Let's talk turkey......

[ChiTownZee]

OK, all these holioday threads have me thinking....
Anybody want to share their tricks and hints about cooking the perfect bird? Last year I hunted down a brine turkey and wasn't that impressed.
I do have one specific question, I cook my stuffing out of the turkey and usually don't put anything in it, but I've heard of putting veggies/fruit inside. Has anyone done anything like this?

And don't forget gravy hints. I've got the stuffing down, but this is one thing I haven't mastered yet!

 

[snowball22]

I cook my bird breast side down and laden with butter. For the gravy I use Heinz gravy and then add cut up giblets and pan drippings--so very yummy.

 

[debster812]

We brine our turkey

We don't stuff the bird, but we do put aromatics insid (apples, cinnamon sticks, onion, sage, thyme, etc etc etc)

Cook it on 500 degrees for 25 minutes to brown it up, then knock the heat down to 350, and cover it with foil to keep it from burning.

We absolutely stole all of this from Alton Brown on Good Eats from the Food Network.

 

[worm761]

my turkey always turns out moist and very good. i do not stuff it. just leave the cavity empty. i put a little chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. then i roast at 350 for however long till it is done. the key to my moistness is i baste alot! oh almost forgot, i rub the outside with either butter or olive oil before roasting.

for the gravey it really isnt hard. just take some of the juice from the bottom of the pan with the turkey. put in small pan and simmer. in a small jar shake together COLD water and cornstarch. it is very important that you use cold water! add the cornstarch/water mix a little at a time to the simmering juice. it only takes a little bit to make the gravy thick. stir constantly so you dont get lumps.

 

[doxdogy]

I haven't mastered gravy yet. Found some turkey base at Williams-Sonoma yesterday. I am going to try that for my gravy. For my turkey, I soften some butter (salted). I place it up underneath the skin on the breast and push it around under the skin. I place some under the skin near the legs. I then brush it down with melted butter. Pour a little water in the bottom of the pan and then roast it at 325 until it is done. I do baste it alot during cooking too.

 

[ChiTownZee]

I was just reading foodtv.com's turkey hints and they said to let the turkey sit for about 20 minutes out of the oven before carving (which I knew) and up to an hour for a juicier experience. Wouldn't it be cold after an hour? I wouldn't want to cover it because it would undo the crispiness of the skin.

 

[caitycaity]

we make turducken.

 

[browneyes]

I show up at my mom's and eat her turkey and dressing. She makes her own giblet gravy from scratch (YUCK, I don't like the looks of it), but I bring my own jarred Heinz gravy (sometimes she has it on hand for me and my kids). I've cooked my own turkey, and there's really not any trick to it. Just put it in the oven (after thawing it out a few days ), then cook it until it's brown (covering the wings and drumsticks with foil for the first 2 hours or so so they won't burn) and the little popper thing pops out. I like the butterball brand best, you don't really have to baste it too often. She never stuffs her turkey, and neither do I.

 

[Steve H.]

Am I the only one who stuffs their turkey??

caity -- where do you get your turducken's from? Do supermarkets sell them?

 

[helenabear]

We always use those bags for the Turkeys. They cook quicker and come out wonderful every time. ChiTownZee, we leave our turkey sit for 30-40 minutes before serving and it is usually fine. Not overly hot, but not cold at all.

For stuffing, I've learned to make several different kinds. Some like nuts & celery in it, some need it to be vegitarian and I like non-vegitarian with just the bread crumbs and herbs I mix in with it. So I usually make all three... with non-vegitarian cooked in the turkey.

For gravy, I mix flour with water in a bowl with a wisk and slowly pour it in the juice that came from the turkey while it is warm, but not hot. If the juice isn't hot then you have a better chance of avoiding lumps. I then heat it to a boil. For me I found that is the best way to avoid lumpy gravy... although I do leave the small bits of turkey that might have gotten in the juice. I do this for all gravy types and once even made ham gravy out of that (that one is nice and sweet )

Thanks for asking this... you just reminded me that I won't have to deal with any of that this year as I think it will be just me and DH eating a pizza on Thanksgiving day

 

[caitycaity]

steve -- we make it from scratch ourselves.

we buy the deboned meat from the butcher at the grocery store. we tried to debone it ourselves one year and...we didn't have much luck.

 

[Steve H.]

Originally posted by caitycaity
steve -- we make it from scratch ourselves.

Really?? You're more ambitious than me!

Oh, for gravy, we simply add Wondra to the drippings and add broth if necessary -- Wondra makes great gravy.

 

[newmousecateer]

Steve, I stuff my bird, and I also use Wondra for gravy.

What, please is a turducken?

 

[browneyes]

Originally posted by newmousecateer
Steve, I stuff my bird, and I also use Wondra for gravy.

What, please is a turducken?

Also, what's Wondra?

 

[ChiTownZee]

Wondra is flour that is ground ultra fine so you don't get lumps.

My problem with gravy is I either use too much or too little, it never fails that I am sure I haven't used enough wondra, and add more, only to end up with gravy that is TOO thick LOL

 

[minniecarousel]

Two words: cooking bag

Helenabear talked about it too. I have never basted a turkey. I buy a HUGE frozen turkey and stuff it with traditional stuffing and in just a few hours, it's ready. (It's usually a 23 lb bird and it's done in about 3 1/2 to 4 hours with the cooking bag!)
Gravy is still a problem for me - I always have jarred gravy handy in case I really screw up!)

 

[Steve H.]

A Turducken is a chicken, stuffed in a duck, stuffed in a turkey.

Here's a good link for it: http://fp.thesalmons.org/lynn/turducken.html

 

[antnee]

I recommend starting with a high over for the first 1/2 to 1 hour of cooking to sear the outside of the bird and lock in the juices. Then cover with foil, dont baste till almost the end and be sure to use plenty of Kosher Salt and black pepper. Marjoram is a good herb to use as well and uncover bird for last 1/2 hour of cooking

 

[aprincessmom]

I do have one specific question, I cook my stuffing out of the turkey and usually don't put anything in it, but I've heard of putting veggies/fruit inside. Has anyone done anything like this?

I'm a stuffing in the bird person. I also put fruit and veggies in my stuffing. My favorite is a cornbread stuffing with cranberries, apples, onion, celery and walnuts. I've also substituted oranges for the apples and scallions for the onions and both were delicious as well.

I don't like a meat stuffing and I have made oyster stuffing but it's not my favorite.

I brush my turkey with a mixture of olive oil and herbs for a crispy skin. And leaving it to sit is a good idea since all meats continue to cook after you pull them out of the oven because of the internal heat.

For gravy I use Wondra or cornstarch. I find it's not so lumpy if you keep all the liquids warm while mixing then bring it to a boil. I also use a whisk to mix the flour with the pan drippings and mix those before I add warm water.

 

[ChiTownZee]

Originally posted by antnee
..........and be sure to use plenty of Kosher Salt and black pepper. Marjoram is a good herb to use as well and uncover bird for last 1/2 hour of cooking .........

Why Kosher Salt? And do you put any kid of butter or oil on your bird?