In need of Thanksgiving turkey cooking tips

[GreenMonkey]

We only ever have the 4 of us (once in a while, one extra).

We do a turkey breast in the slow cooker every year. Did one using dry cider last year that was great.

Much easier than messing with a whole turkey.

Unless you are attached to a bunch of dark meat. I never really liked it myself.

 

[geomon]

You wet brine that mofo if you know what's good for you.

 

[Merv]

Buy a pre-baked.

 

[captive]

I'd rather not deep fry nor wet brine, but I'm open to suggestions. What say you?

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Then don't bother.

Wet brine and smoke > deep fry >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not cooking a turkey at all >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> oven roasted dry af turkey

 

[RoadDogg]

You dont need brine, you dont need to fry it.
Stuff it, butter and salt the crap out of its skin.
And use this.

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100% this. Have been doing it for 10+ years and always get a great juicey turkey in just a few hours. After watching my mom cook all day growing up and it always either being undercooked or dried out, I will never understand why she doesn't use an oven bag. Do this OP

 

[LinkSlayer64]

ROAST IT UPSIDE DOWN
SERIOUSLY
the dark meat at the bottom is already moist and juicy, if you could it upside down, all the juices flow to the top, the white meat, which prevents it from getting dried out at all, makes the juiciest tastiest white me there is, seriously, please do this.
All these people who say they have dry oven turkey, this is how you do it.
Then when it's done, just crisp up the skin from the top under the broiler if you want some crispy skin.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I don't know if this is a loophole, but air fried is good, too. A friend of mine did that a couple years ago, and it was really good.

 

[Mcspooky]

You dont need brine, you dont need to fry it.
Stuff it, butter and salt the crap out of its skin.
And use this.

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Came here to point out the oven bags!!. Great stuff. Also you can put ice on the breast while prepping to make the temp lower so it takes a little longer to cook and prevent it from drying out while you making sure the thighs/legs ( darkmeat) cooks.

 

[Truant]

Roast a quality chicken instead.

 

[Elandyll]

What is the purpose of the oven bag?

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It makes the bird cook in its own juices, literally like a mix of steaming it and basting it.
It also reduces cooking time, and is super easy to use.
Been doing the Turkey thing with my wife for the past 15 or so years, perfectly cooked and juicy every time, along with (and thats the surprising part) actually cracking skin.

 

[BarefootTea]

I've used this Oven Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter recipe for a few years. I do not stuff the cavity with stuffing, I cook any stuffing separately. I'll often put some cut veggies in the bottom of the roasting pan to soak up the cooking juices (celery, carrots, and potatoes, etc.).

Make sure the turkey is thoroughly thawed prior to cooking. If it still seems a bit frozen the night before Thanksgiving, I'll leave the turkey out to thaw overnight.

Cook the turkey 15 minutes per pound of meat.

How to Truss a Turkey with Alton Brown | Food Network is my go-to video for trussing the turkey.

How to Truss a Turkey with Alton Brown | Food Network

Alton Brown teaches the proper technique for trussing a turkey. This video is part of Thanksgiving Videos with Alton Brown show hosted by Alton Brown ....

www.youtube.com

 

[Zombine]

I don't know if this is a loophole, but air fried is good, too. A friend of mine did that a couple years ago, and it was really good.

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It was put in an air frier that could house an entire turkey? I'm sure it was really expensive, but my normal sized one is really disappointing. I feel like it never cooks anything right.

 

[Septimus Prime]

It was put in an air frier that could house an entire turkey? I'm sure it was really expensive, but my normal sized one is really disappointing. I feel like it never cooks anything right.

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Yeah, there's an air fryer designed specifically for turkey (or multiple chickens simultaneously, I guess). I think it cost something like $100, maybe? I didn't buy it because I have a regular, oil fryer already.

 

[Zombine]

Yeah, there's an air fryer designed specifically for turkey (or multiple chickens simultaneously, I guess). I think it cost something like $100, maybe? I didn't buy it because I have a regular, oil fryer already.

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Ah okay. After having fried Turkey last year I don't think I can go back. It's so good!

 

[TooFriendly]

Get an electric thermometer probe with a cord and a display that's outside the oven. most useful kitchen tool imo.

aiso I'd suggest cooking low and slow, then resting for 30 mins when it's cooked properly. Meanwhile crank up the heat in the oven and then stuff it back into the very hot oven after it's rested, so that you can quickly brown it.

someone suggested a Sous-vide, which would be ideal, but the method I listed is as close as you can get with an oven.

if you cook it at a high heat to begin with then the outside of it will be finished before the inside has even gotten warm. by the time the thickest parts have cooked, the outer parts are a chalky texture. Also big heat will make the proteins contract and squeeze all of the fluid out of the meat, leaving you with a dry, sad bird.

 

[Heynongman!]

I've made bagged, Alton brown standard brine, and Alton brown spatchcock brine and let me tell you, the best turkey ive had that wasn't smoked was the spatchcock. It takes way less time to cook than even bagged, and it cooks a lot more evenly since the breasts cook slower due to being further from the heating element. I will never cook a bird without spatchcocking ever again.

 

[TooFriendly]

Also Jacque Pepin knows what he is doing of course.

 

[Grug]

 

[Kill3r7]

What is the purpose of the oven bag?

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To keep it moist. Most traditional oven recipes result in a rather dry turkey. Hence the recommended brine method.

 

[Stuntman]

No brine no shine.

 

[Neece]

You dont need brine, you dont need to fry it.
Stuff it, butter and salt the crap out of its skin.
And use this.

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This is what my girlfriend used last year. Ended up being the most tender/moist turkey I've ever had. Flavor packed as well with the seasoning she used.

 

[Travo]

Get an oven bag. That's a must. It'll save you from an unnecessary mess. I put carrots, onions, mushrooms and celery in with the turkey for flavor. You can baste it with melted butter

 

[T002 Tyrant]

So, due to obvious reasons, my wife and I will be spending Thanksgiving with just us and the kids. We're planning on making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner including a turkey, though I've never cooked one before. I've been doing research online and it seems like everyone does it a bit differently. So I'm looking for some tips.

I'd rather not deep fry nor wet brine, but I'm open to suggestions. What say you?

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[red lightbulb]

Spatchcock it

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This.

 

[Sanjuro]

The best advice I can give is before you do anything, buy a turkey.

 

[Mandos]

Traditionally my family does the oven bag. Smaller group and my mom doesn't want the mess of a spatchcock prep so we may just do turkey breast this year

 

[Flanker358]

 

[BlueTsunami]

A dry breast is due to not cooking it to the right temp. The bird needs to be pulled when the breast registers at 155-160°F and allowed to rise over 165° when resting due to residual heat. The problem that comes from this is the dark meat should brought to a higher temp otherwise it is a bit stringy. Spatchcocking deals with this problem or other methods like shielding the white meat with aluminum foil. I've also read that leaving the legs untrussed will allow them to cook at a faster rate since they're hanging loose, which is what you want relative to the breast.

I personally recommend dry brining the meat and letting it chill in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours for ery crispy skin. Also a compound herb butter if you wanna get fancy, get it under the skin.

 

[demosthenes]

So, due to obvious reasons, my wife and I will be spending Thanksgiving with just us and the kids. We're planning on making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner including a turkey, though I've never cooked one before. I've been doing research online and it seems like everyone does it a bit differently. So I'm looking for some tips.

I'd rather not deep fry nor wet brine, but I'm open to suggestions. What say you?

Click to shrink...

Hey! I LOVE cooking turkeys, I sent this to my brother for a similar reason you gave:

Turkey (do fresh, do not do frozen if you can avoid it. fresh = usually 7-10 days before use)
Clean out both ends
Rinse in cold water, shake dry. Salt inside of it. 1/2 tbsp or so.
Stuff to end, do not over stuff.into roasting pan, brush top w/ some oil.
stick of butter, cut it on and put it on top of turkey. pepper it a lot.
once turkey out, take out stuffing.

stuffing (follow instructions on something like this: stuffing. I do 2x bags. 35% can go into an 18lb turkey or so. Rest has to get baked when the turkey is done.
some premium stuffing seasoned mix. cube celery 6 stalks, dice 1 large onion, 4-5 carrots, parsley flakes.
get a stick of butter in a pan with the cups of water on the back of the package of stuffing
cook veggies in a pan, not too long.
pot: boil water/butter and take off heat when it's done, pour in veggies. add stuffing bags slows, add 2 eggs on top and stir.
if you do 2 bags, fill the turkey and fill a separate pot w/ the rest. it will get baked when you take the turkey out for ~30 minutes.

gravey
-from the turkey roasting pan (after it's done cooking and resting), scoop out meat from bin, have pan of drippings left. start stirring over medium heat on the stove. add potato water - about 3 cups owrth. salt and pepper and wisk constantly. add a little gravey master. sprinkle in wondra to thicken. add more water if needed or more wondra.

potatoes:
-skin and boil. once water boils poke to make sure soft. drain and KEEP the water. hand mash first before mixing. use some milk and butter in there.

Put extra stuffing in when you take the turkey out.
Cook turkey @ 325*
11 pound turkey will be on package. my guess is under 2.5 hours though.

 

[demosthenes]

Buy a pre-baked.

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Blasphemy.

 

[exodus]

Get a prebrined turkey like a butterball and follow Alton Brown's recipe. The breastplate is really important.

 

[vacantseas]

I take a disposable roasting pan. Chop some celery and carrots. Enough to layer the bottom of the pan. Fill the bottom of the pan w just enough water to cover the veggies.

Take a stick of margarine, slather the outside of the bird up all over. Take some pieces of the margarine and stuff it under the skin. Salt and pepper the hell out of the bird.

Preheat oven to 450. Cook it for 30-60 mins at 450. Then turn down the heat to 325. Cook for a couple hours til done. Digital thermometer is key here.

I'll take a baster and pour the juices in the bottom of the pan all over the turkey every 30 mins or so.

My wife and I have been hosting our families for the past few years and my mother in law who things she knows everything and did the cooking of the turkeys while my wife was growing up approves of my turkey cooking. It doesnt have to be super complicated.

 

[Radd Redd]

If you got a kettle grill or a dedicated smoker you can smoke a whole turkey. Always turns out juicy if you use a meat thermometer.

 

[Meatfist]

I'm ready to say f u to turkey and just start doing whole chickens or ribeyes instead. I made my turkey magnum opus last night after wet brining, butter stuffing and smoking for 4 hours and it was still just meh compared to other meats, especially with all the effort that went into it

 

[Dennis8K]

Throw it in the trash and cook a duck or goose instead.

Turkey is a dry ass bland struggle bird.

If you must, consult family members who have cooked turkey before and who managed to avoid it losing all moisture.