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Looks like I'll be doing my first turkey, any tips?

Brickhouse

Brickhouse

J.C. Newman owes me royalties.
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
10,177
Location
Smithton, IL
My wife and I spend Christmas Eve and Day together every year without any other family.  We pick up my kids a few days after Christmas, and visit her family after that.  So it leaves us to have a nice quiet Christmas Eve amongst ourselves.
 
So we try and make it a little special every year by breaking out the china, making a nice meal, and killing a couple bottles of wine.
 
So this year we've decided on a full Turkey Christmas Eve, followed by leftovers for Christmas Day.  I do all the cooking in my house.  My wife only does salads and fruit preparation.  This will be my first turkey.  I'm not asking for anything extravagant, but I do like a challenge.  I have never cooked a turkey and am just curious what tips there might be out there to keep me from getting into too much trouble.  I am looking at a standard 9-12lb turkey in the oven recipe.  Any comments/tips are appreciated.
 
Thanks and Merry Christmas,
 
When I cook turkey, I like to brine it to add flavor and moisture to the turkey. Here is my recipe:
 
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (I use Weber N' Orleans Cajun Seasoning)
2 tsp Celery Seed
 
I put all the ingredients in a large pot and heat it just warm enough to dissolve the sugar and salt. Let it cool to room temp, then I put it into the refridgerator until it is cold. Rinse the turkey well and add to the brine. I brine mine for 24 hours. After you take it out of the brine, rinse it well, pat it dry and lightly dust the skin with cajun seasoning. Then spray it lightly with EVOO and cook it at 325*
 
I like to put a stick of butter into the cavity, I don't stuff my turkeys, with about 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning. This spices up the juice that accumulates in the pan and makes a great gravy.
 
Good luck!
Alan
 
 
edit to correct spelling
 
 
CulturedHick said:
When I cook turkey, I like to brine it to add flavor and moisture. Here is my recipe:
 
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning ( I use Weber N' Orleans Cajun Seasoning)
2 tsp Celery Seed
 
I put all the ingredients in a large pot and heat it just warm enough to dissolve the sugar and salt. Let it cool to room temp, then I put it into the refridgerator until it is cold. Rinse the turkey well and add to the brine. I brine mine for 24 hours. After you take it out of the brine, rinse it well, pat it dry and lightly dust the skin with cajun seasoning. Then spray it lightly with EVOO and cook it at 325*
 
I found that brining a turkey adds alot of moisture and flavor to the turkey. I like to put a stick of butter into the cavity, I don't stuff my turkeys, with about 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning. This spices up the juice that accumulates in the pan and make a great gravy.
 
Good luck!
Alan
 
Click to expand...
Above post nails it. Brining is one of the most effective ways add flavor. To the above I would add, get a good probe thermometer that you can set to alarm at a desired temp. Do not trust the pop up that comes with it.

I occasionally add Xmas beers to the cavity for a nice aroma. Good luck and let us know how it comes out
 
Good to hear on the brine.  I was definitely looking at a brine recipe, but didn't have one. 
 
One question:  What sort of container are you using to brine in?  I would assume standard kitchen pots will not be large enough to accommodate a turkey and the displaced brine when I submerge it.  Do you use a bucket?  How do I keep the turkey submerged? 
 
Thanks again for the reply, sounds like a nice brine recipe.
 
I have a large stainless steel pot that is big enough to fit the turkey in and yet is small enough to fit in my extra fridge with one of the racks removed. I put a small pan, right side up, into the stainless pot on top of the turkey to take up the extra space. Put the lid on the pot and bungee cord it in place. This will keep the turkey semerged. A food grade bucket would work well also and it would have a lid. Some people use an igloo cooler, but you would need to increase the volume of the brine and add frozen bottles of water to keep the temp below 40* in the cooler. Not sure how they keep it submerged.
 
I go for simple. I use an injector and Tony Chachere's and inject the breast, thigh and legs. I place stuffing in the cavity and use a couple pins to close, then I fold the wings, tie the legs and place on a rack to keep the bird out of the juices. Cooking time varies by weight. Use tin foil on breast and legs as necessary during cooking to prevent burning. I baste with butter and juices about every 30 minutes or so in the beginning and every 15 minutes during the last hour.
 
I've cooked over 42 large Turkeys, so I have some experience. Forget the brining. Chefs disagree on it's benifits anyway. The breast meat comes out mushy, in my opinion. Since it's your first bird, get a Swift's Butterball and follow their instructions. Then in future years you can try free range birds and brinning. And, avoid that Alton fella. I never screwed up a turkey until I followed his recipe. Turkeys have no residual heat. As soon as they come out of the oven the temp. goes down. Trust me on this. The guy is an idiot. One last tip. Make sure your bird is well thawed out. Give it two days longer than the instructions recommend. Remember, it's just a big chicken.
 
Doc
 
Thanks Doc, I certainly don't want to bite off more than I can chew on this project, being that it's my first turkey.  I can appreciate the simplicity point of view.
 
Can you recommend the best way to unthaw?  Start in the fridge?  Completely unthaw in the fridge?  Leave out for a bit? 
 
Sorry for the plethora of questions, I just want to make sure I set myself up for success.
 
After Doc's post I visited the Butterball site.  It seems they have some pretty good instruction on there as well.
 
But keep the ideas coming!
 
I love cooking Turkeys!  The best advise is one word, "prepare"....  allow your self plenty of time to prep.  I find that to be the most important part.  Don't wake up that morning and just try and figure out then what you are going to do....But I over plan everything when it comes to cooking sometimes.
 
And honestly, the directions on the butterball or others websites are usually dead on, so if you do not feel like getting fancy, you can just go with that. 
 
I did one turkey 3 years ago... Never again! Well for now.
 
Good Luck,
Paul 
 
I'll respectfully disagree with Doc. I've used AB's recipe numerous times and the only issue I've had was the bird actually over cooking a bit do to carryover and the fact that I draped with foil a a couple of fish towels after removal from oven and prior to carving.

Give 100 artists each a blank canvas, you'll get 100 different products.
 
I agree with Doc. I've done the brine method and see no benefit to it. Especially, with the added work factored in.

My Grandmother was a firm believer in cooking the bird on a rack breast side down, and covered in foil for at least 2/3 of the cooking time. She felt it always made the breast meat hold the juices. Whether luck, or superstition, they're never dry unless cooked way too long.

Once flipped back over, do your regular basting and browning.

She always kept it simple with the seasonings as well. Just salt and pepper with a few bay leaves on the cavity.

Don't forget to remove the innards from the front and rear of the of the bird. :laugh:
 
I appreciate the conversation and ideas.  Thanks all, keep'em coming!  I don't mind learning from others mistakes/success.
 
A side question, that is related:
 
I am going to do a green bean casserole as well.  Can I cook the turkey and casserole in the same oven?  My assumption is yes, but I would have to increase the cooking time a bit on each.  Any good tactics on this would also be appreciated. 
 
According to Jaques Pepin, Covering a bird after it's done will result in the bird tasting like leftovers. I agree. Thawing in the refer is the only safe way and cook your bird by itself.
 
Doc
 
I can't disagree with Chef Pepin. Too much carryover heat.

I'll also agree with Chief. Man, does a fried turkey taste great. I've got the fryer, just haven't taken the time to give it a shot.
 
Fried turkeys are wonderful, but it's dangerous to life, limb and property. I wouldn't attempt it unless you've assisted an experienced turkey fryer a couple of times.
 
Doc
 
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