Let's talk Turkey

[katlady]

Hi all,
I was watching a commerical and in the commerical the lady is preparing for her first thanksgiving. She takes her turkey and test to see if it will fit in the crockpot. My hubby even noticed it and said the skin on the turkey is going to be horrible. I would love to hear other people's go to recipe of thanksgiving here is mine for the perfect turkey.

I was listening to the radio about 7 years back and the guest was Chef Marc he was making a high heat turkey that cooks in only 2 hours 45 minutes. The radio hosts were raving about this turkey. So I thought what the heck and tried it. You cook the bird breast side down for the first 2 hours after that you have to flip the bird. The first year my hubby had a lot of trouble flipping the bird (no pun intended). He said "You will never do this recipe again" there was also quite a bit of swearing. But then he tasted the breast meat of the turkey and change he mind. He said it was the juicest turkey he ever tasted we just need a good method to flip it. That is where the turkey lifter (pictured below) comes in handy. Here is a link to Chef Marc's recipe. I have never tried to stuff my turkey.
Remember to thaw it's 24 hours in the fridge for each 5 pounds of turkey. Happy Thanksgiving.
ChefMarc's The Perfect Holiday Meal

[Trip]

The first Thanaksgiving I ever made, I left the package of bits and pieces in one cavity...My Mother was one of those, that had to remove the meat form the bones asap, so no one would get salmonella...she left to do her thing...

Suddenly in the doorway, she whispered to me, with a shhh, sign..I went into the kitchen thinking what the heck?? She softly told me, I had left the goody bag in the turkey, and not to say a word to anyone This from a woman, who would gag if she dropped an egg on the floor, so seeing this and not barfing, showed a lot of fortitude on her part I will remember this story till the day I die

Kat you are good..with my almost 30 pound bird [if Bruce can find one], and it being stuffed to the nth degree, I would not even think of flipping it....

[katlady]

Trip that is a cute story. My first turkey was so dry you needed gravy. My hubby wasn't a fan of turkey until I learned this high heat techique. It worries me that your mom didn't allow the meat to rest at least 20 minutes before cutting. I like to let my turkey rest 30 minutes. It allows the juices to settle before cutting.

You have a huge bird 30 Pounds is too big to flip. The turkey lifter comes in handy and would help you with the 30 pound turkey. I saw some at Safeway, the one in the picture is from bed bath and beyond website.

My turkey this year will be the largest turkey I have cooked with this method. He is 22 pounds. My hubby will be flipping the bird. It is undignified for a lady to flip the bird. My hubby uses the turkey lifter (in my first post) to lift the turkey on to a plate breast side up and than he slides it back onto the rack. The last turkey I made this way was 17 pounds and it turned out perfect. The next day when I microwaved the leftover turkey breast and it was still moist.

On your 30 pound stuffed bird I would suggest preheating the oven to 500 degrees once you put the bird it turn it down to your normal roasting temp. The hotter oven to start will sear the skin and seal in the juices. I do this for my prime rib also. I way suggest to oil the outside of the bird, put it on a rack so it doesn't touch the sides of the pan (if possible) or liquid, do not baste. Basting only breaks the seal that the hot oven created and allows the juices to release.

I would love to hear some go to side dish recipes from the cruisemates.

[CruisinK n J]

I have never been a turkey fan, either, until several years ago when Keith began brining the bird The recipe is from Emeril LaGasse. It was a big hit, and he has done it that way ever since. He brines the turkey over night in salt, water, and citrus juices. The result is a very tender, moist bird.

Judy

[nlb1050]

Trip, my sister-in-laaw did the same thing with her first turkey. She had never even seen anyone prep a turkey so disn't know anything was in there and she stuffed it too. But of course everything was fine.

I always stuff my turkey and of course make so much that I have to cook a pan of it as dressing.

I have never done this high heat method but may try adding chicken broth to the pan.. And with us now having Thanksgiving at our daughter's with her small kitchen no one would be able to go in there so won't try it just yet.

My son-in-law one year had to try a way he had heard of and used a whole pound of butter inside and out of the turkey. It did help with the moistness but we could not make gravy and that is one thing my husband has to have. In fact that is his job making the gravy.

[ToddDH]

We don't have to worry about Thanksgiving this year as we're going to my Niece's. She (as does yours truly) has to have the biggest bird she can find. The best I've ever done Trip is 26 pounds. I once fixed a 20 pound bird just for Fran and me! Another thing is, my niece reserves the skin for just the two of us (heh-heh-heh).

The big thing these days is Deep Fried Turkey and absolutely everyone I've talked to who have had turkey prepared this way, has raved about it. One friend even called it "The turkey for turkey haters" because he used to avoid turkey like the plague!

As for us, we'll be doing a family "Christmas" dinner for about thirteen but it won't be until the 3rd of January. At that time of year on my table there is always a large roast rib of beef that is roasted to medium rare to rare after being marinated in beer (and which makes the best au jus you EVER put in your mouth) and about a twenty-five pound turkey. Nobody will have to cook for a week after that one.

For Christmas Eve we have the traditional Italian fish thing (centered around 16 oz lobster tails (yeah we can now even get the calimari if not the ovup) and preceeded by (if you like such soups) a Shrimp Bisque that I made up one Christmas on virtually the spur of the moment and based solely upon what I thought it should taste like. Basically it's a cholesterol nightmare with a lot of butter and a little flour to make a roux, a half gallon of cream, one can of Campbell's condensed tomato soup, a very generous amount of sherry and a pound of shrimp, minced. As Mister Food says, "Goodness Gracious, it's goooooood!" It must have been because we had four (including us) and not a drop was left.

Now I'm hungry, dammit!

Todd

[katlady]

Todd these made up recipes are always the best. We had a potluck today and I made "mashed potatoes". So I got the bacon crisp, roasted a head of garlic, added cheeder cheese, real butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic & onion power & made me some mashed potatoes alla katlady. These potatoes got eaten in a hurry. I love roast garlic. The head was only costed .50 cent and it made all the difference in that dish. Of course Bacon makes everything better. One slice of bacon didn't made it into the dish I had to make certain the bacon was good.

[beenie weenie]

Guys I am so tired of the traditional green bean casserole. It is like so uh! to me! I am thinking about something with onions and bacon and the grean bean thing in a sour creamy sort of sauce with French's new cheddar onion rings. Just something different. I went out and bought the turkey and ham and stuff tonight and going to do a few different potatoes, au gratin and mashed, some sort of green bean thing, crudites and dip and shrimp cocktail, for desert sis is going to make chocolate cake and I will make some sort of dark and white chocolate Mousse, perhaps with a splash of espresso and Kahlua. Oh and can't forgot the Beef House Rolls (the best yeast dinner rolls that ever melted in your mouth.)I can make most of this stuff well ahead of time and it should be pretty simple.
This will be a special Thanksgiving, as my sister has a new beau and he will be joining her for the Holiday dinner at our house, I am anxious to meet him. I better get the turkey roaster out of storage and start getting my act together.

[Mean Dean]

Sherry,

Your garlic mashed pototoes sound great! Do you mind sharing your recipe?!

[Trip]

I figured, if I took the goody bag out of one end..my job was done..who knew they filled both ends...... kat, my Mom, cleaned the carcass after we ate...

Hubby told me tonight, I better plan on making tons of stuffing..that's what always goes first He always says it, and, I never have enough For me, it HAS to go into the bird, none of that, separate pan thing

[Angela Z.]

The house we're in now has double ovens and the first year we were here I bought my usual 20 or so pound turkey and thought to make sure it would fit in the oven and sure enough it wouldn't. Luckily Publix took it back since it was still frozen.
I learned my lesson about making sure the turkey fit the year Dave brought home the 27 pound bird (he works for a food service supplier) because he never had enough leftovers. (We were in our old house with a regular size oven) I'm not a turkey lover at all and was a little ticked about having to make such a big bird.
I borrowed a big enough roasting pan from my sister and put the still wrapped and frozen turkey in it to make sure it fit and it did.
I got up bright and early Thanksgiving morning (being careful not to wake my visiting dad who would want to help....yes, I should've been grateful for the help but we'd done this before and it made me nuts....) and got the now thawed, relaxed stuffed turkey into the pan and into the oven. It was a very tight fit but I thought no problem since it did technically fit.
About a half hour later I realized the kitchen was looking a bit hazy. Turkey drippings were running down the turkeys back and hitting the oven floor instead of the pan.
I can't remember the exact sequence of events but I do remember it involved me waking Dave up and expressing my displeasure at this situation. I seem to remember a trip to Winn Dixie for more chicken broth, the turkey coming out of the oven and Dave hacking away at the legs and wings so it would fit in the pan better (while simultaneously yelling at me to just go sit down) and me sitting on the couch (which I was still waiting for him to move so I could set up tables!) and crying about the worst turkey ever.
Actually, it ended up being the best turkey ever and it still makes me laugh when I think about it.
Angela Z.

[beenie weenie]

I have to say one of the best investments I ever made was a roaster

This frees up all that space in your oven. I've never found a bird that wouldn't fit in mine and you can get inserts to convert it into a warmer with three chafing dishes. After the holidays you can pick it up for a song. When I am done with it, I clean it and put it in a large plastic bag and stick it out in the garage until next year. Unless I am having a lot of company over and want to serve something buffet style.

[Mike M]

For Thanksgiving Betty gets her way and we have the standard turkey and dressing. She does her own dressing and stuffs the bird. We use a large roasting pan to roast the turkey.

Over the years I have convinced her to make a couple of changes. We no longer cook the Turkzilla bird and stay with something 14 to 16 pounds. She also allows me to use the cheese cloth soaked in butter method. You drape the cheese cloth over the breast and baste with butter. You get nice breast meat, looks beautiful and the skin is wonderful.

One of our family stories was when my daughter first became serious with my son-in-law she told us that he did not like turkey so I made a small prime rib for him. Once Thanksgiving came around and we all sat down at the table he decided to "try" a piece of turkey. He couldn't believe it. All his life he had grown up on dry, overcooked turkey and thought that was normal. We had more leftover prime rib than turkey. Since then he does a turkey about three or four times a year.

The one family tradition I maintain is: "Lime Jello Salad". It was something my Dad made every year. I have somewhat changed the recipe and it is now more of a dessert than a salad and isn't as gross as it sounds. It's basically a mix of gelatin, cottage cheese, pineapple, cherries, whipped cream with sugar and vanilla. Betty detested it when we were first married and had dinner at my parent's but now she loves the stuff and makes me make a huge bowl of it.

It doesn't matter how you cook your turkey it's the family and traditions that make it special.

Take care,
Mike

[Donna]

I love it when the skin is nice and brown/crunchy, so no to a crock pot. My daughter and her husband have been deep frying turkey, those are also very good. Wow, getting in the mood for turkey :-)

[Trip]

I just watched a diners, drive ins and dives, that I taped last night..One of the segments was a place in Boston, specializing in turkey dinners. Based on the old sit the turkey in a beer can, this chef had someone make him this metal stand, so the big ole turkey got to sit up in the oven. It gets raves.....I couldn't do this because all the stuffing would fall out

[nlb1050]

We also love fresh smoked and deep fried turkey. But since daughter does not have a big enough balcony we can't do either there. Of course we now use the Big Easy no oil fryer and it is just as good. So we will do that a caouple of times a year, but it must be stuffed for Thanksgiving.

[Chuck Palm]

I always do a "fast bake" method. I coat the turkey with olive oil or melted butter, garlic pepper, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper and herbes de provence. I wrap the turkey in a very loose but covered foil wrap, breast side up in a traditional manner.

The bird is cooked at 450 degrees f.

10-13 lbs. birds........... 2 hrs. 15 min to 2 hrs 45 minutes

14-17 lbs. ..................3 hrs 15 min to 3hrs 45 minutes

16-21 lbs. ..................4 hrs to 4hrs 30 minutes

21-24 lbs. ...................5 hrs to 5hrs and 30 minutes


When juices run clear, remove foil and continue hot heat until turkey is golden brown. Let turkey rest for 30 minutes prior to serving. This is an amazing and very juicy turkey recipe that is always perfect.

[katlady]

Originally Posted by Mean Dean

Sherry,

Your garlic mashed pototoes sound great! Do you mind sharing your recipe?!

Sure, I made it off the top of my head so I have no official "recipe" and I don't measure so I will estimate. How much I use.

10 Russet potatoes
1 stick of butter
1 cup of milk (or enough milk until it looks right)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 head of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
one 8oz bag sharp Cheddar Cheese
10 slices thick cut bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, cut the top of the head of garlic, cover with olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt. Enclose in foil roast in oven 35 minutes. Arrange the bacon slices in a pan cook 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees until crispy. Both these will fit together in the oven. put a pot of water to boil, peel and quarter potatoes and drop into boiling water. Cook potatoes until they are soft and easy to pierce with a fork. Crumble the bacon. I have a stand up mixer, so I put the potatoes, butter, roasted garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the milk and cheese reserve about a 1/4 cup of cheese for the top. Once potatoes are smooth add bacon and stir through. Put potatoes in greased casserole dish. top with reserved cheese. Cook in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is a golden brown.

Like I said I didn't really measure anything. I taste the potatoes to make certain the favor is right. If not I add more garlic or onion powder. One of the slices of bacon didn't make it into the potatoes so maybe I used 9 slices.

[katlady]

Originally Posted by Chuck Palm

I always do a "fast bake" method. I coat the turkey with olive oil or melted butter, garlic pepper, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper and herbes de provence. I wrap the turkey in a very loose but covered foil wrap, breast side up in a traditional manner.

The bird is cooked at 450 degrees f.

10-13 lbs. birds........... 2 hrs. 15 min to 2 hrs 45 minutes

14-17 lbs. ..................3 hrs 15 min to 3hrs 45 minutes

16-21 lbs. ..................4 hrs to 4hrs 30 minutes

21-24 lbs. ...................5 hrs to 5hrs and 30 minutes


When juices run clear, remove foil and continue hot heat until turkey is golden brown. Let turkey rest for 30 minutes prior to serving. This is an amazing and very juicy turkey recipe that is always perfect.

Yeah!!!! Another high heat person. It's great how moist the breast meat is. It sounds like the difference between our recipe is mine is cooked breast side down first then flipped. Your recipe doesn't flip the bird.

[Cruznut2]

It has been a few years since I cooked a turkey since I am now alone. Back when I was cooking turkeys I always made slits in the skin and slid a slice of salt pork in under the skin in various places. The juices from the salt pork kept the breast moist. Always got raves from the family.

Laura

[Manuel]

We will be having our turkey on the Liberty of the Seas this year.

TM

[katlady]

Originally Posted by Manuel

We will be having our turkey on the Liberty of the Seas this year.

TM

That is the best way to do it.

[Aerogirl]

I host Thanksgiving every year. A few years ago I started cooking two 15lbs turkeys instead of one twenty five pounder. I have a stove downstairs so it works out great. Last year my niece bought a turkey deep fryer so we did one that way. It was good but I like it the old fashion way. The family was split on it so we will be deep frying one this year again.

[Kamloops Cruiser]

My Dw has been doing turkey breast down for years. The turkey never comes out dry.