Thanksgiving is around the corner and many are prepping for the Turkey Thursday when we all bundle up, turn on some football, and give thanks to our bounties of family and food. There are many people even in this country who do not have that. I would recommend spending this day one year serving food to the less bountiful. Our family did that until the arrival of the little one, and once he is old enough to help rather than hinder, we will probably return to some service with this day.
Last year was the first year we had in our new home and so in honor I decided to conquer my first turkey. I had about 30 people coming from my husband's side of the family and did not want the main protein prepared to fail. So I looked and looked for that perfect recipe. In the end I trusted my farm-fresh bird to the all-knowing and venerable Mr. Alton Brown.
This recipe is featured in his Good Eats episode (Romancing the Bird).
Prep Time:
To
brine, 2-3 days before the big day
Ingredients
•
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
•
1 cup kosher salt
•
1/2 cup light brown sugar
•
1 gallon vegetable stock
•
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
•
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
•
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
•
1 gallon heavily iced water
For the aromatics:
•
1 red apple, sliced
•
1/2 onion, sliced
•
1 cinnamon stick
•
1 cup water
•
4 sprigs rosemary
•
6 leaves sage
•
Vegetable oil
Directions
2 to 3 days before
roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept
at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns,
allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine
from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Early on the day or
the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place
the thawed turkey (with innards removed—see
below for my adventures in finding said innards) breast side down in brine.
If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and
refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half
way through brining. I used a brining bag (aka very large ziplock) in a cooler
packed with ice packs overnight and my meat thermometer inside to make sure the
temperature did not get into the danger zone.
The Big Day
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine
and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat
dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in
a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped
aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. (No stuffing
here….that’s how you get sick.) Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the
skin liberally with vegetable oil.
Roast
the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert
a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven
temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161
degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of
roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl
for 15 minutes before carving.
Now back to the issue of the innards. On the day of the big show, I snuck downstairs at 4:30 am and began to reach up inside the cavity after mangling the neck, I discovered no innards. I had a mini-mental crisis thinking, "Did this non-store bought turkey get gutted?" With much reaching, I found a heart and half a gizzard. Whew! As for the lost innards...turkey still tasted yummy,
And for my final bit of advice, I recommend the brining for all white meats-be that chicken whole or parts or pork. It really brings back the juices to your meat. Happy thanksgiving and good luck with those turkeys!
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