Turkey talk - and cooking

Doing my first Thanksgiving tomorrow and I am the kind of person who researches the heck out of everything before doing it. After countless articles and youtube videos I realize there is no "best way" to cook a turkey. Fresh vs. frozen. To brine or not to brine? And then the proper internal temp to cook it to for a juicy bird thats safe and not overcooked. Talk to the Moms and Grandmas out there and it's all by feel but not me. I need the specifics. So I ended up with a fresh bird in a brine for 24 hrs and will cook to an internal temp of 165 (unstuffed). I'm just curious as to what you all do. I find the different techniques and recipes interesting. Happy Thanksgiving!

JB400 JB400
Nov '15

I have my sister do it. I hate it, to much work and to much of a mess. It sounds like your bird is going to turn out delicious. Good luck to you, and enjoy. Gobble Gobble

auntiel auntiel
Nov '15

Although I totally respect all the Moms and Grandmas out there for advice, can a guy chime in? ;-)

My method is no brine, mostly to avoid the sodium content. I do soak in cold water and then wash it all off thoroughly. I put some butter under the skin, as well as some butter rubbed on the skin. I rub some garlic cloves on as well, but do not leave the garlic in the bird. Then sprinkled with a bit of rosemary. In a roasting pan with about a half cup of white wine on the bottom for basting. Foil on the wings until the last 15 mins.

In the oven, meat thermometer not any set time. Like you said, but the temp should be 180 degrees. 165 degrees is if you stuff and you measure the stuffing area.


Fry, fry, fry LOL

Darrin Darrin
Nov '15

I have rubbed the skin with butter and vege oil and I find the vegetable oil gives a browner crispier skin.

Molly
Nov '15

OK, I think I got it......

"So I ended up with a fresh bird"
Had to wash it's beak out with soap

"I have rubbed the skin with butter and vege oil"
then I get the turkey out of the fridge.

"I have my sister do it."
That's just not right

"with about a half cup of white wine on the bottom."
OK, that's it

Merry Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays all, and by that I mean, yeah CHRISTMAS

strangerdanger strangerdanger
Nov '15

I'm with Darrin...once you fried turkey, you don't go back! I dry brine with a cajun spice mix at least 24 hours ahead of time. It's amazing...and a 13 lb turkey is done in about an hour.

emaxxman emaxxman
Nov '15

JB- For many years I've been using Reynolds Oven Bags. No basting, much less time to cook and it always comes out moist.

positive positive
Nov '15

I'm doing a combo of many recipes and tutorials out there. I've done the deep fried turkey before and even smoked it one year. That was for fun and both came out great. This is "the big day" so no messing around here! Now I have to go check out that stuffing post I saw on HL. Happy Thanksgiving all!!

JB400 JB400
Nov '15

Thought we were going to watch the parade from my husband's office then decided we were too exhausted to get up and head into the city. I cooked the breast last night to save time but fear it may be overdone:( I hope that by leaving the meat soaking in the broth will save it. Oh well....

Blackcat Blackcat
Nov '15

Also, "For many years I've been using Reynolds Oven Bags."

strangerdanger strangerdanger
Nov '15

When I do turkeys in the oven, Reynolds oven bags are the ONLY way I do them, comes out so moist, but not as moist as frying!

And I do a simple seasoned salt rub, in years to come I plan on experimenting with different rubs.

I have also done a turkey in my smoker, that came out amazing, but took LONG, and was so much work

Darrin Darrin
Nov '15

Baste or no baste??

Molly
Nov '15

I stuff with fresh thyme, an onion quartered and a lemon halved, sometimes some celery or an apple. Just for the flavor, we don't eat that part. Then salt the skin first, baste with butter and roast in the oven. Baste baste. Then I use the Alton Brown trick of making a foil breastplate ahead of time that custom fits the turkey and covers just the white meat. Because the white meat should be cooked to a lower internal temp than the dark. So toward the end I pop that foil on there, call her Brunhilde and it comes out moist and wonderful, but also with nicely brown crispy skin. Do the stuffing in a separate dish but add some of the pan drippings into the stuffing.

Making the turkey soup and a loaf of fresh bread right now.

hktownie hktownie
Nov '15

Well, after the day came and went, I think the turkey came out fantastic! As we see here, everyone has their way of doing things and I did a combo of many suggestions. I have to say, it was one of the best turkeys I've ever had. I think the key here is to get a fresh turkey. You pay a bit more but I think it makes all the difference in the world! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

JB400 JB400
Nov '15

Re: Turkey talk - and cooking

Everything was perfect and yummy. Glad I didn't have to do it, just enjoyed it. Thank you sister.

auntiel auntiel
Nov '15

First time with a convection oven today, and it really was a big plus. Cooks faster, great browning, yet without drying out at all.


GC, when I did cook the turkey in the oven I never had the convection on. What time saving did you see?

Darrin Darrin
Nov '15

What I expected to be a 2 1/2 hour cooking time for an 8+ lb breast turned into 1 3/4 hr.


I made a 20lb. bird (purchased frozen), no fuss, no muss and it came out perfectly. I didn't get to sit and eat any of it, but my guests enjoyed. We just had leftovers tonight.

I washed the bird, seasoned the cavity with salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and stuffed it with a halved onion, celery stalks, a halved head of garlic and some fresh thyme and rosemary. Drizzled the outside of the bird with olive oil and seasoned the same as inside. Cooked it on a rack in my roasting pan. Preheated oven to 450, put the bird in and dropped the temp to 325. Did that at 945am, it was done by 1230ish, when thermometer read 170 in the thigh. Tented it with foiled and we ate at 3.

It's really not that hard to cook a turkey properly. I don't know why some people have so much trouble.

Tracy (mobile) Tracy (mobile)
Nov '15

I guess everyone has their own method. Nothing wrong with someone looking for advice.

positive positive
Nov '15

Oven temperature characteristic's are all different; and so what works in one type, is not the same for another.

I do have a funny story though.
I lived next door to a man we called old man bob. ( Now I'm the old man ).
Anyway, he was widowed, and cooked for himself.
He came over one day after thanksgiving with some turkey that he prepared and cooked.
He said,"I got a new way to cook a turkey!" ...... "I get a big pot of water boiling, then, I drop in the turkey, and boil it for one hour!" .... Then I heat the oven up as far as it will go, and put the turkey in there for one hour!"

"Boy, when I cut that turkey, the juice came running out, and the meat on the turkey was nice and pink on the leg bones!" .....

My wife and I almost G A G'ed looking at that half raw turkey meat he was so proud to let us try. He boasted, he could cook better than a woman. To myself, I said,"Yeah, Boiled Salmonella!!"

From then on, we invited him over to our place to have his Thanksgiving Turkey with us.

Embryodad Embryodad
Nov '15

Thats a great story Embryodad. Me being that kind of old man. I am more likely to over cook so I make a sauce or gravy. .

Old Gent Old Gent
Nov '15

Did his last name happen to be Griswold, Embryodad?

MeisterNJ MeisterNJ
Nov '15

The first turkey that my friend ever cooked, she read the temp of 170, so set the oven to 170. We ate lots of sides that day, turkey wasn't ready until bedtime.

hktownie hktownie
Dec '15

Bumping this up.

Anyone making anything new and interesting this year?

I really want to bake some delicious rolls to go with the meal, but I'm a little intimidated.

Tracy Tracy
Nov '16

I'm frying if anyone thinks that's new and different

skippy skippy
Nov '16

Any good places in the area to go for Thanksgiving Dinner I don't care if it's just a diner

janster janster
Nov '16

janster -- I believe Trinity Church as well as Martys restaurant in Hackettstown have a free Thanksgiving dinner.

happiest girl
Nov '16

happiest girl - It's "Marley's". "Marty's" is the bicycle shop. ;-)


I'm testing a cranberry orange cake I saw on FB.

Bessie Bessie
Nov '16

ha-ha ...... sorry about that!
;-)

happiest girl
Nov '16

Electric roaster easiest ever......best $30.00 ever.
I just use butter and herbs under skin....and white wine also....
Plug it in and few hours later....perfect turkey...and no oven. So I can do all my side dishes. ..

Josepcan Josepcan
Nov '16

Mom's giblet gravy could make a Cannondale taste good (-;

ianimal ianimal
Nov '16

Josepcan, I've been looking at electric roasters and reading some reviews. What kind did you buy ?

Mariann Mariann
Nov '16

Cranberry sauce. It has to be there. I've been trying to improve on the canned for years, made my own from different recipes, etc. Lots of leftovers tell me it hasn't been a big hit.

This year I found a jar of cranberry relish out in Amish country. Hopefully this is awesome, then I can learn to make it myself.

hktownie hktownie
Nov '16

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