Thanksgiving Tips

Total Time: 120 hrs Preparation Time: 120 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 turkey
• 1 lb kosher salt

Recipe

• 1 plan ahead.
• 2 saturday before - thaw the turkey in the fridge.
• 3 tuesday night - start the brine solution.
• 4 wednesday morning - put the turkey in the brine solution.
• 5 what to buy.
• 6 plan on 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of turkey per person.
• 7 it's better to have two smaller turkeys, 14 - 16 lbs, than a larger turkey.
• 8 use an electronic temperature probe with an alarm. (it's worth the investment to get a moist turkey!).
• 9 get a plastic tub that will fit's in the ice-chest to brine the turkey inches.
• 10 thawing instructions.
• 11 leave turkey in original packaging to thaw it.
• 12 if using the ice chest, place the frozen turkey into a tub in the ice chest.
• 13 place ice around tub. (we use water frozen in half gallon milk jugs instead.).
• 14 check ice chest morning and night to make sure cool enough. it should stay no higher than 32f degrees.
• 15 if having trouble thawing the bottom of the turkey, add a few inches of water to the tub.
• 16 brine that bird!
• 17 the brine solution must be cold!
• 18 remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and the giblets. the neck will be in the large cavity and the giblets will be under the skin at the small cavity.
• 19 wash the turkey gently, so the skin is not torn. remove any remaining pin feathers.
• 20 submerse the turkey in the brine solution, placing a heavy object over the turkey to keep it from floating. (i use a heavy casserole dish.).
• 21 keep in brine for 24 hours.
• 22 herb rub.
• 23 another great way to keep the turkey moist. after removing the turkey from the brine, pat it dry.
• 24 gently loosen the skin on the breast. it should come loose from the bottom end of the turkey to the top. spread the herb butter under the skin.
• 25 do the same on the back of the turkey.
• 26 fill the turkey.
• 27 fill with sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme, plus quartered apples and onions.
• 28 set the turkey on a platform of carrots, onions and celery too, to give the broth more flavor.
• 29 gently rub olive oil into skin of turkey.
• 30 cook the turkey.
• 31 preheat oven to 325 degrees and insert the probe. cover with aluminum foil loosely, or use a roasting bag with vent holes cut into it.
• 32 cooking time will depend on size of turkey and whether a roasting bag is used. (in my convection oven with a roasting bag, 11 minutes per lb was too long. i'm going to try 10 minutes next year).
• 33 wait 20 minutes after removing the turkey from the oven before slicing it. that allows the juices time to set so the turkey will stay moist.