In theory, it’s pretty easy to cook a turkey. Just put in the oven for a couple hours, right? Oh, and if you put it in an oven bag, you’re sure to get a perfect result. Pah! Unfortunately, we think people usually feel some degree of trepidation when they realize that their assignment is turkey this year. We certainly felt that way years back when it was our turn to produce a lovely bird on the appointed day and time.
SO, we did extensive research and combined a couple methods that we thought would result in a flavorful, non-dry (and certainly not underdone) turkey. Brining it for about 24 hours means this turkey is moist (for lack of a better word… apparently “moist” is the #1 most hated word in the English language) and all of the aromatics really penetrate the meat, so you’re left with a really flavorful turkey. Leaving it in the fridge uncovered for about 1.5 days may seem unsanitary and counter-intuitive, but rest assured that your turkey will NOT go bad (as long as your fridge is as cool as it should be) and it ensures the skin of your turkey will be a nice, golden brown and on the crisper side. It does take some forethought, but this turkey is as good as it gets for an oven-roasted version.
Tip (unsponsored): Buying a turkey that isn’t frozen ensures that you will not be in panic mode come prepping time. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard of frozen turkeys not being thawed in time… they take days to thaw! Also, do not fill the cavity of your turkey. It will thwart your cooking time, as stuffed turkeys take longer to cook. Your turkey will receive plenty of flavor from the aromatics that you have laid him to rest on in the oven, not to mention from the herb butter.
This is the gravy during the “whisk in flour, cook 4 – 5 minutes” step. We had too much flour here – see how dry that is? We ended up adding a bit of chicken stock. The recipe below should work out for you, as we’ve adjusted the flour measurement.
Have your kids help you pluck rosemary leaves from their stems and mix the herb butter. Don’t forget to have them breath in the lovely aromas of the herbs, thus creating a good Thanksgiving memory with you in the kitchen. Let them watch you during the preparation process. They will be mezmorized. As you prepare and enjoy this turkey with your family, teach them about some of the health benefits that turkey offers:
- Turkey is a very lean, filling protein, which is helpful in making sure your insulin levels stay healthy after a meal.
- Turkey provides your body with all of the B vitamins, which help your body make healthy, new cells.
- Turkey offers selenium, which helps to protect those new cells from damage.
Interesting fact about turkey:
- Apparently, the amino acid in turkey that is charged with making you sleepy is no more present in turkey than it is in any other food. It’s all those carb-rich sides that make you feel sleepy.
- For the brine:
- 3 gallons of water
- 3 cups kosher salt
- 1.5 cups sugar
- ¾ cup back peppercorns
- ice, to keep the water cold for 24 hours
- To prepare the turkey:
- 18-18.5 lb turkey, not frozen
- paper towels
- oven bag (and flour, for dusting the bag)
- 3 sticks butter (soft enough to mix but still cold)
- ½ cup fresh sage, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- Aromatics, for gravy:
- kitchen twine
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 3 bay leaves
- A packet each (about .75 oz each) of:
- fresh thyme
- fresh sage
- fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 T fennel seeds
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- For gravy:
- juices from cooked turkey
- ¼ to ½ cup flour
- 1 carton chicken STOCK, to be used as needed
- Assuming that you are eating your turkey on a Thursday....
- Monday night: Make the brine by combining the water, salt, sugar and peppercorns. Bring the brine to a boil (this may require a couple pots or a large stock pot), mixing until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Place the turkey in a cooler and add the cooled brine. The water must be kept chilled, so continually add ice. The turkey tends to float to the top, so add a weight, such as a pot or pan, so the turkey to submerge the turkey. Brine for 24 hours.
- Tuesday night: Remove the turkey from the brine. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Make the herb butter by mixing the butter, sage, rosemary, parsley and salt. Gently separate the skin from the flesh over the breast and thigh areas so you can apply the herb butter under the skin, then spread the herb butter under the skin of the breasts and thighs of the turkey. Rub the extra or butter all over the turkey.
- Prepare the aromatics for the gravy by scattering the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaves at the bottom of your roasting pan. Tie the time, sage, rosemary and parsley in a bundle with twine and place it with the aromatics. Sprinkle the fennel and red pepper flakes over the aromatics. Place the turkey on top of the aromatics. Place the roasting pan in the fridge and leave uncovered until cook time.
- Thursday: four hours before you want to carve it, place the turkey and all the aromatics in a flour-dusted oven bag. Return it to the roasting pan.
- Cook the turkey at 350° for 3 hours. The breast should register at 170° on a meat thermometer, and the thighs at 180. Avoid bones when checking the temperature. Remove from oven and let it rest 30 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, begin the gravy: Extract the juices from the turkey bag by cutting holes in the bag and letting the juices run out into a container. Over medium heat, whisk 1 cup of the turkey juice to a sauce pan with ¼ cup flour. Cook for 45 minutes, add the remaining turkey juices, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add some stock and salt as needed. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then skim off the excess fat. Reheat just before serving, if necessary.
