Let's Talk Turkey!
Hints and tips to help you cook the juiciest, most flavorful turkey ever!!
First up…….it’s Jane!
How did cooking a turkey become quite such an ordeal? Honestly, I think I could write a book just on the variety of ways to cook one. Talk about a black hole.
Do I brine, don’t I brine?
Upside down or not?
Butter under the skin or on top of it?
Do or don’t I stuff?
Cover with muslin or cover with chainmail?
What temperatures, when to foil and when not to foil?
Is resting for the bird or for the cook?
How big is big?
Giblets or no giblets? (I have a sneaky feeling that there may be another name in the US?
Trivet or no trivet?
Let’s just take a breath.
I haven’t even brought up the subject of which breed of turkey, or shall we opt for a whole bird (although it fills all of the oven), or perhaps a turkey crown? Dare I venture to mention an alternative suggestion of meat or foul?
And then there is decadence…. bird stuffed with bird. Goose stuffed with chicken, stuffed with game bird (pigeon, squab). I have only done this once and that was enough. I was protein-ed out for weeks!!!
We won’t be sharing your pain in the UK come Thanksgiving Day. We save our pain for Christmas Day when we have everything else to contend with! November and December are my busy time at work and it would take more than two hands to count the amount of times when I have served Christmas Lunch and then collapsed in a heap. Why?!? How can that be a good thing?
I ask WHY do we make it so tough for ourselves, foodie friends? If you love the whole process - brilliant, but I worry that the pressure we put upon ourselves has gone a bit bonkers. The most important thing is to spend time with loved ones… to laugh, share, contemplate life…past and future. You will laugh about the bullet hard sprouts in the future, honestly.
So, foodie friends, here is some advice to make your day easier so that you can embrace and enjoy being with loved ones.
Our secret is plan ahead
Write your menu (ideally for the whole day)
Write the shopping list
Plan your food orders and shopping
Create a list of everything that can be done ahead of the day and a timetable
The evening before, group everything that is needed for each dish together, so you are not on your hands and knees searching cupboards at the last moment. (We’ve all done it!)
Buy some extra aprons and introduce the family to the kitchen. Have in mind which job is for who and give clear instructions. Keep the camera at hand! Kitchen disco on, crack open a bottle. Build memories!
and …. do not beat yourself up if things don’t go according to plan. NO JUDGEMENT HERE, SISTER!
I am sure Lisa will have so many more tips as she feeds the 5000! This Christmas, I will be having a really quiet day with my son George. More about that to come!
A very “Happy Thanksgiving” to all of my US Foodie Friends - I truly wish you a day of joy, laughter and good food.
Over to the Queen of Thanksgiving…..
…..lol…..thanks for a brilliant intro, Jane!
As much as I love the title, Queen of Thanksgiving, trust me, I’ve dried out, burnt to a crisp and made plenty a tasteless turkey over the years.
It’s crazy to think how many turkeys I’ve made over the years. Just counting the years I’ve been married, that’s 29 turkeys……probably closer to 40 because, in the early days of our marriage I cooked turkey for Thanksgiving AND Christmas.
Funny story, the very first Thanksgiving we celebrated together after we got married, I had no idea how long a turkey took to defrost. So, I took it out early Thankgiving morning, thinking it would be ready to pop in the oven around 5, so we could eat about 6:30. Clearly, I had no clue back then how long a turkey takes to cook. If you’re guessing we didn’t have turkey that year, you’d be right!
All this to say, I’ve picked up a few tricks and tips since those early days and now…..I’m going to toot my own horn…..I cook a damn good turkey that’s juicy and flavorful with gorgeous crispy skin.
Ok, let’s get this turkey party started!
To answer all your turkey questions, I’ll take Jane’s questions one by one….plus a couple extra questions we get asked all the time:
If you have a question and don’t see it here, leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to answer any and all turkey questions!
One last quick note before diving into the questions — if you’re overwhelmed at the thought of cooking a turkey, just think of it as a really large chicken. If you’ve roasted a chicken, you can absolutely roast an incredibly delicious turkey!
Do I brine, don’t I brine?
I, personally, am a huge fan of a dry brine. Loads of salt and dried herbs are rubbed all over the turkey, then you place it on a rack over a pan and stick it in your fridge, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours. Leaving the turkey uncovered helps the salt dry out and infuse flavor into the skin and meat.
Before roasting, brush off a bit of the salt (most will have absorbed by then). No, the brine won’t make your turkey salty at all. The skin absorbs the salt, softens the meat and will make it extra juicy and tender.
You can also choose to do a wet brine. But that entails getting an extremely large vessel, like a cooler, to store your turkey in. Plus you’ll need a large refrigerator to store it in. Honestly, in my opinion, it’s a lot of fuss for not a huge payout.
Upside down or not?
My grandmother would always start her turkey breast side down, and then flip it over about 1/2 way through cooking. Her turkey was always amazing, but I really think you can skip this step and still get a delicious turkey. Keep things simple, and roast your turkey breast side up…..no flipping necessary.
Butter under the skin or on top of it?
It’s Thanksgiving, so BOTH!! Make a compound butter (yes, you can still do this if you’re also dry brining) with loads of fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic, and lemon zest and spread it under the skin (careful not to break the skin, so use a finger to gently separate the skin from the meat) and on top of the skin.
Do or don’t I stuff?
Growing up, my grandmother and mom always stuffed the turkey, but for awhile now that’s been discouraged because of the possibility of the raw juices passing salmonella to the stuffing. The turkey and stuffing also cook at different temperatures, so they won’t be done cooking at the same time. I find it’s more of a hassle then it’s worth, so I cook my stuffing and turkey separately.
(This is Jane piping in - completely agree and for the heat to penetrate and cook a solid block of stuffing only extends the cooking time, risking dry turkey. I just create my own bouquet garni; a bunch of fresh thyme, bay leaf & parsley and add this to the cavity along with a lemon, an onion and some sticks of celery).
Cover with muslin or cover with chainmail?
If you’re a Martha Stewart fan (and even if you’re not), you might be familiar with her method of soaking muslin (cheesecloth in the US) in melted butter and then draping it over the turkey before roasting. I’ve never tried this method, but have heard good things. If you’ve tried it, let us know how it’s turned out!
(I feel like a little Thanksgiving Pixie chirping away on Lisa’s shoulder! I was not aware that the cheesecloth was a Martha Stewart thing. I can vouch for it though. When I used to cook for extended family - I used the cheesecloth and it ALWAYS worked and created a beautiful golden turkey skin, lots of basting and butter though.
I have also used the chainmail blanket which covers the bird. It worked really well, but was tricky to clean and I always had a worry in the back of my mind about this).
If you want to try this method, here’s the link for it!
What temperatures, when to foil and when not to foil?
Roast your turkey at 325 degrees F/160 C and plan on 10-15 minutes per pound, depending on the heat of your oven. You can foil if the skin is your perfect shade of golden brown. I do usually cover the breast in foil for the last 30-45 minutes.
Is resting for the bird or for the cook?
BOTH! Resting the bird allows you time to put things that need cooking or reheating in the oven. Especially handy if you only have one oven. It also allows the juices to absorb back into the meat, so when you cut into your turkey the juices don’t spill all over the board. The juices are what give you an incredibly tasty and tender turkey.
How big is big?
Plan on 2 pounds per person, if you want leftovers. If you don’t care about leftovers (seriously, if this is you, can I please convince you that when you put all that time into cooking, leftovers are the absolute best!!), then 1 pound per person. If you’re cooking for 2-4 people, a turkey breast works perfectly — no need to buy a 15 pound turkey. A turkey breast is also a great idea if you’re cooking for a massive crowd and don’t have the space to cook an enormous turkey. Cook a turkey breast the day before, then, on Thanksgiving, cook the whole turkey — together, you’ll have plenty of turkey for everyone.
How do I know when the turkey is done?
The easiest way is to invest in a digital thermometer...like this one or this one. Place the thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey, careful not to have it touch bone or the reading won’t be accurate. Because you’ll be resting the turkey for at least an hour, take it out when the temperature reading is 155-160 degrees F. During resting, it will continue to cook with residual heat and reach the perfect 165 degrees (which is the temperature you want it to reach before serving.) Overcooking your turkey is the quickest way to a dried out turkey, and by using a thermometer and not having to guess the temperature, you’re much less likely to overcook it.
Giblets or no giblets? (I have a sneaky feeling that there may be another name in the US?
One of the best things about cooking over the holidays is sprinkling holiday traditions throughout. My mom always removed the giblets (discarding the heart), minced them up very fine and used them to make literally the best gravy ever. I highly recommend!!! They melt right in and will add a deep, rich flavor to your gravy. I promise, if you have skittish guests, no one will ever know!
Trivet or no trivet?
Hmmmm…..it’s now past Jane’s bedtime as I type this, so I’m assuming she’s talking about a trivet to put the turkey on, so the hot platter isn’t directly on your table? If that’s the case, and you’re carving the turkey in your kitchen and serving it on a platter, I highly recommend a trivet. I set up a buffet in my kitchen, and put the turkey platter on a warming tray instead.
How long does it take to defrost a turkey?
Based on my first experience cooking turkey, I probably should have put this question first. Allow one day for every 4 pounds. So if you have an 8 pound turkey, allow the turkey to defrost in your fridge for 2 days. A 13 pound turkey will need 3 days. Give yourself (and your turkey) plenty of time! If you want to brine your turkey, that means you’ll need to calculate how long it will take to defrost and then add brining time. For example if you have an 8 pound turkey, you’ll need 2 days to defrost plus 1-3 days for brining.
A couple of final words about turkey: If you have access to a fresh turkey (instead of frozen), I highly recommend fresh over frozen if you have the option. And, if you do have that option, purchase your turkey from a small local farm, or an organic farm that delivers. Like other meat, a turkey raised humanely, organically and with care always yields a much more flavorful turkey.
Now you didn’t think we’d give you all the tips and not give you a recipe!
The Perfect Turkey
Ingredients
15 lb turkey
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick butter, softened
6 cloves minced garlic
4 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons Coleman’s dry mustard
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups white wine (I recommend having 2 bottles on stand by) - you can also use chicken stock
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place turkey on roasting rack in a large roasting pan, breast side up.
In a small bowl, mix olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, herbs and salt and pepper. With your hands (gloves will come in handy here), massage about 1/2 the mixture evenly all over the turkey.
Carefully lift up the skin (you don't want to rip it, so gently slide your finger between the skin and the meat to loosen it) and add the rest of the mixture under the skin. Focus on the breast, and legs — this will create even MORE flavor. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.
Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, about 4 hours, or until a thermometer registers 150-155 degrees. If the skin starts getting too brown before the turkey is finished, cover loosely with foil.
VERY IMPORTANT: Keep an eye on the wine level! I usually take a peek every 15-20 minutes. If the wine starts to evaporate add another 2 cups of wine. Depending on the size of your turkey, you may go through an entire bottle, or 2 of wine. That's ok!! The wine keeps the meat nice and moist, plus adds flavor!
Remove from oven and rest the turkey for at least one hour. Double check the internal temperature has reached 160 before carving.
Turkey Dry Brine
Ingredients
8 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons freshly cracked black peppercorns
4 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried thyme
Zest from 1 lemon
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Place defrosted (this is important, don’t brine a frozen turkey) turkey on a rack over a roasting pan. Rub about 1/2 cup of. the brine on the back of the turkey, 1/2 cup on the legs and 1 cup on the breast.
Store, uncovered, in your refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours and a max of 72 hours. More than 72 hours could result in overly salty turkey.
No need to wash the turkey before roasting. Most of the brine will absorb into the turkey, and you can brush off what remains. Discard any dry brine that’s dropped into the roasting pan to avoid an overly salty gravy.
In my family (West coast USA by way of Missouri) we call the bird organs giblets too. My Mom and Grandma always put them in the gravy. Being overly sensitive, I feed them to the cat instead.
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful turkey! I, too, took some cues from my grandmother on how she made her turkeys. Because of her I still start—and keep!—my turkey upside down during cooking. But judging by this gorgeous bird, I may need to rethink that??
Happy Thanksgiving, ladies, whether you’re cooking up a storm on one side of the pond or enjoying a cozy Thursday with a cuppa and a good book on the other!