In need of Thanksgiving turkey cooking tips

[ElectricBlanketFire]

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?

 

[Violence Jack]

Throw it on the grill/smoker for a couple of hours. I brine mine though, but it should still taste good even if you don't

 

[CrazyIvan1978]

Pick your favorite recipe site, follow the baking directions, and voila, what could go wrong?

 

[MrCheezball]

I know you don't want to wet brine and fry but damn is it easy and delicious.

 

[DrForester]

Keep it simple. Cook it in the oven with an oven bag, lightly spice with pepper and whatever else you might like. baste with some water and some white wine.


After cooking, use the drippings at the bottom of the bagto make some gravy (can also keep it simple by mixing the drippings with some water mixed with some corn starch)

 

[julia crawford]

 

[b-dubs]

Seasoned butter under the skin.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Fry it. 👏

Makes the skin delicious.

 

[Lump]

It's 2020, fuck it, go theme park turkey leg style.

 

[dedhead54]

If you don't want to wet brine, you should just season it well a day before, inside and out. let it sit uncovered in the fridge that whole time (on a sheet tray with a cooling rack, because the salt will pull moisture out of the bird and you don't want it to just sit in the liquid). Then when time to cook, stuff cavity with aromatics (id do an onion, celery, whole head of garlic cut in half, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh sage, halved lemon) and cook that bitch until it is 165° in the breast and 175° In the thigh.

 

[Mirado]

Sous Vide is the answer for all proteins. I part it, seal it, and then hit it with a torch when I'm done for texture.

Beef, chicken, pork, turkey, you name it.

 

[Anario]

Spatchcock it

 

[NaudiRajah]

Following. I'm in the same boat with turkey, I also got a spiral ham and am going to heat it up in the smoker. First time not having in laws cook so I have to get a Thanksgiving feast for the wife and 3 kids! Kinda excited it's like I finally grew up lol. Good luck!

 

[julia crawford]

Fry it. 👏

Makes the skin delicious.

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Good lord that's looks like an undead

 

[Fushichou187]

If you've got room in your fridge for 2-3 days depending on big the bird is, a dry brine is a great idea.

I personally have cooked the last 5 out of 6 turkeys for my family using a wet brine, but the dry brine last year gave A+ results. Wet brine is just faster (12~18hrs) and frees up room in the fridge where space is at a premium during Thanksgiving.

As for cooking... no joke, I have used those Reynold's Oven Roasting Bags for turkeys every year I've cooked one, followed the directions, and it has come out perfect every time.

I also make gravy using stock made from the neck of the turkey. Shit is unreal.

 

[Uhtred]

Most turkeys now a days don't really need to be brined. The suckers are juiced up before being frozen. But I still try to brine mine anyways, especially if I'm splurging for a fresh bird from the butcher.

The main trick is not to let the breasts dry out while the rest of the turkey hits the right temps.

I personally like to put the sucker in the roasting pan with some veggies and herbs, white wine and some veggie or turkey stock at the bottom. I go in under the breast skin with a knife and slide a couple fo big chunks of butter right on top of the breast meat under the skin. Season everything, then cook at high heat until things get a little bit golden, then lower the heat the rest of the way.

Definitely get a digital thermometer that will beep and let you know when the breast is almost ready, maybe 10 degrees off, and cover it with aluminum foil so it doesn't dry out.

Don't stuff the bird. instead make your stuffing separately. I like a sweet savory mix of apples, cranberries and pork sausage in mine personally, but whatever floats your boat.

 

[Zippedpinhead]

Throw it on the grill/smoker for a couple of hours. I brine mine though, but it should still taste good even if you don't

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This is what I am planning on doing!
Past few years I have used my parents Turkey fryer when we would visit them.

but now with just my family having a Turkey and no where near my parents I plan on smoking It. Though at current I am planning a wet brine.

 

[Keyser S]

Spatchcock over vegetables. It makes it edible. Go to 165 degrees, but not too far above

 

[808s & Villainy]

Deep frying is the only way to make turkey good

 

[thefragrance]

Brined in a bag. Try this

https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Hunter-Turkey-Brine-Original/dp/B0768MPTVC/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=turkey+brine&qid=1605922057&sr=8-9

 

[BuckRogers]

Spatchcock over vegetables. It makes it edible. Go to 165 degrees, but not too far above

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I can heartily recommend this. It's not hard, it's way faster than the normal method, and you end up with an excellent turkey that's cooked evenly. The serious eats recipe for it has been my jumping off point for years.

 

[Necromanti]

Deep frying is the only way to make turkey good

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Or smoking. Though deep-fried turkey wins out.

 

[rras1994]

Dry brine it ahead of time. Like a couple of days, season heavily with salt. Secret to juicy meat is brining in advance, does something to the structure of the protein. You could also do a dark ritual involving the promise of your first born child to dark malevolent spirits, but that's really a more advanced cooking technique, not advisable to beginners.

 

[painey]

a lot of wacky answers, but assuming you want to do it somewhat normally, pat her dry before she goes in and cover the bird with a dry rub (even a simple one will do). Cook it according to the instructions for time v weight. The MOST IMPORTANT part is to get a meat thermometer. Even if it's a $10 one. It's a godsend to avoid dry turkey. Cook it until it hits temp and pull it out and let it rest for at least 30 mins before carving.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Brine. Even if you don't want to. Brine.

 

[Deleted member 4367]

The very big advantage to spatchcocking is you can easily separate the legs from the breast and the wings because they cook at different rates. It's so easy.

 

[Uhtred]

Spatchcock over vegetables. It makes it edible. Go to 165 degrees, but not too far above

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Oooh yes! I tried this one year and it worked better than my foil method. I don't know why I didn't do it last year. Must have forgotten about it. Deifnitely doing it this way this year as well.

EDIT: I remember why I didn't do it, I didn't have the tukey shears. Still don't so I might go old style again.

 

[Elandyll]

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

 

[Crossing Eden]

Good lord that's looks like an undead

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Bruh if you've never had a fried turkey....that shit's a life changer.

 

[affeinvasion]

This is the recipe I make every year. It's ridiculously good. I usually just make it with a split breast these days, but I've done the whole turkey before.

Roast Peruvian Turkey

A garlicky, spicy rub bakes onto a roast turkey to seal in the juices for a flavorful holiday centerpiece for your big meal, done up Peruvian-style.

www.allrecipes.com

 

[Deleted member 4367]

Samin's recipe for chicken is insanely good so we are trying her recipe for turkey this year.

The Buttermilk-Brined Turkey of Your Thanksgiving Dreams (Published 2020)

Every November, people ask Samin Nosrat if her beloved roast chicken recipe works with turkey. She decided to find out.

www.nytimes.com

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

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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What is the purpose of the oven bag?

 

[Septimus Prime]

I was going to suggest to fry it. Is it really off the table, OP?

 

[JaY P.]

Cooking a turkey is not hard as long as you have a good thermometer to keep track of your turkey. Make sure you give your turkey ample time to defrost. You should have it in the fridge by at least Sunday. I do a dry brine of just salt at least 24 hours before my cook.

I cook my turkeys in my smoker at 400 and go by temperature. A 15lbs turkey will take about 2 - 3 hours depending on size. For a really moist bird try spatchcocking the turkey. You won't have that traditional whole bird look, but it will be more juicy.

Have fun with your first turkey.

 

[siteseer]

the one time i did a thanksgiving turkey, i brined it overnight with all the usual seasonings, it came out a lot better than i expected. juicy and flavorful. my suggestions is to rethink not brining it.

 

[Pein]

Wet brine it, I use butter milk i know you don't want to but its worth.

 

[teruterubozu]

I cook 'em upside down and let gravity do its thing and keep the breast juicy. I flip the bird maybe the last 20 minutes or so to brown up the breast skin a bit. Turkey lift tongs make the flipping easier.

 

[Failburger]

Dry brine, butterfly, broil

 

[Walter White Walker]

Since it's just me and my 2 kids I'm getting just a turkey breast. So that's my suggestion unless you want turkey leftovers for a month or more.

 

[Cognitive Genome]

Honestly, just gonna try my hand at a porchetta this year since past turkeys have always been rather "meh" outside of sandwiches for me. Best of luck with your turkey though, OP!

 

[noquarter]

Keep it simple. Cook it in the oven with an oven bag, lightly spice with pepper and whatever else you might like. baste with some water and some white wine.


After cooking, use the drippings at the bottom of the bagto make some gravy (can also keep it simple by mixing the drippings with some water mixed with some corn starch)

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Pretty much this. You can use a paper bag instead of an oven bag, and use butter on the skin with pepper and whatever else you want for seasoning. I usually throw some butter under the skin as well in a few places. Cook in oven at 350 for 20 mins a pound. Baste during the last hour, if you want.

Gravy the same way as above.

 

[nullref]

First thing I'd do is let go of the idea of having the trussed full bird as the centerpiece of the holiday table—that's just not an ideal way to cook it in many ways, as it makes it difficult/impossible to get the ideal final temp on the different parts. I'll also agree that a wet brine is more trouble than it's worth—who has the refrigerated space or wants to devote it to a big turkey-sized tub of liquid? Deep-frying is good, but that's a whole big setup with its own issues to deal with.

At minimum, I'd say spatchcock it, and salt it at least a day in advance (a.k.a. dry brine), then roast or smoke it (if you have a smoker) that way. Honestly, the white meat is best closer to 150–155 F (which is fully safe if it's held there for several minutes, which it will be), and the dark meat more like 170–180 F. It's even easier if you just break it down into parts and then cook each to the ideal temp. You can then carve it and arrange it on a nice platter for serving. (And if you break down into parts, a wet brine or marinade becomes easier again, as you can do it in smaller containers or zip-loc bags.)

 

[bananab]

If you have never done one before then my advice would be to not get fancy at all, don't worry about spatchcocking/brining etc. and just 1. make sure you thaw in fridge and on time 2. start it early in the day and 3. get a good probe thermometer rather than using the popup thing or wiggle test.

Edit: 4: don't stuff the bird, cook the stuffing separate.

 

[rras1994]

Also stuff under the skin with butter and wrap with bacon on top. Bacon on turkey is amazing.

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

Butter is important.

 

[Nida]

I'm trying to order a turkey now. It's like 10 pounds minimum through Whole Foods. Would that be like a month of turkey for two people?

 

[Tsosie]

This is my favorite standard baked turkey recipee. If you are going to bake your turkey make sure you shove butter under the skin, that little step makes a huge difference.

 

[Failburger]

Cut it up in quarters. Put dark meat in vacuum bag. Light meat in separate vacuum bag.


Sous vide dark meat @170 Fahrenheit for 3 or so hours. White meat at @150 for 3 or so hours.

When done, torch skin to crisp. Serve

 

[bananab]

I'm trying to order a turkey now. It's like 10 pounds minimum through Whole Foods. Would that be like a month of turkey for two people?

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Depends how you use it, fwiw a typical whole chicken is 3-4lbs and usually we get dinner for 4 + lunch for 2 out of that. My gut says you'll get 1 dinner of a leg each on the day, maybe one more where you split a breast, and a few days of sandwiches from the other breast + the wings. Pretty good, you don't want to be having to be eating it for a week or more because turkey gets gamey fast.

 

[Izzy]

Don't worry about making it complicated. When in doubt, Alton brown.

Alton Brown's Good Eats Perfect Roast Turkey | Food Network

Get the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271Good Eats Roast TurkeyRecipe courtesy of Alton BrownTotal...

youtu.be

the turkey triangle and the high heat start are great for a first timer.The most important thing you can do to improve your turkey is to get a goodquick read thermometer a probe. Cool to done-ness. Not for time.