My post this morning was a dark passage.  So, let’s lighten things up with the perfect combination of dark and light- the turkey.

People worry about cooking turkey. When done right, it’s easy to deliver an awesomely tasty moist bird.

A well-cooked bird has many different flavors to it. Any spices add to the depth of the meat (instead of just covering the taste of it).

The Secrets

Here are the secrets to the perfect bird:
1. Brining (soaking the bird in a salt and sugar mixture for 24 hours in a refrigerated place).
2. Aromatics (putting yummy things in the cavity of the bird).
3. Under the skin fat and spices.
4. Oiling the bird.
5. Tucking the wings.
6. Following the 3 Rules of Turkey Baking.

The 3 Rules

Here are the 3 rules for turkey baking-

1. Don’t open the oven door until you are ready to take the turkey out. At all. The turkey goes in. The Turkey comes out. No Fussing over it.

2. Don’t baste it. This actually dries out the bird.

3. Invest in a meat thermometer that stays in the bird.

Like this one. Click on the picture to buy it from Amazon…

Ready to Cook Your Bird? Here’s the Deets.

Here’s how you do it.

2-3 days before- Thaw a frozen bird. Or buy a fresh one.

I like a free-range, organic bird. They taste the best.

My partner likes the one that you can get for $5 when you buy $50 in groceries. Also not bad.

The Brine

24 hours before you start cooking, create your brine.  A brine is a salt and sugar solution that you will soak that bird in for a full 24 hours.

Your brine will consist of:

1 and a half cups of salt- Use Sea Salt.  Don’t use iodized salt.

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika (preferably smoked, preferably spanish)

3 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup candied ginger

2 quarts water

Boil these ingredients on your stovetop. Stir to break up any solids. The sugar and the salt should dissolve.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.  Then mix with an additional 2 quarts of cold water.

Take the turkey out of the fridge. Remove that popup timer (it’s for amateurs).  

Get a big stock pot or a 5 gallon bucket.

Fill the bottom third of it with ice. Stick the turkey in it. (remove the innards). Pour the brine over the turkey. Add more water if needed.  The bird should be completely covered.  You might need to put a plate or a barbell (wrapped in saran wrap) on top of the turkey to keep it from floating).  

Put this bucket in your garage or another cold place (if you’re cooking a turkey in the summertime, make a place in your fridge).

Wait for 24 hours.

The Cavity Aromatics

You willl need:

2 onions or 5 shallots

2 apples

a cinnamon stick

2 cups of water

Coarsely chop the onions and apples. Slices bigger than your fingers are fine. Simmer on the stovetop for 5 minutes.

Get Ready

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Remove the turkey from the brine mixture. rinse and pat it dry.

Stuff the onions and apples in the turkey cavity. Throw the cinnamon stick away.

Under the Skin

Take 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary. Chop it fine.  Mix it with a half a stick of softened butter and 6 pressed or minced cloves of fresh garlic.

Rub this mixture directly on the meat, under the skin.

Try not to rip the skin.

Over the Skin

Rub the outside of the turkey in canola oil.

Tuck the wings underneath the bird.

Put the thermometer in the bird. Poke it deep in the thigh, not touching bone.

Bake that Bird

Bake for a half hour at 500 degrees. Then reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees.

How long do I cook this thing?

This is the big mystery. Some birds cook faster than others. Some people will say 10-15 minutes per pound. It’s hard to tell without the thermometer.

Cook the bird until the meat registers 170.

Take the bird out and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then carve the turkey.

Here’s how Alton Brown carves…

Et Voila! Enjoy! Bon Appetite!