Thanksgiving Turkey 101
Thanksgiving Turkey 101
Plan and its simple!
We have all been there when the turkey is dry, flavorless, and just a little bit too golden brown. It happens to all of us. Thanksgiving for the cooks is like a race day or the Super Bowl, is the most important meal you will make all year. It is super stress full, BUT it doesn't have to. Here is how to get the perfect turkey every time! (see bottom for Do and don'ts)
The key to planning the perfect turkey is Planning. This is the schedule I use for it:
Monday: Get the turkey and put it in the brine
Tuesday- Wednesday: Brine
Wednesday Night: Pull the turkey out of the brine, place it in your roasting dish, and leave it uncovered in the fridge.
Thursday Morning: Cover in sour cream (ill explain) and bake
It all begins with selecting the right sized turkey for how many people are coming to Thanksgiving. I usually plan for 1 lb- 1.5 lbs per person plus 3 lbs for leftovers. I prefer fresh over frozen turkeys as you never know how long the frozen ones were frozen for, and I get my turkey on Monday.
I like to Brine my turkey because it adds immense flavor, and it makes the turkey juicy. There are two methods to brining:
Dry: take a lot of salt and rub it over the entire bird and leave uncovered overnight (not more than 24 hours, or your turkey will become jerky)
Wet: take salt, mix it into the water at a ratio, optionally add spices and sugar, and leave for 24-72 hours. The wet brine takes the salt and water and draws it into the meat creating a juicier bird.
I choose to use the wet brine method because I can impart more flavor to the brining process. I am currently working on my brine recipe, but it isn't quite ready yet, so I use a premade one from Williams Sonoma: Williams Sonoma Brining Blend, Autumn Fruit & Spice. This is not sponsored; it's just a great product and does an excellent job!
Use the brine, follow the package's instructions and place the bird In either a sterilized cooler with ice or in a brine bag, and place in the fridge. I do not recommend going with the cooler method as if you don't sterilize it properly or if it gets too warm in the cooler, you could make your guests sick. Instead, pick up a brine bag and just place it in the fridge, or better yet, if you have a second fridge in the garage or basement, put it there, so you have more room for other prep.
With the wet brine, I recommend brining the turkey for a minimum of 24 hours for a medium-small bird and up to 72 hours for large birds. If this is your first time brining a bird, stick closer to the 24 hour mark, and see how you like it. You can always brine it longer the year after or at Christmas.
On Wednesday night, remove the turkey from the brine, place it into your roasting tray, and pat the skin dry with paper towels. Then put the bird back in the fridge and leave it uncovered overnight. This will dry out the skin, so you have nice crispy skin!
I cook my turkey at 350, and I estimate 20-30 minutes per pound, rotating 180 degrees and basting every hour. Before I place the turkey in the oven, I coat the turkey in a think coat of sour cream; you can optionally use mayo or butter. This aids in the browning of the turkey! I place the turkey in the oven, pour 1 cup of boiling water onto the oven floor, and shut the door. This creates a steam oven initially, and i believe it helps get the moving a bit faster.
You need to cook your bird so that when it is finished, it has an internal temperature, at the thickest part of the breast, 165 F. HOWEVER, do not leave your bird in the oven until you reach that number as if you do, you will have a brick instead of juicy turkey. Pull your turkey out at 150 F and tent the bird with two layers of foil and allow to rest for 30 full minutes!
Do and Don'ts:
DO monitor your turkey, and if it is getting too brown, place some foil over the top of the bird lightly.
DO use a thermometer to get the internal temperature.
DO NOT use the plastic popper in the turkey to see if the meat is done.
DO NOT stuff the inside of the cavity. If you do this, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF GIVING YOUR GUESTS SALMONELLA. There is no way to get the internal temperature of the stuffing inside the bird to reach a safe temperature while maintaining juicy meat!
DO make 1.5x the amount of gravy you think you need! You can never have too much!