I know folks will have different things for Thanksgiving, though the majority of folks will have turkey. I have to confess that I love turkey, when properly prepared, but when overcooked, dry or just bland, it becomes something I don't want anywhere near my mouth hole
Unfortunately, I've had more than my share of poorly cooked turkeys, maybe not quite as bad as the one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (hilarious scene), but darn close. It's amazing that on this one holiday, millions of people will suddenly attempt to cook something they not only have little to no experience with, but won't bother to learn how to do it properly. Unwrapping a bird and stuffing it into the oven until the little timer pops out (as my mother did), is a guaranteed way to waste a good gobbler.
When I got the chance to cook my first turkey for Thanksgiving some years back, I did my research. I'm a pretty accomplished baker/cook, so I am very capable of properly following recipes as well as properly executing various cooking techniques. I found that brining was without a doubt a necessary step in making a good turkey. I wet brined the first 2 birds, then moved to dry brining, which is much, much better in my opinion. A good 2 day dry brine gives fantastic results. Before cooking, stuff the cavity with some aromatics such as rosemary, apple, sage, onion. Follow that with slow roasting (tenting the breast for a time to prevent the white meat from over cooking) provides consistently cooked turkey, both the white and dark meat. Bonus for a properly brined and cooked turkey, the leftovers don't dry out the next day.
I also know how to properly carve a turkey, which means letting the bird rest, loosely covered 30-60 minutes before digging in. And when it comes to carving, I use a properly sharpened knife to separate the entire breast from the carcass before slicing - makes for a nice presentation and nice even slices.
I'm not cooking the turkey this year, my brother is, and thankfully, he is one of the only other people I trust to cook a turkey properly - he also makes some amazing turkey gravy. I do a great cornbread and sausage dressing too, but that's not been requested this year, so that will wait until Christmas. I'll be doing a green bean, bacon and onion dish (no canned soup garbage, thank you) and some nice fresh yeast rolls. We're having a small gathering this year, but sounds like it's going to be good. I may also try making a buttermilk pie this year - never had it, but it sounds really good.
Now, I'm interested some day in trying both deep fried turkey as well as smoked turkey - to date, I've never had a chance to try either, though I hear both produce great results.
Anyway, just curious, for those doing turkey, what's your preferred method of cooking the mammoth poultry? Any special secrets you'd care to share?
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving NWFA!!
Unfortunately, I've had more than my share of poorly cooked turkeys, maybe not quite as bad as the one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (hilarious scene), but darn close. It's amazing that on this one holiday, millions of people will suddenly attempt to cook something they not only have little to no experience with, but won't bother to learn how to do it properly. Unwrapping a bird and stuffing it into the oven until the little timer pops out (as my mother did), is a guaranteed way to waste a good gobbler.
When I got the chance to cook my first turkey for Thanksgiving some years back, I did my research. I'm a pretty accomplished baker/cook, so I am very capable of properly following recipes as well as properly executing various cooking techniques. I found that brining was without a doubt a necessary step in making a good turkey. I wet brined the first 2 birds, then moved to dry brining, which is much, much better in my opinion. A good 2 day dry brine gives fantastic results. Before cooking, stuff the cavity with some aromatics such as rosemary, apple, sage, onion. Follow that with slow roasting (tenting the breast for a time to prevent the white meat from over cooking) provides consistently cooked turkey, both the white and dark meat. Bonus for a properly brined and cooked turkey, the leftovers don't dry out the next day.
I also know how to properly carve a turkey, which means letting the bird rest, loosely covered 30-60 minutes before digging in. And when it comes to carving, I use a properly sharpened knife to separate the entire breast from the carcass before slicing - makes for a nice presentation and nice even slices.
I'm not cooking the turkey this year, my brother is, and thankfully, he is one of the only other people I trust to cook a turkey properly - he also makes some amazing turkey gravy. I do a great cornbread and sausage dressing too, but that's not been requested this year, so that will wait until Christmas. I'll be doing a green bean, bacon and onion dish (no canned soup garbage, thank you) and some nice fresh yeast rolls. We're having a small gathering this year, but sounds like it's going to be good. I may also try making a buttermilk pie this year - never had it, but it sounds really good.
Now, I'm interested some day in trying both deep fried turkey as well as smoked turkey - to date, I've never had a chance to try either, though I hear both produce great results.
Anyway, just curious, for those doing turkey, what's your preferred method of cooking the mammoth poultry? Any special secrets you'd care to share?
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving NWFA!!
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