The Thanksgiving Turkey, it’s the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving, well, that and the wine stain on your white shirt, the one you swore you’d never wear because it was white. Oh look, Uncle Tom bought a new camera and is insisting on an impromptu family, photoshoot. Wonderful.
Anyway, at least you nailed the Thanksgiving turkey!
CLIFFNOTES
THAWING A BIRD
- In the fridge, allow for 24-hours per every 5lbs (2kg) of meat.
- RUSH thaw in sink with cool water, but change your water every 30-minutes to avoid bacteria party.
PICKING YOUR BIRD
- Allow for 1-1.5-lbs per person.
- Five people coming? That’s a 7.5-lb turkey.
Top Tip: Make sure you buy your turkey pan AFTER you find out what size of turkey you’ll be cooking.
COOKING YOUR BIRD
- At 350*F(176*C), it’ll take you 13-15-minutes per pound of turkey.
- Cooking a 15-lb turkey? That’ll take you 13×15=3-hours and 15-minutes
- If you stuff the bird, the cooking will take longer.
Top Tip: Cover your wing tips and leg ends with foil so they won’t burn.
I WANT CRISPY SKIN! (AND WHO DOESN’T?)
- Pat your turkey dry before you cook it. I use paper towels, but if you want to use kitchen towels, knock yourself out.
- For SUPER crispy skin: leave the turkey in the fridge overnight.
CARVING TIPS
- Let bird rest for 15-25-minutes before you carve it.
- Resting your turkey lets the juices reabsorb into the meat.
- Don’t make your gravy until your turkey has rested in your turkey pan that way you get those juices too!
THE BRINE
The difference between bird-shaped cardboard and delicious, moist meat is in the brine. Without getting into the science of tangled proteins, just know that your brined bird will be about a half-pound heavier when it comes out of the oven, when compared to a dry, unbrined bird. So, essentially you’re meat firming and moisture inducing. Make sense?
Don’t believe me? Let your taste buds do the convincing.
If you want an even richer herb flavor than I’ve presented in my brine, dump in a few sprigs of rosemary or double down on your sage and thyme. Personally, I love the balance of the orange, apple, AND THEN the background flavor of the herbs, but, it’s your bird. Go crazy! Enjoy!
Now, go crush your Thanksgiving, and don’t wear a white shirt (they never forget).
EQUIPMENT
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS TURKEY
Can I brine it faster?
Yes. You can forgo the water and flavors and simply smear kosher salt all over every inch of your turkey [yes, even on the inside]. Provided your Thanksgiving Turkey is thawed, you can get away with leaving it this way for an hour. Rise off and cook. I’d hesitate to dry-brine for anything over 2-hours as your meat might take a trip to Saltville.
Do I have to let it rest?
Yes. Put down the carving knife. Step away. Go wash some dishes. Resting lets the proteins relax and reabsorb some of that precious moisture you’ve put in there when you brined your bird. Be patient.
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Turkey
- Total Time: 76 hours
- Yield: 1lb per person 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Thanksgiving Turkey The Right Way
Ingredients
For the brine:
- 1 TBS (15 ml) sage
- 1 TBS (15 ml) thyme
- Zest and juice of two oranges
- 3 cups (700 ml) apple cider (not the vinegar)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) dried orange peel
- 1 TBS (15 ml) garlic powder
- ½ cup (120 ml) brown sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) of salt
- 1 gallon (3785 ml)of H20
Instructions
- Zest THEN juice your oranges.
- Add all your brine ingredients (but not the gallon of water) in a large saucepan and stir on medium heat until the salt and sugar are dissolved [mostly].
- Add your gallon of cold water to the brine concentrate.
- Pour brine over turkey in either an ice cooler (with a bag of ice to keep things cool) or a turkey brining bag
- Add more water if necessary to cover turkey [DON’T ADD MORE SALT] 1 cup is enough.
- Put in refrigerator for 24-36-hours for birds weighing 15-lbs [7kg] or less, or three days for birds over 15-lbs.
- After proper brining time has been reached: remove from bag, strain off brine, and rinse turkey.
- Pat dry with towel and let dry overnight in refrigerator
- Preheat oven.
- Melt 4-tbs [60 ml] of butter and brush on turkey skin
- Cover wing and drumstick tips with foil and place turkey in pan.
- Cook that bird! Allow for 13-15-minutes per pound of turkey.
- After skin is completely brown and bubbles are seen under it, check temperature with probe thermometer. You’re looking for 165*F/73*C. Stick probe between leg and body, (the thickest part of the bird where the bones will be the last to heat up).
- Once temperature is reached, remove from oven and LET IT REST for 15-20 minutes before carving it.
- Carve and enjoy!
- LINK GRAVY RECIPE!!!!!
EQUIPMENT
- Prep Time: 3 days
- Cook Time: 4 hours (average)
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Thanksgiving turkey, turkey recipe, the best turkey recipe, Christmas turkey
