Roast Turkey

All the things I have learned about turkey over the years is on this page. I think it is important to note, I did not grow up in a “turkey” family. We had turkey at least one time a year, but no more than two times a year. Lessons learned:

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 don’t often fit in the oven and are more difficult to cook evenly.

Lesson #2: You can usually count on 1lb a person when trying to decide the size you will need. 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 drumsticks and thighs and that normally makes everyone even happier. This time, 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 purchase a frozen turkey the day before Thanksgiving. 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. This also helps the skin to dry. 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.

WET 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 2 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 dissolve in 1-2 gallons of liquid. You can brine for 12-36 hours. 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. I like to brine for 24 hour, then remove and pat dry and place in the fridge for 24 hours, uncovered. This makes for a nice crispy skin.

INJECTIONS: I find some of the store bought injectable liquids 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.

TURKEY ROASTER: I am not big on specialty kitchen gadgets, pans, etc. I did break down a few years ago and purchase a countertop turkey roaster. It is a game changer. I have a small kitchen and it is wonderful to cook in it on the back porch. And I also use it to make chicken broth, tomato sauce, chili or soup for a crowd.

STUFFING vs. DRESSING: Since I often use 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: Gravy is important so I always keep it in mind when prepping my bird. It is easy to oversalt the gravy with a brined bird. Be sure and taste the gravy as you are making it and don’t toss in unnecessary salt. Ina Garten has a great make ahead gravy recipe that I use quite often.

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

HERBS: Thyme sage, rosemary, poultry seasoning, garlic, cajun seasoning- the possibilities are endless.

WINE: I love to pair turkey with a nice chardonnay, however a light pinot noir is always a good choice.

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.