It's January and you might be wondering why you are seeing a Roast Turkey recipe! Well, turkey has never been a traditional meal at Thanksgiving or Christmas for either my family or my wife's! We prefer seafood like lobster, scallop and shrimp or meats like roast pig, prime rib or beef tenderloin. There were no turkey meals to be had for us. Now for some irrational reason we did buy a turkey in December. We did not get a chance to cook the turkey or perhaps we just avoided. That's my story! The time is now as we wanted to to free up some space in our freezer.
I have cooked different birds before but never a turkey and never one so large. To avoid ruining a week of meals and not having a culinary mentor nearby, I scoured the web to conduct a little research. There is certainly no shortage of articles. The most appealing approach is frying. Too many roadblocks popping in my head, so why kill any brain cells! I opted for the traditional oven roast.
To brine or not to brine, that is the question! Almost everyone who is blogging about brining their turkey seems to be an advocate. No surprise really! Anyone not using a brine would not even mention it. Ultimately I was convinced by a scientific explanation. In simple terms, using a brine allows the turkey to absorb extra liquid prior to the roasting process. Even though the turkey will lose liquid while it is being roasted, it will still end up a higher liquid content when finished compared to an un-brined turkey. My decision is to brine!
How to brine? I first need to find a non-reactive container. At first glance, I could not find one. Checked online again, and some people were using picnic coolers. I have one but would need lots of ice or freezer packs. I checked the basement again and found a fairly large Rubbermaid container. It was wide and long enough but a little short. As I could easily fit this in the fridge I opted to go with it.
The Brine. I opted for a very simple brine. For every gallon of water, I needed to add 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of sugar. I wanted the addition of sugar to balance the salt. I did notice that the majority of people were rinsing after the brine phase. I decided to go long and not rinse.
How long to brine? The most common recommendation was to brine for 8 to 12 hours. As I had time, I brine breast side down for 18 hours and flipped over for another 6 hours.
I made another against the grain decision based on a logical explanation. Whenever I roast a chicken, the breast always cooks faster than the legs and thighs. Yet, I continue to roast the chicken breast side up for the majority of the time. Given that the top cooks faster, shouldn't I flip the bird! If I roasted breast side down, the juices would also get a chance to soak into the breast. I don't see a flaw in my decision, so I will go with breast side down.
Stuffing inside or outside the turkey cavity? This one is a no-brainer. Cooking the stuffing inside the turkey means a longer roast time as well as the potential for improperly cooked turkey near the stuffing. I will cook outside.
To baste or not to baste? I do not baste when I roast chicken and will not for the turkey as well.
The hard work for this recipe was in the research. After making all the decisions above, brining and roasting the turkey was a breeze! My daughter loved the crispy skin and asked that we have turkey every day. You may get her wish after all! I must say this is the best turkey I have ever roasted! Of course, it is the only turkey I have ever roasted! All kidding aside, the turkey was delicious! Did the brine make a difference? I have nothing to compare it to! In hindsight, the only regret I have is not rinse the turkey after the brine phase. The result was you could taste the saltiness on the skin on the breast side (i.e. the side that was in the brine for 18 hours). The gravy was also a bit salty as I added the turkey drippings from the pan. Nonetheless, this was a success!
Roast Turkey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
10 pound turkey
Brine
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
1 gallon water for brine
butter and herbs mixture
Gravy
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups turkey drippings or turkey broth
Directions:
1) If using a frozen turkey, defrost. It will take approximately 2 days.
2) Determine how much water is needed in container for brining the turkey. Create a brine solution with a ratio of 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of sugar. You may want to melt the salt and sugar in a small amount of hot water to ensure they are fully dissolved.
3) Brine for at least 8 hours.
4) Remove from brine and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry. You can leave in the refrigerator overnight to help dry even more. This will help produce a more crispy skin.
5) Preheat oven to 325F.
6) Rub butter and herbs mixture under the skin of the turkey.
7) In a roasting pan, place turkey breast side down on a rack.
8) Roast for approximately 2 3/4 to 3 hours or until temperature probe in thickest part of leg is 165F.
9) Loosely tent for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Gravy
10) In a saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons oil with 1/4 cup flour. Keep stirring until it turns brown.
11) Add turkey drippings and turkey broth. When adding turkey drippings, be sure to remove any excess fat.
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