I've noticed that most cats seem to go nuts for turkey. I'm not sure why, it just sort of happens.
As far as turkey goes, it's easy to get it wrong. I tend to find that if it's nicely moist, that's because it's not fully cooked. Roasting meat is actually one of the easiest ways to cook it, though - preheat oven, calculate time, add meat, wait for alarm, eat.
Over here, you can get pre-made roasting thingies, where they give you the prepared meat in a foil tray you can just sling in the oven for the time it tells you on the side of the box. We can get all sorts of things like that - not just plain breast joints, but fancy stuff too. You should be able to get something similar, or at least I hope so. Costs a little more, but saves the hassle and usually comes out beautifully. We've got a turkey crown, de-boned and pre-stuffed, in the freezer right now. (It was supposed to be for yesterday, but flu.)
I make a point of not mixing people food and animal food as much as I can-mixing them seems like asking for trouble. That being said, I think cooked turkey/chicken meat is somewhat okay, so long as the meat in question is not seasoned or anything like that.
You're lucky that Ellie has no desire for people food. I've been around too many pets who would steal food from people...
Yeah. While I didn't mind sharing my food with my previous cat, I have to admit that Ellie not begging for food every time I eat is a nice change. I don't generally offer her anything, other than a bit of cooked meat now and then (which until the turkey, she's never had interest in).
You need to discover the magic of brine. A box or two of chicken broth, 1.5cup salt, .5cup brown sugar, allspice berries and black peppercorns. Heat just til things mix and all the salt is dissolved, then add ice until cool. Submerge the turkey in the mix overnight (place somewhere cool).
Even if you overshoot on temperature (target turkey temp = 170degF), the turkey stays tender and very moist. Works for all poultry I've tried, and basically idiot-proofs roasting them (oops left it in for an extra 30 min, still good!).
As for roasting, rub skin with spices (I use salt and black pepper or creole spice mix) and liberally coat with olive oil. Roast at 400 for 20min, then 325 for 2-2.5hr (for breast, 3-3.5hr for whole turkey)
My roast turkey is legend among friends and family, and I mean it quite literally. Family that doesn't like me (all but my wife) fights over who gets me for the holidays because of my bird.
Yeah, I do know about brine (though I've never tried it). The problem is I had intended to do this in the crock pot, and it was too big to fit, so roasting it was a last minute decision. :/
Sounds like you make a mighty good turkey though! If I ever make another, I'll try it that way.
As far as turkey goes, it's easy to get it wrong. I tend to find that if it's nicely moist, that's because it's not fully cooked. Roasting meat is actually one of the easiest ways to cook it, though - preheat oven, calculate time, add meat, wait for alarm, eat.
Over here, you can get pre-made roasting thingies, where they give you the prepared meat in a foil tray you can just sling in the oven for the time it tells you on the side of the box. We can get all sorts of things like that - not just plain breast joints, but fancy stuff too. You should be able to get something similar, or at least I hope so. Costs a little more, but saves the hassle and usually comes out beautifully. We've got a turkey crown, de-boned and pre-stuffed, in the freezer right now. (It was supposed to be for yesterday, but flu.)
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Hope you feel better soon!
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You're lucky that Ellie has no desire for people food. I've been around too many pets who would steal food from people...
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Even if you overshoot on temperature (target turkey temp = 170degF), the turkey stays tender and very moist. Works for all poultry I've tried, and basically idiot-proofs roasting them (oops left it in for an extra 30 min, still good!).
As for roasting, rub skin with spices (I use salt and black pepper or creole spice mix) and liberally coat with olive oil. Roast at 400 for 20min, then 325 for 2-2.5hr (for breast, 3-3.5hr for whole turkey)
My roast turkey is legend among friends and family, and I mean it quite literally. Family that doesn't like me (all but my wife) fights over who gets me for the holidays because of my bird.
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Sounds like you make a mighty good turkey though! If I ever make another, I'll try it that way.
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