Thanksgiving Turkey 2008

Notice to vegans and the squeamish: The following post includes photos of raw meat.

This year’s Turkey preparations include the following recipes, annotated with photos and links.

1. order the turkey
2. pick up the turkey
3. clean and brine the turkey
4. begin roasting the turkey
5. make turkey broth
6. finish roasting the turkey
7. make pan gravy
8. carve and serve

Order the turkey

1. Order the organic, free range, well-educated, middle class turkey up to a month before Thanksgiving. In order to serve our family, any guests, and have some leftovers, we order an 18-23 lbs turkey. If you’re in the Portland, OR area try New Seasons Market, please.  
2. I request delivery (pick up) of the turkey on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day. One advantage to getting the turkey on Tuesday is that New Seasons Market has a larger selection of available turkeys. I can get a larger turkey. This year we got a 21.5 lbs turkey.

Pick up the turkey

1. On Tuesday, pick up the turkey, other ingredients, and ice for the cooler.
2. We put the turkey on ice in a big cooler. We can fit the turkey in our refrigerator but it’s not so easy once the other foods come home.

Clean and brine the turkey

1. In the morning on Wednesday, prepare the brine. The turkey will soak for about 24 hours so plan ahead. I use a brining bag which I set in an ice filled cooler.

Ingredients

Enough for an 18-20 lbs turkey…ok for 21.5!

Directions

1. Bring 1 quart of water, the salt, bay leaves, and spices (everything except the Riesling and 6 quarts of water) to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place turkey in the brining bag. Add salt mixture, remaining 6 quarts (24 cups) water, and the other ingredients. Tie bag; if turkey is not submerged, weight it with a plate. refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping turkey once.

Begin roasting the turkey

One thing is more important than preparing for roasting the turkey. Make sure you have fantastic snacks!

Ingredients

Directions

1. Remove turkey from brine. Discard brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Place half of carrots, celery, onion, and all of the white turnips and parsnips in bottom of a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey (I forgot to do this in 2008). Let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
2. Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut into a 17-inch, 4-layer square. Stir the butter and wine then immediately immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
   
3. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large and small cavities with remaining carrots, celery, and onion. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string unless already tied/secured. Fold neck flap under and secure with toothpicks or short skewers. Rub turkey with the softened butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
4. Lift cheesecloth out of liquid and squeeze it slightly, and leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush (I have better luck with a baster), baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy (I haven’t ever had to do this).
   

Note: Don’t forget to have a great assistant.

make turkey broth

Ingredients

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 3-quart or larger saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the giblets, neck, tail pieces, and onion.
3. Saute until the giblets lose their raw color and the onion softens and begins to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. The turkey parts will release a lot of liquid.
5. Add 1 quart water, bring to a boil, partially cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium low or low, and simmer gently until the broth is flavorful, about another 30 minutes. This will taste a bit like a very low salt, but sweet (from the onion), chicken broth.
6. Strain the broth into a fat separator or a 1 quart heatproof measuring cup. Let sit until the fat rises to the surface and then pour off or skim the fat from the broth.

After tasting the broth, it’s a good idea to clense the palate. Some use saltine-type crackers. I have my own methods.

finish roasting the turkey

By this time, it’s best to ensure that the family is still entertained.

Directions

1. After the third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. (Last year the skin didn’t break AT ALL. In 2008, it cracked a little…not sure what was different.) Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.
   
2. After the fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 180 degrees and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20-30 minutes. (WOW! In 2007, we had a 22.5 lbs turkey and we used every minute of this recipe and then some. In 2008, the turkey was at 195 degrees at 4 PM, having started the oven roasting at 12 PM).
3. Transfer turkey to a platter, reserving everything that’s left in the pan. Let turkey stand at least 30 minutes before carving.
   

make pan gravy

Directions

1. Set the roasting pan with the turkey drippings and vegetables over two burners set on medium high.
2. Add the Cognac, vermouth, and 1/2 cup of the turkey broth.
3. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen the browned bits in the pan, until the liquid comes to a simmer.
4. Strain the contents of the roasting pan through a large sieve and into a large saucepan.
5. Add the remaining 2 cups turkey broth and the thyme to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Getting to this point usually takes 20-30 minutes so prep everything but the drippings ingredients early).
6. Reduce the heat and let simmer to blend the flavors, about five minutes.
7. Meanwhile, put the cream in a small bowl and whisk the flour into the cream to make a smooth paste. Gradually whish the cream mixture into turkey broth mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer to thicken the gravy and cook off the raw flour flavor, about 10 minutes. Keep hot until ready to serve.

carve and serve

I learned how to carve a turkey from Emily Post’s Book of Etiquette, sometime in middle school. Yikes. Since then…trial-and-error, help from epicurean friends, and some good cookbooks. Good luck.

Yum.

Summary of Events – 2008

Most years we try to eat mid-afternoon. This year we decided to eat at a more ‘normal’ dinner time. I tried to time the turkey so that it would be finished at about 5 PM. Here’s what happened.

I forgot to wake up at the crack of dawn on Wednesday morning to brine the turkey as I did in 2007. I had a horrible day of work which mean the brining started at 10 PM. Thus, it soaked for 12 hours instead of 24. The end result was very good but not quite as sopping wet as last year. I’m wondering if 18 hours might be magic next year.

I got the bird in the cave (turkey in the oven) at noon. The Martha Stewart recipe calls for checking the temperature after the fourth hour of cooking. The bird was DONE. I believe this turkey finish so much earlier than last year due to the brining time, as well. So, I’m guessing it will be longer next year if I do try 18 hours.

Last year, I followed the Fine Cooking roasting recipe a little bit more than the Martha Stewart. That recipe calls for turning the turkey upside down. Last year the entire turkey was well cooked and the breasts were especially moist. Perhaps this was a combination of the longer brining period and turning the bird over. This year I did not turn it upside down. The bottom side was not well cooked, though it got to a safe temperature, and the breasts were not as moist. Next year I will brine longer and turn it over.

The pan gravy recipe takes longer than 30 minutes. Martha’s recommendation is to let the turkey rest for 30 minutes. We let the turkey rest 90 minutes this evening and it was still warm and yummy.

We were sitting down to eat at 5:30 PM. While the above process is a lot of work, it’s worth every bit of effort. The turkey was amazing, if I do say so myself (family agreed, too). I’m glad that today’s recipes have gotten us away from all-day-long low-temperature roasting.

Well, this is the longest post I’ve ever written. I hope it’s not too long. I planned to break it into multiple posts…oh, well. I’m done with this and my eggnog with bourbon. Yes…I did.

References

These recipes were adapted from these resources:

• Turkey Brine, Martha Stewart Living
• Martha’s Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu Roasted Brined Turkey, Martha Stewart Living
• Dry Brined Turkey, Fine Cooking, Taunton Press
• Rich Turkey Broth, Fine Cooking, Taunton Press
• Silky Pan Gravy, Fine Cooking, Taunton Press

Daddoo!