Posted on 11/26/2014 4:22:11 PM PST by goodwithagun
Brine and butter under the skin. Ooh is that bird good!
Use kosher salt and just reduce the quantity to taste
Cider, bay leaves, better then bullion veggie flavored, oranges, lemons.
Let dry another 12 hours.
Rub with butter and poultry seasoning mix.
Stuff with sage, thyme, rosemary, bay, onion and apple.
Roast breast side down until the last 30 minutes then turn.
After turning baste with apple cider every ten minutes.
(Don't use apple juice you heathens!)
What sides will you be serving?
Brining will make you happy.
So very, very happy.
I inject with various spices, stick half garlic cloves under the skin, bake breast down on the bottom (no rack) until it’s nearly done, then flip the bird and use the broiler to brown the breast.
I’ve done the turducken thing, but I find it too labor intensive. It tasted great, but 5 hours prep time on one item is way more work than I care to invest in one course. Besides, you don’t get any gravy that way.
I finely chop the giblets and put them in the dressing, which I prefer to stuffing.
I use whipping cream instead of milk in the mashed potatoes. MUCH richer and creamier.
In order to make enough gravy, I add frozen broth from my previous turkey.
Fresh corn kernels, peas, carrots, raw purpletop turnips, halved Brussels Sprouts pan fried in butter, wax and green beans.
No room for dessert...
:)
I brined and took it out this morning 19 hrs 20lb bird. We’ll see.
I’m smoking my 14lb on big green egg. Will use herbs and butter and then olive oil towards the end.
Did it last year and it was the best turkey I’d ever had.
If you like the flavours of coriander and fennel (me? absolutely yes to the former and a hearty NO to the latter for poultry), you will give more flavour to the broth/brine, and hence the bird, by crushing or grinding the seeds of both after toasting but before adding to the brine. These seeds, particularly, have harder hulls than most...and the flavour comes from the inside, not the hull, therefore the more exposure of the guts to the brine, the better.
Your recipe sounds simply delicious.
All of my sides are prepped a day ahead. I’m pretty tired now, but tomorrow I will be a lovely hostess with a well-earned drink in my hand while my family comes a call in’. Crockpot sweetpotato casserole (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Sweet-Potato-Casserole/), cornbread stuffing, spinach gratin (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spinach-gratin-recipe.html), roasted beats with basaltic and honey vinaigrette, whole wheat rolls, and my mom’s bringing her AMAZING mashed potatoes. Oh, gravy too. The sangria I made is as follows: Magnum of inexpensive Sauvignon blanc, two cups ginger brandy, three cups Apple cider, two cups club soda. Garnish with Apple slices and frozen cranberries. Yikes! Cranberry sauce! I made that also!
I could not cook a turkey to save my life, but as a grateful consumer of turkey cooked by the talented womenfolk in my family, I favor brined turkey.
I brine. It assures a nice, juicy, flavorful bird.
Hmmm. I’m thinking about getting a smoker. I’d have all summer to practice. The electric ones look pretty fool-proof.
brining keeps the bird moist during cooking. i’d do it.
I’ve done it both ways - I prefer the results of it brined, but have prepared many both with and without. It seems that brining (I add a big dose of herbs to the brine) helps get the flavor all through the meat.
Alternately, I have injected my bird with a butter/herb mixture and roasted - and that turns out really good.
I tried the electric ones and failed miserably. Couldn’t keep it hot enough and the juices ended up leaking out all over the patio. Plus it wasn’t big enough.
LOVE my Big Green Egg, but they are a tad pricy. Best steaks, chicken, ribs anywhere.
:)
I love cookery threads.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.