We put so much pressure on ourselves to prepare the perfect Thanksgiving feast. Making a turkey only once a year can cause even the most accomplished home chef to get a bit nervous. We all want the star of the show to be succulent and juicy and for me, the best insurance policy is a wet brine solution.
Join me on Wednesday, November 22nd about 8:40 am, on Fox 4 Good Day. I will show you the simple techniques to insure you have a beautiful bird on the table this year and every year!
See the recipes and a recap of turkey tips below.
This year, I am most grateful for the time to share a meal of fresh food with my darling family. What are you grateful for this year? I would love to hear from you.
Au revoir for now
Lorie
Turkey Tips
-Brine the turkey to insure it’s tender and juicy
-Let the turkey come to room temp before cooking, about 30 minutes
-For golden skin on the turkey, pat dry very well and brush with melted butter
-If you brine, don’t add more salt
-No need to baste!
-Let turkey rest 20-30 minutes before carving
Wet Brined Turkey 12-18 Pounds
Brine
2 gallons water
1 ¼ cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
8 whole cloves garlic
1 tablespoon pepper corns
2 onions cut in quarters
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
Turkey
12-18 pound turkey
4 tablespoons butter melted
1 onion quartered
1 orange cut in wedges
1 celery stalk cut in pieces
2 sprigs rosemary
In a large pot heat 1 gallon of water with salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Add aromatics and remove from heat, add remaining gallon of water. When the water is completely cool, pour it into a large zip top bag inside a plastic tub. Submerge the turkey in the cool water. Zip the bag and place turkey tub in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Remove the turkey and discard the brine solution. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let turkey come to room temperature about 30 minutes. Pat the bird down until completely dry and place it into a roasting pan with a wire rack. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with onions, orange, celery and rosemary. Brush the entire surface of the turkey with butter. Place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and place the turkey in the oven. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees after the first 30 minutes of cooking. Cook turkey roughly 15 minutes per pound but be sure you test the thickest part of the breast to reach a minimum temperature of 165 degrees.
No Fail Cream Gravy
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups chicken or turkey stock
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Melt butter in the bottom of a sauce pan, add flour and cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the chicken stock and milk together in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add liquid to flour mixture whisking vigorously and cook until thick. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste. For brown gravy; simply cook the butter and flour mixture an additional 3 -5 minutes, to brown the roux before adding the liquid.
Tip: For a brown gravy, cook the butter flour mixture 5-6 minutes until is is medium brown in color, then proceed with recipe.
