The day of the turkey is nearly upon us....

[corilannam]

An informal poll for us novice roasters (with our mothers at our house

Comments

[dorothy1901]

There's an interesting article in the LA Times about a technique which involves rubbing the turkey with salt. See How we discovered the be-all, end-all turkey recipe and It's the turkey everyone loves.

[cereta]

I was about to say, I've found with turkey breasts that salting the hell out of the skin works nicely.

[corilannam]

That sounds really awesome! Alas, I think it was too late for my turkey this year, but I've bookmarked the links just in case I'm insane enough to do this again. *g*

[darththalia]

Brining. It works wonders. We usually brine the turkey overnight and just leave it in the garage--nice of Thanksgiving to be when it's generally cold.

Also, don't overcook--use a thermometer, not the pop-up thingie in the turkey.

Here's Cook's Illustrated's recipe; this is pretty much what I do.

Ingredients
Table salt
turkey (12 to 22 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly, giblets and neck reserved for gravy, if making
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Instructions

1. Dissolve 1 cup salt per gallon cold water for 4- to 6-hour brine or 1/2 cup salt per gallon cold water for 12- to 14-hour brine in large stockpot or clean bucket. Two gallons of water will be sufficient for most birds; larger birds may require three gallons. Add turkey and refrigerate for predetermined amount of time.
2. Before removing turkey from brine, adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400 degrees for 12- to 18-pound bird or 425 degrees for 18- to 22-pound bird. Line large V-rack with heavy-duty foil and use paring knife or skewer to poke 20 to

[sneezer222]

Heehee, great minds think alike! :)

[darththalia]

Because it works! Mmm, juicy turkey....

[corilannam]

Thanks!! My turkey is now brining happily in the fridge at home (well, I'm not sure how happy the turkey would really be about this development, but hopefully it's past caring).

[sneezer222]

I really like to brine my turkey the night before. It sounds complicated, but if you have a clean 5 gallon bucket you are pretty much set. :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

I just roast it in my usual method after brining, because I don't have any fancy alarm thermometers! LOL

[corilannam]

Sounds good to me! My turkey is now immersed in a big bucket o' brine, and we'll see how it turns out! My brine isn't quite as complicated as Alton's, but hey, baby steps, right?

[sneezer222]

I skip some of the spices in Alton's {I never have the ginger or allspice!} but it still comes out good.

[mrshamill]

Always start with a fresh (never frozen!) bird, preferably a kosher one that's minimally processed (hooray Trader Joe's!). Use an old-fashioned deep black roasting pan (I could not live without mine). Coat the bird with melted (real) butter mixed with herbs, white wine and soy sauce just before popping it in the oven. Keep the bird covered until it's just about ready, then uncover it to brown the skin and never over-cook. Let it rest a good long time, too.

I never baste, I've never seen the necessity, and my birds are always so juicy they fall off the bone.

[jacquez]

note for marzilla: I would not brine if you are using a kosher turkey. Kosher birds are pre-brined already!

[mrshamill]

This is true, something I'd forgotten, and another reason to love Trader Joe's birds.

[corilannam]

That sounds... completely delicious. *drool* Sadly, my turkey is not any of those wonderful things ($6 frozen from Bottom Dollar Food, which is why it needs all the help it can get!) I wouldn't have thought of using soy sauce in the mix, but I think I just might have to try that!

[fanofall]

Brining overnight. Turkey is marvelously moist, golden brown, and the gravy is fabulous.

[corilannam]

Brining sounds like the big winner, so I'm trying it! Hopefully I got the mixture right!