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Hope this thread is kosher, I was advised to do this in another thread. Poultry newbie here. For Christmas, one of the higher-ups at the office got us all turkeys. I've had an 11-pound Jennie-O turkey in my freezer up until a couple of hours ago, when I put it in the fridge to begin the thaw. I'm hoping that's enough time to be ready for Friday evening. I'm working from home all day Thursday and Friday so I can run it under cold water if need be. I was planning to cook it vertically, using this rack and setting it upright in my 13" cast iron pan. My oven does broil, bake, and convect bake. Is this a reasonable plan? If it's a really bad idea I can obtain a horizontal roasting rack and suitable pan. What's a good, simple but tasty brine? And how do I brine a bird? Also I understand the drippings can be made into gravy, what else goes into it? So the general idea I have is: thaw & brine the bird, roast it until 165°F inside its thickest part, rest it while collecting the drippings for gravy, then carve & serve. I'd love suggestions and pointers on: making a brine, brining it, whether my cooking plan is sound, and making the gravy. Thanks goons! P.S. I'm hoping to outsource the stuffing from one of my guests, saving myself the trouble.
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Jan 18, 2017 03:07
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:36 |
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There's lots of argument now over wet brining vs dry brining. Check it out here at http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html Now, I must say, I generally wet brine. However, that's because I usually lack space for my turkey in the fridge other then the 12 hour drying time I give it before the roast. I brine in a cooler for two days. I also have a super un-scientific approach to a brine recipe. Easiest for me is a cup of salt, a cup of brown sugar, some bay leaves, a big sprig of fresh rosemary, and an orange cut in half and squeezed into the garbage bag of icy water inside the cooler the turkey is brining / keeping cool in. Rotate the turkey two or three times a day. It brines until 12 hours before the roast time. Then I take the turkey out, spatchcock it (more on that later), set it on a sheet pan on top of sliced onions and sweet potatoes, coat it with some baking soda and salt, then squeeze into the fridge. Then I bake at 450 until I reach an internal temperature of 145 at the breast, then pull and rest under foil for 20 minutes. Now on to the spatchcock. http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/how-to-spatchcock-cook-turkey-thanksgiving-fast-easy-way-spatchcocked.html I will be up-front here, I spatchcock all my birds. I understand if you want to do the whole roasting thing. I'm just saying, I probably will never cook a bird with a spine still in it ever again. The above link has completely changed how I cook poultry forever. Why? Because it took my last spatchcocked 8lb turkey about an hour to cook. That's insane. Usually, it's gonna be 20 minutes a pound, or three hours. That's two hours less I gotta be worrying about keeping an eye on the main event in the oven. Also, you get more crispy skin. And I will shank a bitch for crispy skin. A spatchcocked bird also fits in the fridge much easier. Also also, I get an amazing side-dish out of it by cooking it over the sweet potatoes and onions. After the bird is cooked, the sweet potatoes, onions, and drippings I got get put in a bowl with a pat of butter, nutmeg and brown sugar to taste, then blitzed smooth with a stick blender. Bam, whirled sweet potatoes, savory delicious. Oh. I also cook my poultry to what is considered by the USDA to be a dangerously low temperature. Because dark meat tastes so much better on the medium side of the temperature gradient, and not over-cooked. It's like prime rib, I swear. If I die or get salmonella, it's my own drat fault. Tripply so, because I raise and butcher my own turkey. Happy Turkin! Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Jan 18, 2017 |
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Jan 18, 2017 03:45
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I would be very careful about brining a frozen bird. Most of those freezer birds are actually frozen in a salty solution to act as an additional preservative, so in brining one you are basically creating a salt lick, even if you properly soak it afterwards.
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Jan 18, 2017 04:30
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Benjamin Disraeli posted:I would be very careful about brining a frozen bird. Most of those freezer birds are actually frozen in a salty solution to act as an additional preservative, so in brining one you are basically creating a salt lick, even if you properly soak it afterwards. that's not really how osmosis works, wouldn't worry about it brah. I wet brine for a couple days, air dry in fridge uncovered overnight (or longer), start for an hour or two on its back, flip, and finish out right side up. rest once you hit your temps, then crank the oven, and crisp right before you serve. Spatchcocking is legit, but I love the presentation of a whole bird too much - and am only cooking a turkey a couple times a year. Worth it for the extra time and effort in my book.
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Jan 18, 2017 07:42
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mindphlux posted:Spatchcocking is legit, but I love the presentation of a whole bird too much - and am only cooking a turkey a couple times a year. Worth it for the extra time and effort in my book. See, that's the nice thing about a small family. They don't give a poo poo, they're just thrilled to have not have had to do it, and that it's delicious. We've had so much bland turkey over the years through the whole extended family circuit, that when you introduce TURKEY THAT TASTES LIKE MEAT, looks go right out the window. Or, right into the stock pot after the succulent meat has been torn off it's bones. I grew up eating thanksgivings that tasted like wallpaper paste and took years to prepare, I shant return. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Jan 20, 2017 |
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Jan 20, 2017 04:55
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:36 |
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Dry-brine with a spice rub overnight. Then do immersion circulator. Breasts at 135*F for 20 hours, thighs and wings at 155*F for 20 hours. I will likely bring down the temp for the dark meat just a bit next time, but my god I've never had such good white meat.
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Jan 24, 2017 22:33
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