"How to Roast the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey"

Author: Martha Matthews

Contact Author: [email protected]

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Web site address: http://www.christian-homemaking.com

How to Roast the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

By Martha Matthews [email protected]

When it comes to finding directions on how to roast the perfect

Thanksgiving turkey, suddenly everyone you know becomes an expert.

Your neighbor, your mail carrier, the waitress at the restaurant

where you have lunch with your girlfriends, your best friend, the

dog groomer, the checker at the grocery store, your hairdresser,

your car repairman (even though he's never cooked a turkey in his

life) and last but not least your pest control man. Everyone has to

put in their two cents worth on the subject. Well, I guess that

means I'm in good company. Here are my instructions on how to cook

the best turkey you'll ever eat.

FLAVOR

I am going to let you in on a little secret. This is the method

that the best restaurants use to give their turkeys incredible

flavor. What is the secret? It's called flavor brining. Yes,

that's what they do. Historically brining was done as a method of

preserving. However, today it is used primarily as a vehicle to

impart flavor and moisture into a lean cut of meat.

Here are the steps to brining a turkey.

1. Start with a non-reactive container such as a large food service

container or other food-safe container.

2. Determine the amount of brine mixture you will need by putting

your turkey in the container and covering it with water. Remove the

turkey and measure the remaining water. This is the amount you will

need to make. Discard this water and use fresh water for your brine.

3. Place your turkey in the container and cover with the brine

(recipe to follow). Refrigerate in the brine for at least 12 hours

or up to two days if desired. If you are concerned about the bird

being too salty, stop after the 12 hour period. Better to err on

the side of less than too much.

4. When the brining process is complete, rinse the bird well and pat

dry. Air dry the bird over-night in the refrigerator to let the

skin dry. This will help in the crisping of the skin as it roasts.

Stuff your turkey as usual and roast according to the instructions

below.

Brine Recipe

This is a general recipe. You may need to double the recipe to get

enough to cover your bird. Spices may be added to this mixture to

create your own unique flavor.

In a non-reactive container, mix until dissolved the following

ingredients.

1 gallon of cool, water.

1 cup of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (if using Morton's Kosher salt,

use 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup of white or brown sugar

Pour the mixture over the turkey and refrigerate.

Additional spice and seasoning suggestions:

Add any or all of the following to your brine mixture: bay leaves,

juniper berries, black pepper corns, dried thyme, and garlic cloves.

ROASTING

The goal in cooking a turkey is to get your bird cooked and

beautifully browned without drying out the breast. Here's the

problem: white meat cooks faster than dark meat. Traditionally, the

bird is cooked breast-side up. This method causes the breast meat

to cook quickly while the legs that are under the bird cook slowly.

What you end up with is dried-out breast meat in order for the legs

and thighs to be done properly.

So what is the answer you ask? Roast your turkey breast side

down. Now before you brand me a heretic and have me burned at the

stake, hear me out. Yes this is not how your mother or grandmother

did it but I am telling you, once you try this method you will never

go back to cooking your turkey breast-side up again.

Why do it this way? Because when the breast meat in on the bottom,

not only is it protected and cooks a little slower but all the

juices that are in the turkey drain down into the breast making it

moist, tender and juicy. Unless you have your heart set on a Norman

Rockwell presentation, this is the best position in which to cook

your bird. It may not look as pretty as the other, but who carves

their turkey at the table anyway? We never do.

The last tip to the perfect turkey is to put your bird in the oven a

leave it there until it is done. Calculate the amount of time that

it will take to cook your bird, then put it in the oven and don't

peek until the timer goes off. No basting is necessary. You don't

need to baste if you cook the turkey breast-side down.

Bon Appetite!

About the Author:

Copyright 2002.Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-

Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian

homemaking. She also has a free monthly newsletter for Christian

wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a

blank email to [email protected]. Or

visit http://www.christian-homemaking.com

Saturday, October 04, 2008 12:42 PM