My Turkey is Never Dry... Here's Why
It's a little work, but worth it
My Turkey is Never Dry… Here’s Why
Time flies. One minute we’re talking about this year’s run-on regional growing season, the next we’re scrambling to celebrate the year’s bounty with our Thanksgiving celebrations.
For millions of Americans, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without roast turkey. I’m certainly one of them, and this Saturday I’ll be picking mine up from Jake’s Country Meats of Cassopolis, Michigan, which wrapped up its monthly outdoor season but is doing monthly meat drops near Green City Market’s Lincoln Park location and elsewhere around Chicago metro.
There are those who aren’t as enthused about the ritual… because they’ve been subjected to too much dried-out white meat. 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.
There are a number of ways chefs and cooks combat this. 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.
And then there’s the rotation method that I’ve been using for decades with consistent success. Not saying this way is better than the others, but it 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. By rotating, the juices flow from the bottom through the rest of the breast, leaving it moist and delectable.
Here’s the process:
First, 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. I’m usually cooking for two and occasionally a small number of guests, and seldom get a turkey that is more than 12 pounds (usually less). But if you’re having a mob, you are better off cooking two smaller turkeys (you can even cook one a day or two 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 some of the stuffing inevitably is going to spill out when you are turning the bird. Also, especially on the final turn, it’s very hot.
OK, so you have your reasonably sized, well seasoned turkey 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). Leaving nothing to chance, check occasionally with a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh above the joint (165 is your safe target temp).
* 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 and I’m sticking to it. I’d love to make this a conversation, so use the comments to share your turkey roasting hits and misses.
Saturday: Windy City Harvest Crop Planning Event
Our friends at Windy City Harvest — the urban agriculture program of the Chicago Botanic Garden — are holding a crop planning workshop for 2022 this Saturday, November 20. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their Farm on Ogden, 3555 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago.
According to Windy City Harvest:
This workshop covers site analysis, vegetable garden plan components, space-saving techniques, cool- and warm-season crops, crop and variety selection, three-season and succession planning. There will be crop plan examples and a template for you to start your own crop plan. Bring a drawing of your farm site with dimensions.
The ticket price is $75, with a $15 reduced fee for residents of the following ZIP codes: 60623, 60624, 60608, 60644, and 60651.
Click the button below to register.