Wannabe Writer's Ink

Wannabe writer with hobby of art. Stay and you'll glimpse a small piece of my heart.

Turkey

Turkey

It was my honor to host Thanksgiving this year. I was in charge of making a turkey for the first time. I turned to a friend's parents for tips on keeping it juicy, to my Mom for the basting sauce, and the internet for random tips and tricks. I practiced on one turkey, early in November, then made my second for Thanksgiving dinner. Both turned out well. Here is the result.

Turkey Ingredients:

  • 1 turkey
  • 12 oz peeled garlic
  • 2 tbsp pickling spices
  • Aromatics (onion, rosemary, thyme, lemon, garlic)

Basting Sauce Ingredients:

  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • Leftover garlic/pickling spice mix (see instructions below)

Directions:

  1. Super-early Prep:
    a. If frozen, thaw the turkey. Safest way is in the fridge. Allow approx. 24 hours per 4-5 pounds of meat. ALLOW FOR 3-5 DAYS OF THAW depending on turkey size.
  2. Day before prep:
    a. Puree garlic with a food processor. Mix with pickling spices.
    b. Wash turkey thoroughly. Salt it and let it stay out for an hour.
    c. Wash the turkey again. Rub pureed garlic and pickling spice mix all over. Hold back a few tablespoons of the mix for the basting sauce.
    d. Wrap turkey in cloths, then again in foil. Keep like that in the fridge overnight.
  3. Day of:
    a. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    b. Put all basting sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Melt and mix.
    c. Remove turkey from wrappings. Place on a baking dish w/rack, breast down. Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan.
    d. Tuck pats of butter and herbs under the skin wherever possible. Stuff aromatics into the cavities.
    e. Thoroughly baste turkey with the basting sauce.
    f. Make a foil tent over the turkey to keep the skin from burning. Place it in the oven.
    g. In all, the turkey will cook 15 minutes at 350 degrees for every pound. Calculate accordingly.
    h. Baste the turkey once every two hours. Add water to the bottom of the pan as needed.
    i. In the last hour, increase heat to 400 degrees. Remove the foil tent to let the skin get crisp for 30 minutes on the first side, then flip the turkey to crisp the skin on the other side.
    j. Test turkey with a meat thermometer deep in the breast. Make sure internal temperature reaches at least 165 F. If it’s not ready, re-tent it with foil to keep the skin from burning and put it back in for 20 minutes at a time.
    k. When you remove the turkey, tent foil over it and let it rest 30 minutes before carving.

Amalgamated from Sally O’Connor, Betsy Hoberman, and various online tips.