whatever happened to thanksgiving? it is such an underappreciated holiday. we break out the halloween gear in august only to transition to mistletoe and cheesy felt stockings the moment the candy has been put away. shouldn’t we at least acknowledge the fourth thursday in november?
break out the cranberries! throw down your stuffing! slice me up a piece of that pumpkin pie!
but without a doubt, the pièce de résistance is the turkey: a perfectly browned, over-dry bird that would fell a herd of bison with its tryptophan kick. whether you go whole hog on the turducken like a john madden wannabe or you forgo the weight gain and stick with the tofurkey, the bird is king.
however, the meat of the turkey without dressing or seasoning can simply be an adventure in blandness. it’s dry. it’s beige. it’s frankly lackluster in the protein category. the best way I have found to make a really good bird is to brine it first and then roast it after searing it for half an hour at 500 degrees.
below is a recipe for brining and roasting your turkey from the food network’s alton brown. it’s a good guideline, but you don’t have to include all the ingredients. if you don’t like ginger, don’t put it in. the key is the salt, stock, oil, and water. that’s the base brine. whatever else you add depends on your own taste.
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
for the brine: for the aromatics:
1 cup kosher salt 1 red apple, sliced
1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 onion, sliced
1 gallon vegetable stock 1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 4 sprigs rosemary
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger 6 leaves sage
1 gallon iced water Canola oil
combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket or cooler big enough to hold the turkey. place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
a few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. discard brine.
place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. a 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. let turkey rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes before carving.
happy thanksgiving!
break out the cranberries! throw down your stuffing! slice me up a piece of that pumpkin pie!
but without a doubt, the pièce de résistance is the turkey: a perfectly browned, over-dry bird that would fell a herd of bison with its tryptophan kick. whether you go whole hog on the turducken like a john madden wannabe or you forgo the weight gain and stick with the tofurkey, the bird is king.
however, the meat of the turkey without dressing or seasoning can simply be an adventure in blandness. it’s dry. it’s beige. it’s frankly lackluster in the protein category. the best way I have found to make a really good bird is to brine it first and then roast it after searing it for half an hour at 500 degrees.
below is a recipe for brining and roasting your turkey from the food network’s alton brown. it’s a good guideline, but you don’t have to include all the ingredients. if you don’t like ginger, don’t put it in. the key is the salt, stock, oil, and water. that’s the base brine. whatever else you add depends on your own taste.
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
for the brine: for the aromatics:
1 cup kosher salt 1 red apple, sliced
1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 onion, sliced
1 gallon vegetable stock 1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 4 sprigs rosemary
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger 6 leaves sage
1 gallon iced water Canola oil
combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket or cooler big enough to hold the turkey. place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
a few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. discard brine.
place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. a 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. let turkey rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes before carving.
happy thanksgiving!
