Those of you who know me in RL know that I do not cook. My greatest culinary accomplishments to date include Kraft Mac & Cheese and ramen noodles
( Read more... )
Jessica says that it should just be called Sex on a Plate.
From Alton Brown:
Software:
1.5 cups of kosher salt 0.5 cups of brown sugar 6 oz of orange juice concentrate 1 gallon of water one 16-18 lb turkey 1 gallon of ice cubes canola oil
Hardware:
1 large pot 1 large cooler with lid paper towels roasting rack 2 disposable aluminum roasting pans probe thermometer
Turkey rules:
Stuffing is evil. Traditional stuffings soak up meat juices, meaning a potential for the presence of salmonella unless the temperature of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees. That increases the cooking time of the turkey, which means dry meat. If you cannot live without the stuffing, cook it in a casserole dish beforehand and spoon it into the cavity before serving.
Basting is evil: Skin is waterproof, so flavor and moisture will not soak through it. Besides, you have to open the door to baste, which lets heat out of the oven. This increases cooking time, which means dry meat - so don't do it.
Roast Turkey:
To brine the turkey: dissolve the salt, sugar, and juice concentrate in 1 quart of hot water. Cool the solution with 3 quarts of cold water. Remove the giblets (and any other foreign matter) from the turkey interior and place in the cooler. Pour the brine mixture to cover. If the bird is not completely submerged, add more liquid. (Since I don't want to weaken the solution, I use canned chicken broth.)
Cover with ice, close the lid, and soak the turkey for 6 to 8 hours.
When the bird has a half hour left to soak, move the oven rack to the lowest level and prehat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub liberally with canola oil, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies around the wings.
Discard the brine and thoroughly wash the cooler.
Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside 2 disposable aluminum roasting pans.
Roast at 500 degrees for a half hour.
Remove the turkey from the oven and decrease temperature to 350 degrees. Cover the turkey breast with a double layer of foil folded in a triangle. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast (push it right through the foil) and set the thermometer to 161 degrees. A 16-18 lb. bird should arrive at the target temperature in 2 - 2.5 hours.
Remove the bird from the oven and cover the turkey and the pan with foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Thank you so much! I'm going to try it out with this year's turkey. I usually use a fruit stuffing to keep my turkey extra-moist, but it's still been a bit dry and I've never gotten it as nice as my mother used to.
From Alton Brown:
Software:
1.5 cups of kosher salt
0.5 cups of brown sugar
6 oz of orange juice concentrate
1 gallon of water
one 16-18 lb turkey
1 gallon of ice cubes
canola oil
Hardware:
1 large pot
1 large cooler with lid
paper towels
roasting rack
2 disposable aluminum roasting pans
probe thermometer
Turkey rules:
Stuffing is evil. Traditional stuffings soak up meat juices, meaning a potential for the presence of salmonella unless the temperature of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees. That increases the cooking time of the turkey, which means dry meat. If you cannot live without the stuffing, cook it in a casserole dish beforehand and spoon it into the cavity before serving.
Basting is evil: Skin is waterproof, so flavor and moisture will not soak through it. Besides, you have to open the door to baste, which lets heat out of the oven. This increases cooking time, which means dry meat - so don't do it.
Roast Turkey:
To brine the turkey: dissolve the salt, sugar, and juice concentrate in 1 quart of hot water. Cool the solution with 3 quarts of cold water. Remove the giblets (and any other foreign matter) from the turkey interior and place in the cooler. Pour the brine mixture to cover. If the bird is not completely submerged, add more liquid. (Since I don't want to weaken the solution, I use canned chicken broth.)
Cover with ice, close the lid, and soak the turkey for 6 to 8 hours.
When the bird has a half hour left to soak, move the oven rack to the lowest level and prehat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub liberally with canola oil, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies around the wings.
Discard the brine and thoroughly wash the cooler.
Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside 2 disposable aluminum roasting pans.
Roast at 500 degrees for a half hour.
Remove the turkey from the oven and decrease temperature to 350 degrees. Cover the turkey breast with a double layer of foil folded in a triangle. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast (push it right through the foil) and set the thermometer to 161 degrees. A 16-18 lb. bird should arrive at the target temperature in 2 - 2.5 hours.
Remove the bird from the oven and cover the turkey and the pan with foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Reply
Thank you so much! I'm going to try it out with this year's turkey. I usually use a fruit stuffing to keep my turkey extra-moist, but it's still been a bit dry and I've never gotten it as nice as my mother used to.
Reply
Leave a comment