Roast Turkey

This post contains everything I have learned over the years about turkey. I think it is important to note, I did not grow up in a “turkey” family. Yes, we had turkey at least one time a year, but no more than two times a year- Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas. I have definitely learned some lessons over the years:

Lesson #1: Big turkeys are hard to manage and cook. I find the turkeys between 9-16 lbs are the perfect size. Anything larger is too much in many ways. Turkeys over 16 lbs are hard to manage, don’t often fit in the oven and are more difficult to cook through without some spots being overcooked.

Lesson #2: You can usually count on 1lb a person when trying to decide what size, this takes into consideration the bone weight and will leave you with some leftovers. If you have 24 people coming for dinner then I would suggest purchasing two turkeys. That means double the drumbsticks and thighs and that normally makes everyone even happier. This round I made a 9lb turkey for 7 people. I had 30% of the bird not eaten to use for left overs.

Lesson #3: You can’t purchased a frozen turkey the day before Thanksgiving. Chances are it will not thaw in time, especially if you purchased a large bird.

Lesson #4: Bring your turkey up to room temp before you cook it. I like to set it on the counter in the pan and let the skin dry out for an hour or so. This holds true for any type of meat you cook.

Lesson #5: You need a meat thermometer. The last thing you want to do is give all your guests salmonella poisoning. Birds need to be cooked through, specifically, 165 degrees in the thickest part. Depending on your turkey, the thickest part will either be the thigh or the breast. If you are roasting a spatchcock turkey, I usually take the temp in the thickest part of the breast.

Lesson #6: Your turkey needs to rest after it is cooked. Tent it with foil, set is aside and forget about it- AT LEAST 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. No, it will not get cold. The longer it rests, the juicier it will be.

SPATCHCOCK: I love to spatchcock a turkey, this is basically just butterflying the bird. Cut down each side of the backbone, cut into the breast bone just a bit and flatten the breast down onto the pan. A spatchcock turkey will cook in almost half the time of a full turkey and 100 percent of the skin gets crispy. I also do this method with roasting whole chickens. I would not try to spatchcock a turkey over 16lbs. Today, I did the spatchcock method on a 9lb turkey and it cooked at 450 degrees for 50 minutes.

FRESH vs. FROZEN: Of course, I would opt for fresh if possible, but I have not always been able to find a fresh bird. If you have a frozen bird in the back of your freezer that has been there for a year to two, do everyone a favor and throw it out! Recently frozen works just fine.

BRINING: If I have time, I do like to brine my bird. Brining is not absolutely necessary, but it does make for a much juicier bird. I have purchased some wonderful brine mixes over the years, but lately I have found I like to make my own, so I can incorporate and try different things. A quick method to brining: don’t heat up all two gallons of brine. Just heat up 1.5 cups of kosher salt into 2 cups of water until it is dissolved. Let it cool and then add it to the brine mixture. You can brine for 12-36 hours. I usually do 12-24. For this turkey, the brine mixture included: apple cider, oranges, lemons, head of garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, allspice cloves, rosemary, sage, thyme, kosher salt and water.

INJECTIONS: I find some of the injections to be have a strange after taste. I would not be opposed to pure butter injections.

THAWING: Please go by the instructions on the bird. There is a quick method which consists of a water bath in the sink and a regular method of thawing in the fridge. The quick method takes hours. The regular method takes days.

COOKING METHOD: I have smoked turkeys, deep fried turkeys and roasted turkeys. It all depends on what kind of mood you are in and in some cases, the weather. I prefer to roast, using the spatchcock method. We have a Big Green Egg, and I have to admit, it is nice to have the oven free for other things. However, not everyone likes smoked turkey. I think a good, roasted turkey can’t be beat. If we are having a crowd, we may spatchcock two turkeys and smoke one and roast the other.

STUFFING vs. DRESSING: Since I prefer the spatchcock method, stuffing isn’t really an option. However, I still prefer a great pan of dressing. It is easier to control the moisture and that’s just how I remember Thanksgiving- a huge pan of dressing on the table.

SLICING: I do like to slice the entire turkey and place on a platter. I cut each breast into several pieces. If the thighs are large, I will slice them in half.

GRAVY: You can make a gravy from a spatchcock turkey. Just make sure to add some chicken stock and aromatics under the turkey. This weekend I watched an old episode of The Kitchen on Food Network. Alex Guarnaschelli made a gravy thickened with onions and garlic that was roasted separately from the turkey that looked fabulous. I am definitely going to try her recipe this year. It required no flour or thickener which is wonderful for gluten sensitive folks like myself.

AROMATICS: You can add aromatics below the rack, or if you don’t have a rack just place the bird on top of the aromatics. Good aromatics to consider- celery, carrots, onions. If I add aromatics, I usually cook the bird a little lower at 425 degrees.

HERBS: Use fresh if you have them. You can replace the fresh herbs with dried herbs, just adjust the amount. Dried herbs are much more condensed than fresh, so opt for about 1 tbsp of dried instead of 3 tbsp of fresh.

PAIRING: A Thanksgiving favorite at our house is Rombauer Chardonnay. This one is very oaky with hints of fruit and vanilla. The balance is perfection and goes very well with a holiday menu. At around $38 a bottle, and is perfect for special dinners. The Vivinno App scores it a 4.4, which is an excellent score for any wine, especially a Chard. It is also a wonderful selection to bring as a hostess gift if you are invited to a special dinner at someone’s home.

Don’t let a turkey get the best of you. It really is just a large chicken. If you feel overwhelmed, do a trial run with a whole chicken. And once you get the hang of it, fix a few turkeys throughout the year. The price is easy on the pocketbook and a very healthy protein. Tonight, turkey was on the menu and it was just a normal Saturday night in October.

Roast Turkey

• Servings: 10-12
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Ingredients

1 9-16 lb turkey
Brine
2 sticks room temp butter
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper

BRINE MIXTURE:
4 cups apple cider
1 head garlic, cut in half
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
1.5 cups kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp black peppercorns
3 tbsp allspice cloves
water

Directions

Thaw the bird properly.

Prepare the brine: In a pan, heat up the kosher salt with 2 cups of water until the salt is dissolved. Let it cool and add it to all the other ingredients in a large pot or container. Add the spatchcock bird, add enough water to cover the bird and place in the fridge for 12-36 hours.

Prepare to roast: Place on a pan and let it sit so it comes to room temp before roasting. Preheat the oven. I like to cook at 450 degrees. You can cook it anywhere from 400-450. I like the higher temp because it produces a crispier skin. Remove the bird from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the butter, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic powder with the butter and spread on both sides of the bird , then sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper on both sides. I like to elevate the bird by placing it on a flat roasting rack or what some would call a cooling rack on a pan. Add a cup or two of chicken stock or water to the pan.

Cook until the thickest part of the turkey reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes – 2 hours.

Make this recipe your own. Add ground cayenne pepper for a little heat. Play with the brine ingredients and add what you love.