http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x71371Oh my.
pipoman (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 08:50 AM
Original message
If I never cook another bone-in turkey
I would be perfectly happy.
Last Sunday I cooked a Thanksgiving feast for 250 people. I opted for a product sold through restaurant food suppliers as 'turkey roasts'. Now these are not those nasty rolled products which we have all recoiled from after just one bite. These are whole boned turkeys which are placed back in the skin, then placed in butcher's netting.
It is raw turkey which averages around 15 lbs. They cook evenly, the white meat and dark meat make temp at the same time. When it is done (around 5 hours), the netting is cut off and the breast lobes can be carved, the dark meat can be carved and once plated or panned up it is indistinguishable from a traditionally baked bone in turkey other than the white meat is moist. The cooking leaves plenty of good drippings for gravy.
They are somewhat more expensive than a bone in turkey but the lack of waste and the simplicity make up for the additional cost IMO. I don't know if these are available in the grocery store, I've never seen them there, but if I ever get out of the restaurant business I will find a restaurant who is willing to order these for me.
Anyone else tried this product?
pipoman (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 04:49 PM
Response to Reply #1
10. It may only be available through restaurant suppliers.
I think it would be a great product for supermarkets, then again bone in turkeys are always loss leaders this time of year at $.60 lb, so maybe people wouldn't want to pay the additional price?
We had turkey and dressing, roast beef, fried chicken, and breaded butterfly shrimp, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry relish, several salads, and homemade pies, berry cobbler, pumpkin cake, and cookies.
My mentor, an 80 year young lifetime restaurant cook, has spent some time over the last several months teaching me how to make the best dressing/stuffing on the planet...I don't know what I would do without her..
wildflower (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 10:46 AM
Response to Original message
2. That sounds great
I am terrible at dealing with the bones.
Whenever I try to make soup out of them I never get it right. I try to pull all the bones out, but then what about the meat on the bone? I've tried boiling the bones until the meat falls off for soup, and then pulling out the bones, but I never manage to get all the little bones out. And then there's boiling them with vegetables.
It seems the only options are soup that has some little bones in it along with the meat and vegetables, or plain broth with everything else thrown in the compost.
The imperious primitive:
The empressof all (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 11:05 AM
Response to Reply #2
4. I make stock with a strainer in my pot
My stock pot came with a large collander inset which is great just for this reason. I'm able to pull everything out of the broth in one "swell foop" You can also just pour your stock through a strainer at the end or even cook it with a cheese cloth lined pot. I do this once every 10 years or so when I make a fish stock.
wildflower (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 03:22 PM
Response to Reply #4
9. Do you pick out the meat and vegetables?
And put them in your soup? I just can't stand to waste anything, hence my problem I guess. I'm not sure if bones can be put in compost, but I think I've heard they can.
pipoman (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 05:49 PM
Response to Reply #2
11. I am not much of a fan of cooking off already cooked bones for stock. I often cook chicken for broth, but start with raw chicken. I always strain my broth, skim the fat, then add the v*****s and cook them. I add the pulled cooked chicken back in at the very last minutes before serving.
tigereye (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 10:48 AM
Response to Original message
3. I think when my brother did the turducken thing last year, there were no bones involved.
But I kind of like the bones in - isn't there some enhanced flavor aspect that's involved with the bones in? I could well be wrong... Plus you have no bones for soup, after and no carcass to pick over!
pipoman (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 05:58 PM
Response to Reply #3
12. I don't know,
I think there is definitely added flavor in broths, but just in baking...I didn't really find any difference..and as I said above I don't really find already cooked bones adds anything to my broths...maybe I'm doing it wrong?
Tesha (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 11:20 AM
Response to Original message
5. cooking for 250?
good grief! you don't need the bones from what? 20 turkeys? what a great find for you Pip!
the little turkey we're getting for backup - in case the one the neighbors are bringing turns out a little weird - bones will be used for a nice broth - well strained, because those little bones are nasty
Grandma pops in, brimming with cheer:
hippywife (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 12:16 PM
Response to Original message
6. Hey, pips!
I was just thinking of you the other day and wondering how all was going for you up there.
Sounds like it's all going well and glad to hear that you found something to make your life a little easier.
Happy Holiday to you!
And franksolich wishes a Happy Thanksgiving to Grandma.
The defrocked warped primitive:
Warpy (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-25-09 01:18 PM
Response to Original message
7. I've managed to get one once from an adventurous supermarket in Boston and I agree, they're wonderful. It's got to be over 25 years ago and I haven't seen them since.
The last time I got a turkey, I boned, rolled and tied the breast meat and carved off the thighs and drumsticks. That worked astonishingly well, although not as well as the entire boned bird did.
The carcass with the scraps made great soup.
On edit: I've found lots of sites out there that tell you how to debone the bird yourself or that tell you to tell your butcher (an endangered species!) to do it, but none that sell and ship a deboned bird. Crap.
