Cooking Turkey - A how to guide
For the last 200 years, American’s have been cooking turkey for their holiday table. Thanksgiving, for most of us, just wouldn’t be the same without the wonderful smell of the cooking turkey in the kitchen. Over the years, cooking turkey has become more and more popular, not just during the holiday season, but for every day dinners at home. Cookbooks are full of alternative methods for cooking turkey. The challenge lies, when cooking turkey, is in how prepare your bird in order to keep both the white and dark meat tender and moist. In this article I will pass on a start to finish guide on how to master the art of cooking turkey.
One way to solve this dilemma is to soak the entire bird in brine overnight. Brine is simply a solution made from salt, water and sugar. Other seasonings are sometimes added such as herbs, spices, and fruit juices. Brining before cooking turkey, will ensure that the breast will stay firm and moist, and will also speed up the time process.
Basic Brine: 2 cups kosher salt, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ gallon of warm water, 1 ½ gallons of cold water. Combine the salt and sugar in a 5 gallon bucket with the warm water and dissolve. Add the cold water. Place the fresh or thawed bird in the solution and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Once brined, remove bird from the solution, rinse inside and out with cold water, then place “breast-side up” in your roasting pan. Pat dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. (discard brine)
Seasoning is the next step. Seasoning mix: 2 Tb. Canola oil, 2-3 Tb. Paprika, 1 Tb. Black pepper, 1 quartered orange, and sprigs of fresh herbs. (thyme, sage, rosemary, and marjoram) Mix oil with the dry spices and liberally rub the outside and inside the cavity. Place fresh herbs and orange inside. Tip: tucking the wing tips under before cooking turkey will prevent them from burning.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cooking turkey in a very hot oven will help to develop color on the skin. Roast for 30 minutes until a golden color begins to show. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and place foil over the breast. It takes approximately 2 ½- 3 ½ hours for a kitchen thermometer to reach an internal temperature of 155-160 F in the cooking turkey . Once cooked, remove the bird from the roasting pan and let sit for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Gravy: ½ cup dry white wine, stock, or water; 3-4 cups of pan drippings; 1/3 cup of reserved turkey fat; ¼ cup flour; salt and pepper to taste.
For gravy, first skim and discard all but 1/3 cup of the fat from the pan juices. Deglaze the roasting pan with ½ cup white wine or water over medium heat, scraping the brown bits. Bring to a boil. In a saucepan, whisk together the reserved fat and flour. Cook on medium for about 2 minutes, or until smooth. Add white wine mixture and strained drippings, simmer for 5 minutes. Season as needed. Sit and enjoy the reward of mastering the art of cooking turkey to perfection.