But before we dive in, a word about defrosting
If your turkey is frozen, you need to think about defrosting it way
before it’s time to slide it in the oven. According to the National
Turkey Federation, you should allow approximately 24 hours for every
four to five pounds of bird weight for thawing in the refrigerator. This
method is the safest and will result in the best finished product. For a
16-20 pound bird, this is 4-5 days. Unless you want your Thanksgiving
to be memorable for food borne illness, resist the temptation to save
time by defrosting at room temperature on your kitchen counter.
And a word about fresh turkeys
According to the USDA, turkeys to be sold fresh are quick-chilled to
40 °F or lower, but must not go below a temperature of 26 °F. Fresh
turkeys should be refrigerated and used within 1 to 2 days from
purchase.
Time to brine?
Brining a turkey is a popular method to increase moisture of the
meat. It involves submerging uncooked the turkey into a flavored salt
solution, which, through the power of osmosis, traps flavor and moisture
into the meat at a molecular level. This is a great way to ensure the
breast meat will remain juicy while the leg and thigh portions finish
cooking. The downside is that the meat’s overall saltiness is increased.
There are foodies who both
champion and
deride the technique. But if you decide to brine your bird, here are links to some recipes.
Note: If the recipe calls for kosher salt, use kosher salt. Table or
sea salt is more powerful and using it as a substitute will result in an
overly-salty finished product.
The
Pioneer Woman Cooks
has an excellent brining recipe that contains multiple flavor elements,
sweet brown sugar and apple cider combine with savory aromatics.
Martha Stewart’s Turkey Brine utilizes whole spice berries and seeds, as well as a whole bottle of dry Riesling! Who are we to argue? In Martha we trust.
The thought of a
maple-infused turkey
sounds like a delicious way to counteract the salty flavors of brining.
If it sounds like a good idea to you too, then check out this formula
from BHG.com
Bon Appetite’s
Malt-Beer-Brined Turkey with Malt Glaze puts a spin on brining that adds richness to the mix with malt syrup and stout beer.
What if I don’t want to brine?
We totally understand. Finding the refrigerator space, not to mention
a bucket big enough to hold a 20-pound turkey, can be a challenge. Here
are some non-brining recipes that pack a flavorful punch:
The simple route
Los Angeles Times writer Russ Parsons touts a simple salting technique that in his words produced “
the be-all, end-all turkey recipe.”
Go deep
A relatively new and increasingly popular method for cooking a turkey is
outdoor deep frying.
Practitioners of this method rave about the reduced cooking time,
freed-up kitchen space, and the fact that it gets the men out of the
house while the turkey bubbles in its oil Jacuzzi. Frying rigs generally
go for about $100.
And for sheer enjoyment, check out Alton Brown’s delightful
Rube-Goldberg contraption to maximize safety during the deep frying process.
The best of both worlds
If presenting a giant roasted bird in all its intact glory is less
important than ensuring both the light meat and dark meat are cooked
perfectly, do what many professional chefs suggest: Butcher the turkey
beforehand, separating the breast meat and the leg-thigh portions, and
apply different cooking techniques for each. In this case, a brined,
roasted turkey breast, and legs and thighs cooked confit-style (slow
cooked in duck fat). You can worry about the caloric consequences later.
Read more from Chow.com.
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