CLASS: Turkey Roasting

TURKEY TIPS

Turkey is usually the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving tables.  Producing a juicy, flavorful turkey can be a challenge but the following tips and techniques will help you put a beautiful turkey on your table without a lot of stress.

Selecting a turkey:  Fresh turkeys usually taste better than frozen turkeys and are easy to find during the holidays; choosing a free-range turkey that was fed organic grain is ideal.  However, many good-quality frozen turkeys are just fine – try to avoid self-basting turkeys which are injected with a yellow, fatty substance to keep them moist.

What size turkey to buy:  For best results, buy a turkey that weighs more than 10 pounds.  If you want a smaller bird, a turkey breast is a better choice.  To ensure ample servings for Thanksgiving dinner as well as generous leftovers, allow for 1 – 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person.

Storing the turkey:  If you choose a fresh turkey order it from your butcher and pick it up the day before it is to be roasted.  Store it in its original wrapping in the coldest part of the refrigerator.  Frozen turkeys should also be kept in the refrigerator as they thaw to keep bacteria from multiplying.  Figure on 3 – 4 hours per pound for turkeys to thaw, and keep in mind that it may take 2 – 5 days for a frozen turkey to defrost completely, depending on its size.  Thawed turkey should be cooked within 2 days and should not be refrozen, or the texture of the meat will suffer.

Essential turkey prep:  Remove the giblets from the neck cavity and anywhere else they may be – check!  Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry.  Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 1 – 1 ½ hours (but no longer) before roasting.

Flavoring turkey:  Turkey is a delicate, mild-flavored type of poultry that can be enhanced with different flavor components.  Due to its mild flavor it works very well with the following flavor techniques:

• Brining:  A traditional method of preserving foods before the days of refrigeration, brining is a cooking technique that more and more people are turning to because it adds flavor and juiciness to the classic roasted turkey.
• Wet Brine:  A wet brine penetrates into food much more deeply than a marinade.  Water from the brine enters each meat cell, making the meat juicier while infusing it with flavor.  Brining helps keep the meat juicy without giving it a salty taste.  You can make your own brine mix (recipes are online) or buy one from your grocery or specialty foods store.
• Dry Brine:  Dry brine mixes are blends of fragrant herbs and spices that are mixed with kosher salt and that mixture is rubbed on the turkey and allowed to rest in the refrigerator.  The salt’s natural properties draw moisture to the surface of the meat where it joins with the aromatics to create a savory marinade that re-enters the meat.  Again, you can make your own brine mix or buy one.
• Note #1:  Whether you use a wet brine or a dry brine, your turkey must be thoroughly rinsed, inside and out, prior to roasting, and, using paper towels, patted as dry as you can get it.
• Note #2:  If you purchase a Kosher turkey you don’t need to brine at all – they are already brined in the koshering process.
• Compound Butters/Pastes:  These are a blend of unsalted butter or oil with herbs, spices, rubs, citrus zest or other flavorings.  Let the butter stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to soften, then cream the butter until it is soft and fluffy.  Add in your desired flavorings and mix well.  If using an oil, choose one with flavor such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil and mix with your flavor choice to form a paste.  These butters and pastes are commonly rubbed on and under the skin of the bird.  As the turkey roasts, the butter melts into the flesh, keeping the meat moist and creating a crisp, golden-brown skin.
• Flavor Injecting:  Another way to add flavor is with a flavor injector, a kitchen tool used to insert marinade deep into the meat of the bird.  Injectors are stainless-steel syringes filled with liquid marinade. The flavors, which should always include a fat of some kind, injected into the flesh of the turkey helps keep it moist during cooking and imparts complex layers of flavor.
• Aromatics:  Many cooks will also combine aromatics into their flavoring of the turkey.  This can be done by placing fresh or dried herbs as well as vegetables and fruits into the cavity of the bird, sometimes under the skin and around the pan.  As the turkey roasts, the aromatics give off flavor that is incorporated into the final flavor of the turkey.  Some popular choices are fresh sage, herbs de province, lemon or orange slices, apples, onions and carrots.

Stuffing a turkey:  Roasting a turkey unstuffed, with dressing baked separately, saves time and effort – and results in a more evenly cooked bird and one that cooks faster.  But for many people, a stuffed bird is a Thanksgiving tradition and many love the extra flavors that are imparted from the turkey.  Here are some basic guidelines to follow if stuffing a turkey:

• Prepare stuffing just before roasting.  This way warm stuffing can be put into the bird and directly into the oven.  If you do make it ahead, warm it before filling the turkey.
• Never put stuffing into a bird the day before (or even several hours before) roasting.  The warm stuffing can breed bacteria from the bird.
• Do not pack stuffing too tightly inside the turkey as it will expand during cooking.  Truss the main cavity to hold the stuffing inside, if desired.
• Cook stuffing to 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.  If it is not done and the bird is, transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and bake until it tests done.
• If adding meat to a stuffing, cook it thoroughly first.

Roasting:  One of the oldest and simplest forms of cooking, roasting refers to cooking food in an uncovered pan in the dry heat of an oven.  One of the most appealing qualities of roasted foods is the beautiful and delicious brown crusts that develop in the oven.  Contact with heat causes the sugars and proteins in food to form compounds on the surface similar to caramel, forming a flavorful crust.  Simultaneously, the steady oven heat slowly penetrates to the center of the food, which remains juicy.  This is a favorite cooking method for turkey.  Here are some basic steps to follow:

• Turkey should be as close as possible to room temperature – take out of the refrigerator 1 – 1 ½ hours prior to roasting.  For best results, roast your turkey on a rack in an open roasting pan.  A sturdy pan with good handles is recommended.
• Use a high quality roasting pan.  The best materials for roasting pans are heavy-gauge stainless steel, anodized or enameled aluminum, or enameled steel or cast iron.  These metals ensure even cooking and keep the bottom of the food and the pan drippings from burning.  Also, heavy-gauge metals allow stove-top searing and deglazing of pan juices for sauces and gravies.  Plain, untreated aluminum is not a good choice for roasting pans because it can react with acidic ingredients resulting in discolored food with a metallic flavor.   Also, disposable aluminum pans are a poor choice for roasting for a number of reasons:  they can’t be used on the stove-top, it’s nearly impossible to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, they have tall sides that trap steam around the food and discourage browning, and they may buckle under the weight of a turkey or other heavy meat.
• A leave-in thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the breast or thigh, away from the bone, will provide the most consistent results.  Roast your turkey until it is 165 degrees F.  A leave-in thermometer is good because you don’t have to open the oven (letting heat escape) and poke the turkey more than once to test for doneness.  However, if you don’t have a leave-in thermometer, an instant read thermometer is fine – just don’t poke the turkey too often or you’ll lose too much of the juice.
• For an un-stuffed turkey:  Some cooks roast the turkey breast side down for the first one-third of the cooking time.  This increases the rate at which thighs cook so they will be done at about the same time as the breast.
• For a stuffed turkey:  Loosely cover the breast with a thick piece of aluminum foil for the first two-thirds of the cooking time.  This slows the rate at which the breast cooks, so it will be done at about the same time as the thighs.
• Basting:  brushing food with liquid while it cooks helps to create a delicious and attractive finish.  Basting liquid can be as simple as a good-quality oil or melted butter, or it can be a seasoned mixture with flavorful liquids and aromatic ingredients.  It should also include some fat to carry flavor and prevent the food from drying out.  Avoid basting too often as opening the oven door frequently will allow heat to escape and cause surface evaporation that may lead to drying.  Also, use a good-quality basting brush that won’t drip on your oven floor.  Adding sugar and other sweet ingredients, such as honey, maple syrup or melted jellies, will create a delicious, glossy glaze.  Baste with sweetened mixtures during the last hour of roasting because the sugars can burn easily. Brined meat and poultry in particular benefit from a final glazing since the salt solution may inhibit deep browning.   Many people don’t like to baste or forget to do it because there are many other tasks to do when trying to get Thanksgiving dinner on the table.  A Martha Stewart trick for ensuring a nice brown turkey skin is to soak a large piece of cheese cloth in melted butter and drape it all over the turkey just prior to roasting.  This actually works.
• Right before placing your turkey in the oven, add some water and/or broth to the bottom of the pan.  Add more as the turkey roasts if it dries up.  This will help keep the turkey moist and will also add some great flavor to your gravy.
• Before carving the roasted turkey, allow the turkey to rest for at least 20 – 30 minutes.  If desired, you can loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil, but allow steam to escape or the skin will become wet and not remain crisp.  Resting time allows for some of the juices to be absorbed back into the meat, making the meat more moist and easier to carve.
• To tie or not to tie the legs:  Tying the turkey legs together with kitchen twine ensures that it will cook evenly and the turkey will hold its shape for easier carving  However, it’s not imperative that you do it.

I have deliberately not discussed at what temperature you should cook your turkey.  There are many schools of thought about this subject and you should figure out what works for you.  Some people go low and slow – low temperature for a long period of time; others deconstruct their turkey and cook the parts at different times and different temperatures.  I could go on and on.  I cook my turkey whole at 450 degrees F for the first hour then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F until done. 

Happy cooking – Happy Thanksgiving!