The Girl has cooked our turkey for so long that honestly, if I had to do it, it would be a crapshoot as to whether it turned out alright. I am pretty sure it’s like riding a bike, right? Last year, I took a lists of all of The Girl’s essential bird day must-do’s. The list was partly to pass on to you, and partly so I would have a record.
In the interest of impressing your mother-in-law, co-workers, significant other…or just making a tasty turkey YOU can enjoy, here’s a list of the tips my daughter gave me last year:
- Make sure you allow plenty of time to thaw your turkey. Overnight thawing isn’t going to cut it for a big bird, and cooking a frozen Thanksgiving turkey is going to lead to Thanksgiving mayhem. Plan for 3-4 days of thawing in the fridge {which means 3-4 days of valuable fridge space occupied by the thawing bird}. On the big day, take the turkey out of the fridge about 2 hours before you plan to cook it.
- The girl occasionally rubs a dry rub on the turkey while it is thawing. She uses a couple of tablespoons of salt and a little pepper. She rubs it on the skin and it slooowly absorbs as the bird thaws. I personally LOVE it when she decides to do it.
- Don’t cook your stuffing in the bird. I know, this sounds like Thanksgiving blasphemy, but the stuffing makes cooking the turkey evenly a little more tricky. It also dries out the stuffing. Nobody wins here.
- Don’t baste the turkey. Instead, spread a fatty rub all over right before you cook. The Girl uses a mixture of butter, garlic powder and more salt. Here’s the science between all of the salt, according to cooking light, “salt on the surface of the meat will draw out some moisture via osmosis. The salt then dissolves in this liquid, creating a very concentrated brine, which eventually will be drawn back inside the meat. When you roast that turkey, it will retain more moisture, making for juicier, tastier meat.” The Girl does put a small amount of chicken broth in the roasting pan, beneath the elevated bird, to provide some moisture, without basting.
- Cooking temperature is important. Cook the turkey for the first 30 minutes at 400 degrees, then lower the cook temp to 350 for the remainder of the cooking time. Plan on about 15 minutes per pound. We use a roast rack to allow the heat to circulate.
- Let the bird sit for a few minutes before you serve it. In general, most meat benefits from “resting” before serving. It allows the moisture to be drawn back into the meat.
- SAVE ALL OF THOSE JUICES FOR GRAVY. Why the all caps? Because turkey gravy is freakin’ delicious, and I don’t want you to miss out.
Some of you probably have your Thanksgiving Turkey down to a science…do you do anything different than The Girl?
~Mavis
SHARE:
Kathy says
I learned from a friend a couple years ago that the best way to keep moisture in the breast meat is to roast a turkey or chicken breast side down. Try it!
Mavis Butterfield says
Seriously? I’ve never done that. I’ll have to tell The Girl, she cooks all our turkeys. Thanks Kathy
martha says
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/video-how-to-spatchcock-turkey-thanksgiving.html
Spatchcock is the only way to go and is fun to say!
Laura Z says
I always put a halved lemon and some fresh herbs in the cavity — but you can use apple or pear if you don’t like the acidity of citrus. The fruit will create steam and help keep the bird moist from the inside out. Like your daughter, I use butter, but I carefully rub it UNDER the skin on the breast and then I rub the whole outside of the turkey with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little ground garlic.
Mavis Butterfield says
This is a great idea Laura!
sclindah says
Cooking bags are the way to go. I’ve probably used them for 40 years! I don’t think you can ruin or dry out a turkey using them! 100% wonderful every time.
Mavis Butterfield says
My mother LOVES cooking bags too! 🙂
Chip says
Two important things that I do each year are; I brine the turkey for 12 hours (1 gallon boiling water, 1 pound of honey, 1 pound of kosher salt and 2 quarts vegetable broth. Mix well and then add one bag of ice, stir and drop in the turkey). Secondly, I cook the turkey on my Weber barbecue using charcoal and wood chips. When the bird is done, I tent with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. The flavor is slightly smoky and sweet, and very juicy.
patty says
I brine my turkey every year and it is delicious. BUT, the most important thing you can do when you cook a turkey is to use a meat thermometer in the largest part of the breast and remove that turkey when it reaches 160! The reason you get dried turkey is because you cook it too long! Rest the bird for 30 minutes, just enough time to cook the rolls and make the gravy, then carve. The turkey temp will rise to 165 which is perfect. No More Dry Turkey!