Thanksgiving Turkey

[Ratfink]

12 hours of brine. 3 hours of smoke. 4 hours of slow roasting. Stuffed with almond hulls, onions, apples, celery.
If you want a bird that's fine, you gotz to put in the time..

 

[Member 34319]

Lol. Turkey is no different than a large cut of beef. I smile when folks get scared cooking a big one for a bunch of guests.

I've hosted Thanksgiving as long as I have been able to. I really enjoy it. My folks love coming over and I truly enjoy their company.

My routine for cooking a big bird is as follows.

Ensure it is thawed completely. IE don't buy a frozen bird two days before thanksgiving.

Two or even one day before. I pull back the skin and put in my salt blend.

Salt blend is a good rock or bigger chunk Salk like kosher or seas salt. The fancies the salt the better the taste. Plain granulated would suffice, but I get better results with coarser salt. Anyways. Blend a half cup or so with enough olive oil to make it into a paste. Add some thyme or rosemary. Rub under skin all over and inside cavity.

Put in roast pan and cover with wrap. Leave in fridge for the night or two before.

Set over at 200 to 220 at 5-7 in the morning. Later if it's not a big bird. Yes, like beef, low and slow.

Cover in foil and put in oven.

Like beef, don't touch it.

Check temp at 1-2 hours before you want to eat. If done right, depending on the birds size, temp should still be under 165.

Remove foil and crank the over to 350 till internal temp is about 160 and hopefully browned a bit more due to not being covered.

Remove from oven cover again with foil and let it sit. Temp should continue up to or past 165 by this time. As well as let the juices settle.

I remove the entire breasts from the bird over carving them on the bird. Makes carving the white meat easier.

Best of luck hosting.

 

[bbbass]

12 hours of brine. 3 hours of smoke. 4 hours of slow roasting. Stuffed with almond hulls, onions, apples, celery.
If you want a bird that's fine, you gotz to put in the time..

What time is dinner???

 

[Capn Jack]

Thanksgiving is one of the few times of year that my local flock of crows
gets meat to eat.

 

[No_Regerts]

Well, I am not much use on cooking Thanksgiving meals. To me Thanksgiving was a day to have the middle Wilson River to myself, usually getting at least one fish that I would bring back and cook and eat in lieu of the traditional turkey. This year, it will probably be some shooting in the morning if I can motivate some boys or a few hours on the Deschutes fly fishing. The women will insure we have a cooked turkey, Trager most likely and some prime rib as well.

Not into extensive meal prep, I can tend the Trager while working in the shop if so motivated. Not a big holiday guy, I worked a lot of holidays as a fire fighter / EMT and when I was single I would trade shifts with the family guys so they could be home on Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years. Just another day.

I'm in the same boat. I didn't have Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Superbowl Sunday off for the first six years of my career!

Thanksgiving was also the day that marked the transition from hunting to fishing. Late dear season was over and rumors of the first winter steelhead started to swirl.

 

[Stomper]

I have cooked the Thanksgiving turkeys in my household for decades... yeah beatchces, I can actually cook!

I just do it the "traditional" way. Super savory stuffing mix in the cavity and under the neck flap, basted with melted butter with salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and smidge of rosemary seasoning. Hasn't been a flop yet!

Year before last's:


Last year's:

 

[WAYNO]

I am surrounded by foodies. They lavish their cooking with spices and sauces. And their food is okay, but not worth all the extra effort.

I cook my turkey in the oven in a deep baking pan. I put a little water in the bottom with a bouillon cube. I occasionally baste the turkey with the juices in the bottom of the pan. And my turkey is always excellent.

 

[Mikej]

Thanksgiving is one of the few times of year that my local flock of crows
gets meat to eat.View attachment 627165

HA, I though it was only me. We love the crows around here. And they love us. If I open the garage door, pull up in front when I come home from work, the crows start to assemble on the wires. It's pretty fun watching the crows work over a turkey carcass. Though I do have to rinse off the neighbors car from time to time.

 

[Capn Jack]

I feed the local flock every morning and they start stomping on the roof if I'm late.

They occasionally crap on the windows and they drop shells in the driveway to break
them open, but Oh well, payback for the ones I've taken out in the past with my old
.22 K-Hornet.