When it comes to finding directions on how to roast the perfect
Thanksgiving turkey, suddenly everyone you know becomes an expert.
Your neighbor, your mail carrier, the waitress at the restaurant
where you have lunch with your girlfriends, your best friend, the
dog groomer, the checker at the grocery store, your hairdresser,
your car repairman (even though he's never cooked a turkey in his
life) and last but not least your pest control man. Everyone has to
put in their two cents worth on the subject. Well, I guess that
means I'm in good company. Here are my instructions on how to cook
the best turkey you'll ever eat.
FLAVOR
I am going to let you in on a little secret. This is the method
that the best restaurants use to give their turkeys incredible
flavor. What is the secret? It's called flavor brining. Yes,
that's what they do. Historically brining was done as a method of
preserving. However, today it is used primarily as a vehicle to
impart flavor and moisture into a lean cut of meat.
Here are the steps to brining a turkey.
1. Start with a non-reactive container such as a large food service
container or other food-safe container.
2. Determine the amount of brine mixture you will need by putting
your turkey in the container and covering it with water. Remove the
turkey and measure the remaining water. This is the amount you will
need to make. Discard this water and use fresh water for your brine.
3. Place your turkey in the container and cover with the brine
(recipe to follow). Refrigerate in the brine for at least 12 hours
or up to two days if desired. If you are concerned about the bird
being too salty, stop after the 12 hour period. Better to err on
the side of less than too much.
4. When the brining process is complete, rinse the bird well and pat
dry. Air dry the bird over-night in the refrigerator to let the
skin dry. This will help in the crisping of the skin as it roasts.
Stuff your turkey as usual and roast according to the instructions
below.
Brine Recipe
This is a general recipe. You may need to double the recipe to get
enough to cover your bird. Spices may be added to this mixture to
create your own unique flavor.
In a non-reactive container, mix until dissolved the following
ingredients.
1 gallon of cool, water.
1 cup of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (if using Morton's Kosher salt,
use 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup of white or brown sugar
Pour the mixture over the turkey and refrigerate.
Additional spice and seasoning suggestions:
Add any or all of the following to your brine mixture: bay leaves,
juniper berries, black pepper corns, dried thyme, and garlic cloves.
ROASTING
The goal in cooking a turkey is to get your bird cooked and
beautifully browned without drying out the breast. Here's the
problem: white meat cooks faster than dark meat. Traditionally, the
bird is cooked breast-side up. This method causes the breast meat
to cook quickly while the legs that are under the bird cook slowly.
What you end up with is dried-out breast meat in order for the legs
and thighs to be done properly.
So what is the answer you ask? Roast your turkey breast side
down. Now before you brand me a heretic and have me burned at the
stake, hear me out. Yes this is not how your mother or grandmother
did it but I am telling you, once you try this method you will never
go back to cooking your turkey breast-side up again.
Why do it this way? Because when the breast meat in on the bottom,
not only is it protected and cooks a little slower but all the
juices that are in the turkey drain down into the breast making it
moist, tender and juicy. Unless you have your heart set on a Norman
Rockwell presentation, this is the best position in which to cook
your bird. It may not look as pretty as the other, but who carves
their turkey at the table anyway? We never do.
The last tip to the perfect turkey is to put your bird in the oven a
leave it there until it is done. Calculate the amount of time that
it will take to cook your bird, then put it in the oven and don't
peek until the timer goes off. No basting is necessary. You don't
need to baste if you cook the turkey breast-side down.
Bon Appetite!
Copyright 2002.Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-
Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian
homemaking. She also has a free monthly newsletter for Christian
wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a
blank email to wivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or
visit http://www.christian-homemaking.com
How to Roast the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
