Semi-Official Thanksgiving Recipe/Advice Thread

22 Nov 2015 | US Navy Vet

[US Navy Vet]

Go ahean Post 'em here.

[US Navy Vet]

No 1 if you have a FROZEN Turkey put it in the Refer for a Refer Thaw TODAY!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

The few times I cooked a turkey, a roasting bag always worked for me. It keeps all the juices in.

Melt some butter with your favorite spices (salt, pepper, thyme, sage, etc.), paint the bird all over with one of those cooking brushes, put it in a roasting bag on a roasting pan and put it in the oven.

I know people are going to say deep fry, smoke, brine, etc. But if you have an oven, why not use it?

[Pollster1]

Bacon!

However you are cooking the turkey, other than a deep fat fryer, cover the skin with bacon first. The bacon will end up too crispy to eat (perhaps), but the turkey will be fabulous.

Bacon also goes well with almost everything else.

[Andy'smom]

Does the turkey brown in a roasting bag?

[Michael.SF.]

Here is my fix all:

Two parts high end Tequila

Half part vanilla infused maple syrup

Several dashes of orange bitters and several more of a cherry bitters

Quarter wedge of an orange

Two maraschino cherry's (not the bright red ones)

Muddle all but the tequila together, fill glass half full of ice, then add tequila and stir.

taste then add more tequila

Also Works well with a good whiskey.

[Dallas59]

Bacon Wrapped Turkey

(I don't "weave" the bacon...I just wrap it...)

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 3 hours 30 mins

Total time: 4 hours

This bacon wrapped turkey is every bit as incredible as it looks. It is fun to make and one of the easiest, most flavorful and moist turkeys I have ever made. No stuffing, no brining, just a little jacket weaving. I encourage you to try this turkey! Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

½ pound butter, room temperature

1 large handful mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage)

1½ pound thick cut bacon, divided

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3" pieces

3 leeks, cleaned and cut into 3" pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into 3" pieces

1 onion, quartered

2 apple, sliced peels on

1 14-pound turkey

Kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

For the bacon butter

Place oven shelf in bottom of the oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put the garlic cloves in a food processor and whirl to finely mince. Add herbs and briefly pulse to chop. Add butter and ½ pound of bacon and pulse to combine.

To prepare the turkey

Remove the neck, gizzards, liver, pop-up thermometer and assorted parts that come with your turkey and discard, unless you use these for gravy. Slide your hands between the turkey and the skin to separate. Work your hands all the way around the turkey so that the skin is separates from the flesh.

Take half of the compounded bacon-herb butter and spread it all around underneath the turkey skin. Rub the remaining butter compound over the skin, giving the turkey a good butter-bacon massage. Season with salt and pepper.

To weave the bacon jacket

Start by wrapping the drumsticks. Begin at the back to the drumstick and wind the bacon around trying to slightly overlap each piece until each drumstick is covered.

Place a horizontal strip of bacon across the breast just below the neck hole. Now place a vertical strip of bacon on the far right of the bird, going from the neck end towards the bottom of the bird.

Alternate weaving horizontal strips and vertical strips until the entire top of the turkey is covered in the jacket. Take care to slightly overlap each strip. Using some kitchen string, tie the legs of the bird together.

To cook the turkey

Place an oven rack in the bottom of the oven and remove all the top racks. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Scatter the carrots, leeks, celery, onion and apples in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place a roasting rack on top of the vegetables and place the turkey on top of the rack.

Roast for 30 minutes at 450 degrees and then reduce heat to 375 degrees. Watch the bacon and as soon as it begins to darken cover with tin foil, usually in the first 30 minutes. Cook the turkey until its internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 15 minutes per pound or about 3½ hours total for a 14 pound bird.

When turkey reaches 155 to 160 degrees, remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes before serving. The turkey will continue to cook while resting and the internal temperature will rise to 165 degrees. Always use a thermometer to safely determine when the turkey is done.

[G Larry]

For deep fried.

Use Peanut oil (best for high temp)
Ensure the bird is DRY and giblets are out.
Mix spices with olive oil for thick paste rub, inside and out.
(allow to sit in fridge overnight, covered)

This works MUCH better than trying the syringe, under skin method.

Careful not to overfill the cooker with oil, so that with the bird in, you still have top 1/4 gap for boil and splash.

Make sure oil is up to temp before SLOWLY lowering bird into cooker.

Cook in a safe space, away from flammable material, OUTSIDE!
You will get oil spill and splatter on floor/ground, so plan accordingly.

[G Larry]

You forgot to add:

Have wife wake you when the bird is done........

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

The Franken-Cthulhu turkey:

[US Navy Vet]

Looks....”Disturbing”....

[Lizavetta]

I have a killer Spanish green beans dish if anyone wants it.

[PROCON]

Bacon wrapped turkey....YUM!

[zerosix]

I've only been purchasing fresh turkeys for some time now. I also purchase smaller birds (hens), two if necessary, as I've found larger toms tougher and even "woodier" in that there lots more bones, especially in the legs, so I am getting smaller birds.

I've also purchased a roaster now instead of using my oven. It can be set the same as an oven and I've found that cooking the bird at a lower temperature than I have with my oven, especially as I usually never open the lid, that has a glass top, so I am able to see it as it cooks, breast down, naturally.

I just love preparing large pieces of meat such as turkeys in this roaster. I recently cooked a pork butt for pulled pork and I thought it worked great - better yet, people raved at how succulent it was!

The meat stays more moist and I can use more of my oven for casseroles, pies, etc.

This is not an ad for roasters but the one I purchased, besides having that glass inset in the lid, has a feature on one side so I can prop the lid for adding, turning or basting, should you need to, it has a separate enameled pan that lifts out making it much easier for someone as small as I am for lifting out my entree and lastly it has a chrome rack for keeping meat off the heat source. If you ever have the opportunity to use one once, you will want one for yourself ...... and they only need a 110 volt electric source, unlike my electric oven!

[Slyfox]

Octurcrab?

[Slyfox]

Add swiss cheese to your green bean casserole. You will thank me.

[matt1234]

Turkey skin sandwich.

Ingredients:

1. Turkey skin.

2. Bread.

3. Mayo.

[BenLurkin]

[BenLurkin]

[Mariner]

NEVER cook your Turkey to an internal temp above 165deg.

Never.

In fact, take it out at 160.