It Is Well-Known Throughout the Midwest...
That this old man is a turkey junkie. Here's my foolproof technique.
Dry Turkey No More
Hopefully some of you recognize that the headline is paraphrased from a line in the movie A Christmas Story. I am indeed a turkey junkie, and unlike the old man in the movie, we live in a 30th floor apartment and our turkey is safe from the neighbors’ marauding hound dogs.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s Local Food Forum, I have been preparing all the elements of Thanksgiving dinner over the course of these days before the holiday. That’s why I can introduce, in the photo above, our 2023 model holiday turkey.
This beautiful 12-1/2 pounder came delivered to our door by 99 Counties, the aggregator of ethically produced meat that is based in Iowa. This turkey was raised on pasture using regenerative farming practices. I recognize there are conscience issues involved in eating meat, which is why I buy mine from farmers who are humane and sell products that are better for people, the planet and animals.
That said, it is time for my annual gift, which is the foolproof technique I’ve been using for years and learned in a cooking class back in my D.C. days. It takes a little bit of extra labor and care, especially since it involves rotating the turkey twice during cooking. But if your complaint about roast turkey is that the white meat comes out dry, here’s a solution.
Turkeys are challenging because the dark meat tends to cook through faster than the white; the bigger the turkey, the more challenging it is to get the timing right, and it can be a fine line between a sumptuous taste treat and gravy-sodden sawdust.
The rotation method, however, never fails to produce a beautiful-looking roast that is moist throughout.
The only trick to this prep is that you need to rotate the turkey to breast side down and leave it that way for most of the cooking time. The reason: Meat juices in a conventional oven flow down from the top. If you cook poultry (not just turkey but chicken too) breast side up throughout, the juices will ultimately drain from the white meat, leaving it dry.
With the bird upside down, the juices flow through the rest of the breast, leaving it moist and delectable.
Here’s the process:
First, if it’s not already too late, don’t get a turkzilla, even if you’re having a big gathering. As noted, the bigger the bird, the harder it is to get the timing right. As is usual, I’m cooking for two this year, and that 12-1/2 pounder above is actually on the large side for us. But if you’re having a mob, you are better off cooking two smaller turkeys (you can even cook one in advance as backup) than one ginormous one.
Second, don’t be shy about seasoning. Underseasoned turkey is as unappealing as dry turkey. I generally use the seasonings I learned from watching mom — salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and paprika (mainly for color) — but no reason to not use poultry seasoning or herb blend, or really whatever suits your taste (Tandoori turkey anyone?). Hot tip: Lift the skin and season underneath, directly on the meat, for more flavor.
Third, the most controversial issue of all: stuffing versus dressing. I’ve always preferred dressing cooked separately, but for the rotation technique, it’s pretty much a must, because if you stuff the turkey, some stuffing inevitably is going to spill out when you are turning the bird. Also, especially on the final turn, it’s very hot. And also, if you do stuffing, some of the juices you are trying to save are going to end up in the stuffing (yeah, yum, but) instead of the meat.
Finally, so you have your reasonably sized, well-seasoned turkey on a rack in your roasting pan, breast side up.
* Preheat the oven to 425, then cook for 20 minutes.
* Remove the pan from the oven, turn the turkey breast-side down, and cook for another 20 minutes at 425.
* Lower the temperature to 325 and guesstimate how long it will take to get within about a half hour of being completely cooked (the rule of thumb is that it cooks at about 15 minutes per pound, and in this case it would included the 40 minutes at 425). Leaving nothing to chance, check occasionally with a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh above the joint (165 is your safe target temp).
* When you guesstimate it’s close to done, put on oven gloves or use hot pads, remove the pan from the oven, and turn again (use turkey forks if you have them). Be careful of hot juices when you’re doing the turn!!
* Continue to cook at 325. Watch carefully for browning, and remove when the turkey reaches the safe temperature of 165 on the thermometer.
* Finally, and this is really important, let the turkey rest for 20 to 40 minutes, which lets the juices redistribute. If you cut into a turkey blazing hot from the oven, those juices you’ve been patiently curating will run out and the meat will be hard (and hot) to cut.
That’s my story, I’m sticking to it, and several friends who have followed this routine over the years became converts.
This isn’t the only method that cooks use to combat the turkey blues. Brining. Frequent basting. Injecting liquids into the meat. Spatchcocking (cutting the turkey in half and cooking each side flat). Cutting the turkey into pieces and cooking white and dark separately (a very utilitarian idea, but not if you want that Normal Rockwell table presentation). Using a covered turkey roaster and uncovering it just long enough to get a more attractive brown color.
I’d love to make this a conversation, so use the comments to share your turkey roasting hits and misses.
And yeah, that’s pan gravy, baby! Since I don’t make gravy often, I rely on recipes to be sure. The one I used this time, linked below, is from Sam Sifton of NYT Cooking. It’s easy, a handful of ingredients, though you can embellish to taste. It does require a lot of stirring, but it’s totally worth it. You’re not going to get that flavor out of a can or a jar.
Save Dem Bones!
And I can’t stress this enough. When you have cut down the turkey, do not throw out the carcass. Instead, just toss it in a pot, cover it with water, and simmer it into stock.
My friend Rob Levitt, head butcher and chef at Publican Quality Meats, was recently on WGN-TV Midday News’ Lunchbreak segment hosted by Dina Bair (that’s them in the above photo). A lot of folks shun home cooking because they think it’s super complicated and time consuming, but as Rob illustrated, it is so easy to make stock and just as easy to convert it into soup.
If you just pitch the bones instead of upcycling them into stock, you are throwing away money (and a whole lot of flavor). Rob’s recipe from the TV spot is linked below.
So are we waiting until tomorrow for our first feast? Nah, that will be silly. I’ll have some photos tomorrow along with Happy Thanksgiving greetings and probably a mushy note about what I’m thankful for.