Tuesday, November 14, 2006
What the Turkey
So it looks like I am kind of in charge of a turkey this year. As in cooking a whole turkey. Uh-hu. See my family always did the turkey breast thing, because who wants to eat the neck or the dark meat anyway? There were only 7 people who came to Thanksgiving, so we didn't need a huge amount of meat. But now there is going to be a group of about 13 people who don't have family up here in Montana and they expect a real turkey. One with inside parts and the whole shabang. So does anyone have any ideas about cooking a turkey? I have my trusty Betty Crocker, but it's not like I could do a run through practice trial on a 10 lb turkey. So the first time has to be perfect. (Or at least good enough).
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4 comments:
I do! I think it calls for a Very Special Post, though. Maybe this Thursday or Friday. :)
(Now, if you're looking for GOOD advice....)
I have some good recipes and suggestions for cooking turkeys. If you want, I can email them to you. I will try to remember to do that when I get home from work tomorrow. I made a turkey one year and I used an injectable marinade. You can buy them at the grocery store, and they come with 20cc syringe and a big needle (but I am sure you can get those from work) and you could make your own marinade. It makes the meat really juicy and flavorful and you don't have to worry about it drying out as much when you bake it. Just remember 4 minutes per pound and I think that is at 350 or something. I also like to brush the outside with olive oil and sprinkle it with fresh rosemary. Dried rosemary has no flavor. If you need fresh rosemary I will airmail you half of the bush outside my parents old house.
It's all about the brine. Look up brine recipes online, but I think the normal mixture is 1 cup of salt for every gallon of water, and 4 hours of brining.
Anyhow, not only does brining make the turkey much more flavorful and moist, it also allows you to cook it longer (if you're worried about poisoning your guests) without ending up with bone-dry meat.
Anyhow, go to the supermarket and buy the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated, which will tell you exactly what to do.
So how did it go?
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