First, a confession and some advice I tend to go slightly overboard with my Turkeys. I can admit it. I LOVE preparing a great holiday meal for 20 or more, so this should all be viewed as meant for a 20 - 25 lb bird. You may need to adjust for size. I do strongly advise against frozen (my own snobbery, I know) but aside from that, there is nothing wrong with skipping the stuffing, the brining and fuss and just cooking it. If you go this route, simply prep the bird as per below, and following the cooking instructions. It will still be spectacular! That said... if you've got the same holiday masochism I do... read on. :) A note on the recipes...
There are lots of variants on both stuffing and brine, these just happen to be the ones I got stuck on. By all means, mix and match! I happen to have found both of them on Martha Stewart's website (words, I never thought I'd type, but give the lady her due, she's got some great recipes) and then made my own adjustments. Original brine is here, and stuffing here. Day before cooking 1) Prep the Turkey - Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the turkey. Remember to check both ends of the turkey!! I learned this the hard way the year I left the giblets (thank goodness in a plastic bag) inside the turkey when I brined it. I did catch it before it when in the oven (also, thank goodness). Check over the turkey for "pins". These are the ends of feathers that may not have come completely loose when the bird was plucked. Tweezers or fingernails (depending on your personal comfort level) work just fine. Simply grasp the part you can see and pull firmly. Note: If you do decide to brine, you'll want to do this check again before you stuff the bird, as the brine will loosen more. 2) Gravy stock - This is the secret to amazing gravy! Take the down with carrot, onion, and a couple of bay leaves (to your taste) - this will take a couple of hours. When it resembles a pale stock, cool and put the stock in the fridge, discard the bits. 3) Brine - If you choose to brine, find a heavy plastic bag or large pot if you can make it fit (if you're fortunate to have a 40 Quart or larger stock pot and can make it all fit, that's likely your best bet) . I use this recipe for my brine, but there's lot of options out there on the google. Turkey brine bags are great, but they're hard to find, and I learned the hard way that oven bags are NOT the same. Also, if you don't have one of the spices below.. so be it. Close enough works as long as you have the salt and wine. They do the work of softening the meat, the rest is flavour. 7 quarts (28 cups) water (+ more to cover turkey if needed) 1 1/2 cups coarse salt 6 bay leaves 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds 1 bottle dry Riesling (*Option: two bottles) 2 medium-large yellow onions, thinly sliced. 6 garlic cloves, crushed or roughly chopped (don't use a garlic press, you'll lose all the flavour). 1 bunch fresh thyme (I have discovered - yep, you guess it, the hard way - that thyme can be hard to find on "pick up the turkey" day, you may want to get this a few days before if you need to buy it). In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart (4 cups) of the water, the salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved. Double check... and if in doubt let it boil longer. Then a little more to be safe... It's easy to to take it off before all the salt dissolves. Let cool for 5 minutes. If using your stock pot, you can just put it all in. If not, line a container with a large brining bag. Place turkey in bag. Add salt mixture, remaining 6 quarts (24 cups) water, and the other ingredients. I usually mix the salt mixture with the cold water as I add it, but that's more over-caution on my part. If your turkey is not fully submerged, add more water until the top is covered. Cover or tighten the bag so the whole turkey is covered with water. Refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours. 4) Toast your stuffing :bread OK, I know this sounds silly, and it's a TON of extra time (if not work exactly). I gotta say though, it makes a HUGE difference to your stuffing to toast the bread. If in a pinch, cut it into cubes the night before and let it go as stale as possible. Additionally, you can sometimes buy stale bread cubes at the grocery store deli counter. I'm all for cutting corners, but the closer you can get your bread to a crouton-like consistency, the better. I toast mine the day before, as they keep just fine, and it usually takes a couple of hours of fussing with batches. 2 -3 Loaves of bread (I like to use egg bread as I find it gives the best consistency) Cut bead into 1 inch (ish) cubes. Actual size is not as important as consistent size, so if smaller or larger works for you, go for it. In batches, lay out no more than one layer at a time on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 275 - 300 until toasted to taste. Flip every 5 - 7 minutes. (I would estimate about 15 minutes per batch, but your taste and oven will determine the time somewhat. I also prefer to go slower in order to not risk burning them). *Pro-tip: You can mostly do all of the above over a couple of hours the day before. I usually start with the bread, get it all cut, and then prep the turkey while the brine is simmering. The heavy lifting is done by the time the first batch of stuffing bread is. I find afternoons good, because at that stage, the optional second bottle of wine can come into play while you tidy up and fuss about with bread. Loud music (and earphones if anyone else is around) always encouraged. :) Day of cooking If not stuffing, throw an onion or two, a couple of carrots, and a couple of stalks of celery into the carcass, all roughly chopped. Close the flaps with a pin on the rear and tie the legs together ("truss" the turkey). Place in roasting pan and cover loosely with foil. If brining, remove the bird from the brine, rinse thoroughly, and check again for pins. Ensue as much water as possible is removed from the cavity (I pat it down with a paper towel) and move on to stuffing or cooking. If stuffing, pull back the flaps at the neck and rear of the bird, (if you did not the night before, remove giblets and neck for gravy stock). Fill the cavity snugly with your stuffing. Close the flaps with a pin on the rear and tie the legs together ("truss" the turkey). You can also use toothpicks, but be sure they're the study kind. STUFFING Again, there are lots of recipes, but this is the one I use: 2-3 loaves toasted bread cut into bite-size pieces (I'm a devotee of egg bread, but that's a personal taste) or 2 - 3 lbs of stale crouton bread. 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, plus more for baking dish 4 celery stalks, diced medium 1 large purple onion, diced medium Coarse salt and ground pepper 2 teaspoons dried sage (Also referred to as rubbed or rolled sage, not powdered in any case. You can also use fresh, just cut it up as fine as possible) 1 teaspoon celery seed 3 eggs 3 1/2 cups (29 ounces) chicken broth In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add celery and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften (about 8-10 minutes.) Add sage and celery seed and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to bowl with bread. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and broth. Add to bread mixture and toss with your hands to combine (seriously, do not use a mixer, I tried that once and got mush). You will likely have to do this in batches. Stuff as much as you can into the turkey. Spoon remaining stuffing into a buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered foil or lid, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees until warmed through, about 25 minutes. I typically just stick it when I pull out the turkey as it takes about 30 minutes to rest and carve. COOKING THE TURKEY And finally.... The actual cooking. :) Heat your oven to 450 degrees Place your trussed turkey (stuffed or unstuffed) in a roasting pan preferably on a rack. Pat the skin dry with paper towel. Rub the skin all over with cold butter. I usually use about 1/3 cup. This will help to crisp up the outside and that you have liquid to baste with. Tent with heavy duty foil. Once pre-heated, turn down down your oven to 350 and put in the turkey (Turn it down immediately or you risk cooking the outside faster than the inside. You just want a quick hit of heat at the beginning - much like searing a roast. If in any doubt, just skip this step and put it in at 350). Cook for 18 to 24 minutes a pound for stuffed poultry, 15 to 18 minutes a pound without stuffing. After the first hour, baste the turkey and then again every 30 - 45 minutes after that. Keep it simple. Always use a food thermometer to make sure the center reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. You can also pierce it with a long fork. If the juice runs clear, it's cooked. This is not as reliable though as your fork may not be long enough. If using this method, err on the side of caution. Most importantly at the end of the day, it's really just a big chicken! Have fun with it and if you don't enjoy the process, don't do it. :)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
HolidaysJust some of the holiday favorites and basics. ArchivesCategories |