Roasting the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
2015-11-24 10:54:41
Roasting the Perfect Turkey
I have roasted numerous turkeys in my lifetime, and I have experimented with basting, brining, bagging, frying and numerous other things. They are all good but I have to say the last two years I have made an exceptional turkey. My secret is brining the turkey for one to two days prior to cooking it. It is easy and a lot of fun throwing in all the extra stuff into the brine mixture. By extra stuff, I am referring to apples, oranges, limes, lemons, fresh herbs, peppercorns, onion, garlic, you get the idea. Half the fun is adding your favorite things. I like the subtle taste of orange so I usually cut up several oranges and one or two apples and I think the onion and garlic are two key ingredients. After the turkey has brined for several days I bake it in a Reynold’s turkey baking bag. Why the baking bag – it holds in the juices, when you live in the high mountain deserts of New Mexico we really need that extra moisture, so it amount to this either basting or bagging. Basting is great don’t get me wrong but it take a great deal of effort to baste the entire Thanksgiving turkey and every time you open the door it release a lot of moisture. The bag holds in all the moisture while it bake and you don’t have to make the extra effort to baste every 30 minutes or so. I have found that adding butter to the skin really makes it crispy and tasty and adding sage, salt and pepper again to the bird before you bake it and put it in the oven makes for a delicious Thanksgiving turkey.
If creating your own brine you can add your favorite herbs and spices or you can purchase a prepared brine as I did this year. Last year I made my own, we will find out on Thursday which one is better. Stay tuned and find out which one is the winner.
Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday. May you find many things to be grateful for not just on Thanksgiving, but on each and every day.
Bon Appetit,
Cecelia
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Turkey Brine
- 3/4 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup pepper corns
- 2 oranges sliced
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 lime sliced
- 1/4 cup dried onion or 1 small onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder or 6 garlic cloves mashed
- 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons dried sage
Before baking use
- 1 stick butter
- Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
Instructions
- Defrost the turkey for 2 days in refrigerator. Remove casing and gizzards, neck bone, etc. Use a large 5 gallon tub to brine the turkey. After dissolving salt and herb mixture in hot water, pour into 5 gallon bucket. Add turkey and fill with cold water. Refrigerate in container for 24 - 48 hours prior to baking. Remove turkey from brine and coat with butter, salt, pepper and rubbed sage. See chart for cooking times.
Notes
- Brines - can be your opportunity to add you favorites, herbs, spices fruits and vegetables. Have fun and share your experience with me on Facebook or comment below.
Cecelia's Good Stuff http://ceceliasgoodstuff.com/
5 simple steps to brinning your Thanksgiving Turkey. I then bake it in the oven following the chart below. My family is somewhat tradional, we serve turkey, sausage and cranberry stuffing, green beans, corn pudding, mashed potatoes with gravy (made from the drippings of the roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, and usually a nice glass of wine. My husband Ted usually serves a signature coctail and appetizer. I will post it for you to see. (See last years plated food below.)
Roasting the perfect bird requires a little effort when basting, as shown here. I prefer putting it into a Reynold’s baking bag. This ensures you will have a juicy turkey on Thanksgiving.
Turkey Roasting Guide by Real Simple
Cecelia,
Perfect timing! I plan on using a brine this year for the first time. Two questions. Do I rinse the bird after the brine and how are the drippings from the pan for gravy? The bird is soaking in the brine at 7000′ and being cooked at 2000′, do you think I should still use the bag? Ooops, that was three. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.
No need to rinse it, just dry it with paper towels before you butter it. The dripping are always great, even with a brinned bird. I like the bag, it think it stays more moist using a bag. Thank you Mary, those are great questions. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving as well.