Turkey Recipe?

Question

I'm cooking the turkey this year and I'm looking for a recipe. I found this recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/104958 do you think it sounds good? Or should I use a brine recipe? I don't know which method is the best.

Answer 1

I brined my turkey for the first time this year. My husband doesn't really care for turkey, and honestly, if his employer hadn't given us one, he probably would have opted for ham.

I heard about brining through an AOL blurb and thought to research it more (I was nervous about the turkey, this is my first time handling the whole diner myself since his family has moved).

I found a variety of brining recipes varying from simple (just salt and water) to ones that had ingredients I'd never even heard off.

I finally decided to throw the dice and come up with my own, all or nothing, huh?!

The result, the turkey was wonderful! I used the juice to make my gravy (which was the first time I've ever successfully made gravy from scratch). I put in the mashed potatoes and even the corn and green beans. It was soooo tender and juicy, I will never cook a bird without brining again.

Here's the recipe that I created, it's great. For a container, I ended up using the top of a cake-taker container. I found about 1 c. salt per gallon of water works well.

2 c. canning & picking salt (any type would prob. work)
3/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. bay leaves
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. parsley
1/8 tsp. savory
1/8 tsp. rosemary
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp. caraway seeds
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/16 tsp. ground sage
1/16 tsp. ground cloves
3 chicken bullion cubes

Boil the salt, maple syrup and seasonings/spices together. Add to cold or iced water to cover the turkey. Let sit for at least four hours, ideally overnight, no more than twelve hours.

Drain and rinse well, making sure all salt is removed. Prepare the turkey as usual from this point on. You can add some water if you'd like and drop in the bullion cubes. I didn't stuff my bird, but I cut up some celery and onions (I didn't have apples), and put inside the turkey.

Answer 2

That recipe sound delicious! Brining is good for a turkey. I smoke my Thanksgiving turkey and I brine it for 24 hours before putting him in my pit. You must take this into consideration, do not brine a turkey such as a Butterball or other self-basting birds. These are flavor enhanced birds. If you choose to brine enhanced meat, take care not to brine it too long, or the meat may turn out too salty. Having said that, though, there are people who like to brine self-basted turkeys and do not report that they turn out too salty. Personally, I would not. I use an all natural, free range bird.

Answer 3

i think the recipe on the link sounds devine!!!
x

Answer 4

The recipe sounds good but in my personal experience brined turkey is the best.

Perfect Turkey
Ingredients

* 1 (18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
* 2 cups kosher salt or 1 cup salt
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
* 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
* 4 stalks celery, chopped
* 2 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 cup dry white wine or 1 cup apple juice


DIRECTIONS

1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

Honey Brined Turkey

1 fresh, frozen turkey, thawed or turkey
8-10 quarts water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup honey
3-4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
10-12 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bunches fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh sage
4-5 cups chicken stock
2-3 lemons
2-4 teaspoons olive oil


1. Remove giblets and neck from turkey, reserve for gravy.
2. Rinse turkey with cold running water and drain well.
3. Blot dry with paper towels.
4. Prepare brine by mixing water, honey and salt in a large bowl.
5. Stir until honey dissolves.
6. Add half the thyme and sage along with the garlic and black pepper.
7. Set aside.
8. Line an extra-large stock pot with a food-safe plastic bag.
9. Place the rinsed turkey in the bag and pour brine over the turkey.
10. Gather the bag tightly around the turkey, causing the turkey to be surrounded by the brine.
11. Seal the bag and refrigerate the pot, bag and brined turkey for at least 12 hours.
12. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
13. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry inside and out.
14. Discard brine.
15. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large shallow (about 2 1/2" deep) roasting pan.
16. Squeeze lemon juice into the main turkey cavity.
17. Put the squeezed lemon halves into the cavity along with the rest of the thyme and sage.
18. Coat turkey lightly with oil and sprinkle inside and out with salt, pepper.
19. Insert an oven safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful the pointed end of the thermometer does not touch the bone.
20. Roast turkey, basting with poultry stock every half hour or so.
21. Loosely cover with aluminum foil to prevent over browning, remove foil during last hour and a half of cooking time.
22. Continue to roast until thermometer registers 180°F in the thigh, or 170°F in the breast.
23. Remove turkey from the oven and allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before carving.

Good Eats Roast Turkey
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
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. 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.

Answer 5

it depends on how much u like it