 fresh sage leaves

Glaze
2 cups apple cider - again, the sweet stuff, not the booze

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Gravy
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup applejack brandy or Calvados
1/4 cup whipping cream
For brine:
Simmer 1 quart apple cider, salt, orange peel, allspice, and bay leaves in large pot 5 minutes, stirring often. Cool completely. Pour into the brining pot/bucket and add remaining 3 quarts cider and 4 quarts water. Place turkey in brine. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

NOTE: If your fridge is too small or too full to accommodate a large pot with the brine (the full pot could weigh as much as 25 lbs if it's a 20 lb turkey) then you can store the pot outdoors providing the daytime and nighttime temperatures don't rise above 2 degrees C. You also want to be sure that the lid is securely attached and the pot is not accessible to any animals. I've done this often in years when it's been cold enough outdoors. Don't worry about freezing the turkey in the brine. The salt will keep the brine from freezing even down to -10C. Just make sure you bring the pot indoors to warm up some before putting the nearly-frozen turkey into the oven. For Christmas I kept the pot on the front deck in the shade under the table to keep it from warming up during the day. I brine my turkey in a 10 liter aluminum stock pot. If you don't want to spend $40 on one, you can always use an 8 or 10 liter clean plastic pail or bucket - one that's exclusively used for this purpose. I've used that, too. Just make sure you cover the pail with plastic to keep unwanted 'stuff' out.


Drain turkey and rinse. Arrange on several layers of paper towels in roasting pan. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.


For broth:
Simmer all ingredients in large saucepan 30 minutes. Strain sage broth into bowl.


For glaze:
Boil cider in saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Whisk in butter. Cool completely.


Set rack at lowest position in oven; preheat to 350°F. Remove paper towels from roasting pan. Pat main and neck cavities of turkey dry; stuff loosely with your favorite stuffing. IMPORTANT NOTE: The turkey is lightly salted from the brine so remember to reduce the salt in any stuffing you are using. Place turkey in pan, tuck wings under, and tie legs together loosely.


Roast turkey 1 hour. Brush with some of glaze. Roast until beginning to brown, about 1 hour. Cover with foil. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, brushing with glaze every 30 minutes and adding up to 1 cup water to pan if drippings begin to burn, about 3 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes.


For gravy:
Pour pan juices into large measuring cup. Spoon off fat. Reserve 3 tablespoons fat and de-fatted juices. Pour sage broth into roasting pan. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Combine flour, sage leaves, and reserved 3 tablespoons fat in heavy large saucepan; stir over medium heat 1 minute. Whisk in broth from roasting pan and reserved pan juices. Add applejack and cream and boil until gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain into sauce boat. Serve turkey with gravy.

[pintoBC_3sgte]

in for a swim. haha

my brine has water, salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, corriander, mustard seeds, garlic cloves, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, rosemary and parsley.

brine for a day, remove, pat dry, cook until reaches temp.... DONE! :P