I shopped one of my local Trader Joe's today in search of a small turkey I could bring home for tomorrow's supper. None of the turkeys were small enough, but that is where I plan to get my turkey. If you are in charge of roasting a bird for your home, I have a few tips for you.
If you have the opportunity to buy a pre-brined fresh turkey, I suggest doing so. Lots of people look for the biggest, least expensive birds they can find, which means frozen. If your budget is really tight, then I do not blame you for bargain shopping to find a turkey that's under $1 a pound. However, if you do have the spare money in your budget, fresh turkeys will have a better texture and flavor. Unless you have a really good butcher shop nearby, this is the only time of the year you have the chance to buy a fresh whole turkey. Fresh birds that you want to use on a Thursday you should pick up no earlier than the Sunday before. By the way, the bigger the bird, the tougher it will be. If you have a lot of guests, I suggest two smaller turkeys instead of one enormous one.
If you do not have the chance to buy a pre-brined bird, you can still brine it yourself so long as it is thawed. I bought a lobster pot some years ago specifically to have something big enough to brine a turkey. There are plenty of recipes for a basic brine on the net, but I have a couple of twists: have a lot of ice nearby, a 5-10 pound bag, and use only about 2/3 the water you need for your brine. When you are done boiling your brine, add enough ice to make up the difference. The ice will cool down the brine quickly. Do Not put your turkey in your brine unless the brine is under 40ºF, preferably closer to 32ºF. In addition to the usual brine materials of salt and perhaps a little sugar, you can add a few bay leaves as well as whole spice berries, like black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds and an allspice berry or two. Don't use any clove spices.
Brining does three things for your turkey: it makes it tastier, it makes it juicier, and it makes it harder to overcook.
The USDA recommends that your turkey be cooked to a minimum of 165ºF at the thickest part of the breast. Some turkeys come with built-in thermometers, but these are not always all that good. If you can, get yourself a probe thermometer, something that can stay in the bird as it cooks.
My favorite way to roast a turkey, which I try to keep at or under 16 pounds, is much like how I roast a chicken, but I finish at a low heat. Because a turkey is much bigger than a chicken, I give it more time at high heat. I will start my turkey breast side down. My oven starts preheated at 425ºF; the turkey gets an hour at that temperature breast side down, then I take it out of the oven and flip it to breast side up. After another hour at 425ºF, I turn the oven down to 250-275ºF and let it cook to 163-164ºF, however long it takes to get there.
When you take your turkey out of the oven, if you let it rest (and you should) there will be carryover cooking - the heat lingering in the outer section of the bird is still radiating its way in. This is why I do not roast my bird all the way to 165ºF. The amount of carryover heat depends on what the last temperature of the oven is, and how long it was at that temperature. If it was at the final temperature for 30 minutes or more, base it off of that temperature. When I finish my bird at the temperature above, it only goes up a maximum of couple of degrees due to carryover cooking. If your bird finishes at higher temperatures, be prepared for more carryover cooking. Many people finish their turkey at 350ºF, and that means 5-10º of carryover cooking.
After your turkey comes out of the oven, let it rest for 20-30 minutes if possible -- at least 10 minutes if you are really pressed for time. Do not cut into it as soon as it leaves the oven. Why? Well, you want the meat to stay juicy, yes? Well, letting the bird rest after it comes out of the oven allows those lovely turkey juices to distribute properly throughout your bird. If you cut into it right after it leaves the oven, a lot of juices that would otherwise keep your meat juicy will instead spill onto your cutting board. I for one do not care if my cutting board has a lovely turkey flavor.
Some people slather butter over their whole turkeys, but I have to tell you: a turkey already has a lot of fat in its skin. If you use the method I detailed above, a lot of the fat will render out of the skin and help keep your turkey nice and moist. Your turkey will not stay moist if you overcook it, however.
Now, if you put on butter because you like the flavor of butter, that is another story; but you don't need a lot of butter for that. I will never do that to my turkey, but my tastes may be different than yours.
If you want to spice your turkey, go ahead. A good way to spice would be to loosen the skin on your bird, make a spice rub, add just enough of a light-flavor oil (like grapeseed or canola) to make it a bit liquid, then rub the spices under the skin. You can also stuff whole (large) garlic cloves, small shallot cloves, or peeled slices of a firm apple (like a MacIntosh or a Fuji). Any spice from the rub that won't stay under because it sticks to your hands, that you can rub on the outside of the skin. Because I am a purist when it comes to turkey, I prefer not to do this. I want to enjoy my bird's basic flavor.
So, in short:
- Buy a fresh, pre-brined turkey, preferably not too big, or brine a plain turkey
- Buy a probe thermometer if you don't already have one
- Use high heat to brown the skin and render more of the fat, then low heat to finish to avoid overcooking
- Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting it
- If you want, you can butter and/or spice your bird
If you are worried about side dishes, well, that's another post. I hope you have the chance to have some turkey this Thanksgiving, and that it is juicy, tender and flavorful.
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