http://www.democraticunderground.com/115717116Oh my.
NRaleighLiberal (24,872 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 01:10 PM
Looking for your proven success with roast turkey secrets!
I've got a 12 lb Whole Foods bird, it is thawed, in the fridge. I don't want to brine it, and I don't want to deep fry it....and we don't stuff ours (stuffing is done separately).
So - right side up or upside down? Or start one way then flip? Oven temp on entry and throughout? Cover or not cover? Oil or butter or salt or season the skin or not? Baste or not baste?
We plan to roast it tomorrow to make the big day easier - so also looking for the best way to reheat turkey (will put the whole roast bird in the fridge and cut the meat off to reheat on Thurs).
thanks....there are so many ways - ours always comes out good enough, but I am hoping if you share what you do that works great, I can pick up some must-do hints!
Viva_La_Revolution (26,461 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 01:22 PM
1. since you refuse to brine
you heathen..
Breast side up, with 1/4 cup softened salted butter slipped between skin and breast.
2 lemons and 2 oranges, quarter and squeeze juice over the whole bird, stuff the empty rinds into the cavity of the bird. seal with tinfoil (the bags work, but less crispy stuff. I like the crispy stuff for gravy.)
325degrees for 3-4 hours, till the meat is about to slide off the bone. rest 20 min before uncovering and carving.
It won't be the prettiest bird, but it will taste great. to be divine, you would have to brine it
OffWithTheirHeads (8,575 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 01:59 PM
2. An unbrined bird is like an unexamined life you Philistine
Fortunately, it's yours to choose, however, breast side down for half the cooking time so the juices flow that way for awhile, then flip it to finish.
I always slip a combination of butter and herbs between the skin and the meat. Epicurious has lots of ideas for what exactly. The fruit salad above sounds good and I always throw a shot of brandy in the cavity in the mistaken idea that it helps to insure death to any microbial thingies in there. It probably doesn't really do anything but I've been doing it for decades now so it is at least partly tradition.
Oh, yeah, baste a lot and tent if necessary.
When all is said and done, soak a pkg of dried white beans overnight. In the meantime, boil the Turky carcass until all the meat falls off, strain out the bones and use the stock the nezt day to make white bean soup. Yummers!
grasswire (35,943 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 02:42 PM
3. Martha Stewart recommends cheesecloth and lots of butter
...over the breast. Remove toward the end to brown. I don't think anyone recommends basting any more. It lowers the oven temp every time.
^^^franksolich's dark horse, or favorite son, candidate for Top DUmmie of 2012.
grasswire (35,943 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 02:43 PM
4. oh, and it's true about resting time
Letting your hot bird rest for half an hour, tented, will make a huge difference in succulence.
^^^franksolich's dark horse, or favorite son, candidate for Top DUmmie of 2012.
Rhiannon12866 (49,510 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 03:24 PM
5. I use an oven bag.
Maybe that's not acceptable to true cooks, but it's always worked for me and it's awfully easy. Celery and onions on the bottom, butter on the bird and some flour in the bag and that's it. And I do stuff the bird, my mother's recipe for giblet dressing, wouldn't be a holiday without it.
After hearing all kinds of horror stories about dry Thanksgiving turkeys, I was a little anxious when I was about to do it myself for the first time, mentioned it to my doctor and that's what she suggested. Works for chicken, too!
Lex (31,404 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 10:22 AM
18. This is what my mom does and I do it too. Despite what people think, the bird does get browned. It is a no-fail way to make sure the bird is moist.
Rhiannon12866 (49,510 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 05:43 PM
22. Exactly!
Since I do stuff the bird, it's not always easy to remove from the bag, LOL, but it really is a fool proof way to end up with a moist turkey. Don't know how I'd manage without it...
The empressof all (27,597 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 03:25 PM
6. I cook mine in the beer can tradition
I have a vertical roaster that will hold up to 15 lb bird though mine is your size this year. I fill the well with white wine, juiced onion, thyme, pepper, salt and a bit of sage.
I then shove some small pieces of bacon under the skin.
I stick it on the thingie and let it do it's thing.
You may be able to recreate this with one of those huge tall can's of beer. You can drink the beer and fill the can with whatever.
The bird is always moist and juicy and the gravy from the drippings is delish and no need to baste or brine.
Tesha (20,589 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 05:03 PM
7. Bittman's 45 minutes method
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/how-five-minutes-can-save-you-hours-of-turkey-roasting-time/
The breast is always juicy, the whole bird is cooked to the same degree at the same time - I LOVE this method!
And I put some stuffing beneath the bird for my husband who likes it really moist
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put turkey on a stable cutting board breast side down and cut out backbone. Turn turkey over, and press on it to flatten. Put it, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Wings should partly cover breasts, and legs should protrude a bit.
2. Tuck garlic and tarragon under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. Turkey should be browning. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices, and return to oven. Reduce heat to 400 degrees (if turkey browns too quickly, reduce temperature to 350 degrees).
4. Begin to check turkey’s temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if bird is on the small side). It is done when thigh meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer. Check it in a couple of places.
5. Let turkey rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with garlic cloves and pan juices.
noamnety (18,073 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 06:22 PM
8. Seconded!
Normally I stuff my turkey but if you are going unstuffed, spatchcocking is the way to go, to avoid dry white meat while you wait for the dark meat to cook.
I have a hard time flattening it - I've resorted to wrapping the turkey in a large plastic bag and jumping up and down on it while grabbing onto the counter so I don't land on my ass. (Do that part when nobody's watching.)
msanthrope (14,052 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 06:48 PM
10. You want to break the keel--use a meat tenderizer, or your elbow.
msanthrope (14,052 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 06:47 PM
9. I've done the spatchcock method...it works. I lay the turkey on onion and lemon slices, and it soaks up grease and gives good flavor.
Break the keel, it's easier.
Robb (36,043 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 10:13 AM
17. Late to this. I'm brining a breast-only as we speak...
...this spatchcocking intrigues me greatly. I expect I can do it still with only the breast? Maybe a bit of foil?
Fortinbras Armstrong (334 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 11:51 AM
19. I'm with you
Since it's just going to be me, my wife, and our youngest son, we are going with a turkey breast. It is brining as I write.
msanthrope (14,052 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 02:26 PM
20. Yes--you just want to get it as flat as possible. I find I don't really use foil with this method because the bird cooks so evenly....with a whole bird I also pop the joints at the wings and thighs, so I can tuck the tips under.
Robb (36,043 posts) Thu Nov 22, 2012, 04:06 PM
26. Just wanted to say thanks!
Epic bird in record time, I snuck a small hill of stuffing underneath and put the flat bird on a rack a half inch over -- many happy drippings, many fans.
msanthrope (14,052 posts) Fri Nov 23, 2012, 08:01 AM
28. Awesome!!!! I had a great Thanksgiving, too!! My brother deep fried the turkey,
I made a sausage stuffing and whipped sweet potatoes, other people brought stuff---it was fun!
Aerows (11,693 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 06:18 PM
25. Its the initial flattening that makes it retain moisture no matter what you baste it with. God that sounds good I'm doing Cornish Hens, but that sounds like turkey to die for!
greatauntoftriplets (126,464 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 07:51 PM
12. Make certain it's thawed and then cook it!
Seriously, I am not certain how my family's is going to be cooked. We are invited to the triplets' house, but their oven is on the fritz. The repairman has been called and set up several appointments, then not shown up. They're hoping he shows tomorrow.
We'd move the venue, but there will be too many people for anyone else's house. We may instead get dinner from the restaurant where the triplets' father is the chef.
LaydeeBug (4,216 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 07:55 PM
13. Brining *is* my secret.
<<<suppose will have to get around to nadining "brining," because it seems all the primitives do it, and our colleague Eupher here too, but I have no idea what it is.
Major Nikon (7,147 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 11:43 PM
15. Mine is in the brine right now
Tomorrow night it will be smoked and I'll finish it off in the oven on Thursday.
Aerows (11,693 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 06:15 PM
24. Soaking of any type
You can brine, or you can buttermilk. I have some delicious little Cornish hens soaking. Your bird must be moist - flatten it, then soak and it will be juicy and delicious.
woodsprite (5,532 posts) Tue Nov 20, 2012, 08:17 PM
14. We do breast up w/ celery, apple, onions and herbs stuffed in the cavity.
Oh, don't forget the butter massage, sprinkled afterwards with salt and pepper.
I miss my Mom. We would get to laughing sooooo hard over massaging the darned turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Giddy is a good way to put it, but then again, we put the turkey a 23lb turkey in the oven about 3am and by 7am everyone was waking up hungry. We always had a thanksgiving luncheon rather than a late dinner.
Kali (31,180 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 12:00 AM
16. if you don't need a show piece for the table and don't care about crispy skin
roast breast down, covered, at 325 until meat falls off the bone. you won't really be able to slice it either but it will be tender and juicy and such good eating.
if you need it to look a little better and slice neatly roast breast down for at least the first half and then turn it over to finish. baste a time or two just to get some of the grease on the skin to crisp it up, but not often.
microwave is good for reheating or wrap in foil and bake
^^^not to be confused with the bitter old Vermontese cali primitive.
Aerows (11,693 posts) Wed Nov 21, 2012, 06:13 PM
23. I'm cooking Cornish hens tomorrow
Moist bird is the most important thing.
Nope. White meat is the most important thing. As long as it's white meat, it doesn't matter if it's dry or wet or hard or soft.
