Perfect turkey!

I love turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas but my husband's family usually does a ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ham is wonderful but I had to keep the turkey tradition alive at least for Thanksgiving in our new family. Well if you're in this boat and love turkey but feel like it always turns out dry or its to hard to manage, today's post is for you. Happy early Christmas present.

Now if you glance at the directions don't freak out. There are several step but almost all are done BEFORE the big day. Preparation is the key to a great turkey. This really is incredibly easy even for first timers. You will never need another recipe and you will get rave reviews from family and guests.

Directions: 

1.       Defrost Turkey Completely in refrigerator.  A general rule of thumb is 1 day for every 4 pounds. THIS IS CRITICAL and none of that giving your turkey a warm bath tub or microwaving it. You will start cooking the outside if you try it and that's no good.

 2.    About 24 hours before cooking, brine the turkey. Remove neck and giblets and rinse the turkey. Combine ingredients listed below in a brining bag (you can find it at Bed Bath and Beyond and even Walmart) and place in the refrigerator. The brine is something that can be played with according to your tastes. Cover all of the turkey in the brine so add more liquid if you need it.

2 gallons of water

1.5 cup of kosher salt (please don't use salt with iodine. It wont work the same)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

A few bunches of poultry herbs or a few TBSP of dried poultry seasoning

2 cloves garlic minced or a small TBSP of garlic powder

                 

3.      On the day of cooking, wash the brine off the turkey and pat dry. Loosen skin on the breast of turkey and stuff under the breast 1 stick of butter combined with a heaping TBSP of poultry herbs.  Rub any excess on top of turkey paying special attention to wings and legs. If none is left, spray the turkey with a nonstick cooking spray. If you have a large bird over 15 lbs cover the wing and leg tips with a little bit of foil before you cook it.

If you are not sure how to do this, click this link to watch a how-to video          Butter under turkey skin

4.       Do not stuff the bird with stuffing! By the time the stuffing has reached a safe temperature your turkey will be overcooked and dry. No getting sick on Thanksgiving.

5.      Stuff  the turkey with a quartered lemon and onion. Throw in a clove or two of garlic peeled and cut in half. This helps keep the turkey moist and adds extra flavor. I LOVE the lemon in it so I add more than 1 usually. 1 is a safe bet for the first time you try this. If you have a large turkey throw in some extra produce. You want it completely packed.

6.      Make a bridge for the turkey to rest on in the foil pan if you don't have a roasting pan with rack. Use celery and onions. This step does not need to be perfect but the goal is to elevate the turkey so it’s not bathing in its own juices and browns nicely. Remember the vegetables will soften as they cook so add enough to keep the turkey afloat.

7.      Position oven rack to low middle and preheat to 325F. Bake until it reaches 165F*. A 12 pound turkey will likely take a little under 3 hours but remember that a brined turkey tends to cook fast. You do not need to cover the turkey but if you choose to do so remove the foil 1 hour before the turkey will be done to brown. Basting is not necessary unless its a tradition.

 8. Remove from oven when done and let rest about 15 minutes before serving. 

*If you have ever been told to cook poultry to 170 or 180F it was probably right when you heard it. The USDA recently lowered it recommended "safe to eat" temperature. This gives you a little wiggle room now so if it goes a tad over 165 it wont be completely dry.