Posted on 11/09/2022 11:42:39 AM PST by mylife
After years of hosting, cooking, and writing about Thanksgiving dinner, I have a confession to make: I have never used a roasting pan to cook my turkey. I don’t even own a roasting pan big enough to cook a turkey, nor a roasting rack to set it on. I roast my birds on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, and the bird has never suffered. In fact, the bird is the better for it.
Roasting pans are quite deep. When you set a turkey down inside one, the sides come up around the lower parts of the body, blocking the flow of heat and air. You still get the crispy skin on top of the bird, but the skin on the bottom is flaccid, pale, and wobbly. According to Meathead Goldwyn of AmazingRibs.com, when cooking a bird (be it a chicken or a turkey), trussing and roasting pans are two of the main sources for blobby bird skin:
I am always surprised at how many chefs tell you to truss the legs. You want the dark meat to cook more than the white meat. If you truss the legs, you’re basically pulling it in so that it becomes a part of the thermal mass of the body, and the legs aren’t going to cook as much, and you’ll get way overcooked breasts. If you let the legs fly, you’re going to get better air circulation around them and they will heat faster and cook more. Even Thomas Keller—all these guys—they’re always trussing the bird, and they put it in these roasting pans.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifehacker.com ...
always do
“ But unless you are enamored of the look of a roasted bird I would go with spatchcocking for chicken.”
Thanks; I learned something new!
My family likes a lot of dark meat. So I do 2 styles. One is brined and then plopped into an infrared fryer. Comes out looking beautiful.
The extra dark meat is a half dozen thighs that I cold smoke for an hour then Sous Vide (with some duck fat and herbs) for 12 hours. Pat dry, then finish them on the grill to make the skin crispy.
The added benefit is neither use the oven, which is busy with side dishes.
Best Roast Turkey I ever had was Injected with Champagne, covered with apples and baked in a roasting BAG.
Not a single dry piece of meat and the flavor was astounding.
“... so they could cut it’s jugular to bleed it out.”
Well, that trumps anything funny I was gonna respond to the line with.
The best way to fix a Turkey is being a guest at someone’s home so THEY prepare the Turkey!
Works for me since I don’t enjoy cooking even a little.
try goose.
delicious
That sounds awesome
Capon is great! Never Dry. Sweeter meat.
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.