Lets talk Turkey *Updated w/Pictures*

S

SAChick

500+ Posts
The past couple of years my in-laws have bought the turkey but it's been a pre-cooked turkey.
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This year I'm insisting on getting/making the Turkey. I've never actually done on my own before so I come to ya'll for help. Growing up my mother always just stuck it in a Reynolds plastic bag with some spices on a disposable roasting pan. Since I plan on doing it every year from now on I'm going to buy a good roasting pan. I want to do it an oven. The Turkey will probably be about 20-25 lbs. So how should a cook this sucker?
 
Here's how I've done mine the past couple of years,
brine it
make an herb butter mixture that you stuff between the skin and meat,
cram some aromatic veggies in its cavity
roast really hot (as in 450-500 degrees) for the first 30-60 minutes depending on size.
remove from oven and tent breast with foil
return to 350 degree oven til done.

How many people are you having over? A 25 pound turkey seems really big.
 
It bears repeating - brine the sumbitch. You'll never go back to a non-brined bird after you've tasted the sweet nectar that is brined turkey.

20-25 lbs. sounds like a mongoloid, hormone-injected freak of a turkey. I know not many people care about ethics when it comes to food, but you should try and buy a bird that's not lived a life of torture.

12-15 pounds is the ideal size, for a variety of reasons. A bigger bird will have to be cooked a long, long time, and that means parts of it (namely the breast) will be very dry. If you need to feed that many people, cook two turkeys. If they won't both fit in your oven, try frying one and cooking one in the oven. Or smoke one, which is my favorite way to prepare them.
 
25 lbs is a huge bird; You'll get better results with something around 12-15#. Brining is awesome. I've never tried this, but supposedly cooking the bird upside down cooks the white and dark meat more evenly, and gives moister breast meat.
 
This bears repeating -- cook two 12-14 lb birds instead of a huge one. The taste, consistency, moisture, etc. difference is NIGHT AND DAY.

A 12 lb bird, even not brined, so long as you don't overcook it, will come out fine. Brined, even better. But, BE CAREFUL not to get one of the "pre-basted" kinds to brine -- they are already loaded full of sodium, etc. A plain, small bird (or two, if needed) and you're good to go.
 
I'm expecting at least 16 adults but could end up being over 20 and that's basically just immediate family. I did consider two 12 pounders. I think they'll fit in my oven but we do have a fryer so maybe we can do that. I've heard of brining but never done it. I'll google it and let ya'll know if I have any questions. What spices do you use for the brine?
 
We usually smoke one and fry another. If you have access to a frier setup, I highly recommend this method. BBQ turkey is still my favorite, but I'm a BBQ freak. Most people I know who've tried our fried birds can never go back to any other method.

But, if you do choose to fry, and you're a novice at it, be really, REALLY careful. There are several potential hazards, and there are several threads on this board that give the details on the safest methods of cooking this way.
 
Agreed with the above. Get a smaller bird (2 if necessary). If you can find one that's not already "seasoned" or whatever they call it, then get it and brine it. Use a thermometer and pull it out as soon as it's ready for maximum juiciness.
 
ive cooked a 25 lb turkey at least twice. both times came out great. i wouldnt let these guys scare you. you'll need to foil the tips of the wings and the higher parts of the turkey to keep them from overbrowning. we usually have about 19 at our house. i use to take my turkeys to a bbq place to have them smoked, but they never came out as good as the ones i do myself.

brining is the key. put enough water to coat the bird in an ice chest. use ice packs if you have them , ice if not. cant remember the salt, but i squeeze a lemon and add about a cup of oj. bay leaves, some sugar, sage. google it, and you'll come up with some other spices/herbs to add.
 
I have never brined, but I want to try. Can someone talk logistics here? From what I read, it needs to sit in the liquid for 10-12 hours and be refrigerated. This would mean removing shelves from the fridge to put the big bucket in there. At Thanksgiving, the refridgerator is full of stuff, jam packed for the big day and T+1. I can't see fitting the bucket/stock pot in there and I don't have a second refridgerator.

So, can I brine with ice in an ice or dry ice in an ice chest? I would guess that the poultry has to stay cold and I am nervous about maintaining the cold temperature. Any tips?
 
yes, forget the fridge. way too full. use the ice chest, and put in the garage, maybe even crack the door a little. last couple of yrs its been cool enough to not be much of a worry. i use a couple of lbs of regular ice, and 3-4 ice packs. do not use dry ice. start around 8-9 wed night, and take out about 8 am thurs.
 
If you brine the bird, can you still inject it with cajun spices? Overkill? Does the effect of brining (breakdown of moisture-sapping parts of the bird) counteract with injected liquid?
 
Lots of good advice here. Definitely brine the bird(s). Put the bird(s) and brine in a heavy plastic bag inside a cooler. Use ice or ice packs outside the bag to keep it at a safe temperature. Brine for 12-24 hours. Two smaller birds will result in better results than one large one. Get fresh un-basted birds. Costco is a good source for these. Consider roasting one bird a day or two ahead of time, deboning it, and having it ready to reheat and serve. Also make the gravy from this bird. Saves a lot of time on the big day and removes some of the pressure to get everything right at the last minute. When roasting, be absolutely sure to keep water in the roasting pan or you will burn and ruin your drippings for making gravy. Check it at least every 30 minutes or so and set a timer as a reminder. Roast it for the first half of the cooking time breast down then flip it to breast up. This will prevent the breast from drying out too much. If you have a convection oven, by all means use the convection setting. Use a meat thermometer to be sure you cook it to the right temperature without overcooking it which will dry it out.
 
Frying a fifteen pounder is the best way to go..........and it ain't even close......................I fry for about two dozen people starting the Weds. morning before Thanksgiving.

2.25 per pound including the turkey. I started with two people two years ago.
I also smoke hams starting on Tues. night...............also the only way to go.
 
I will put my Thanksgiving turkey baked in an oven bag up against anybody's brined turkey anyday. It is simple and you do not have to throw out your ice chest after having a raw turkey in it.

You also get about 4 to 5 cups of the best turkey broth ever when the bird is done.
 
I've heard a couple of you mention putting it in a bag in the ice chest. Are standard kitchen garbage bags okay for this or are those Reynolds oven turkey bags big enough?
 
Though I've never used one, they make something called "brining bags" that are basically ziplocs big enough for a turkey. You can probably find them at Crate & Barrel or Sur La Table or maybe even a bigger grocery store.

If you cant find one, Ziploc makes a "big bag" that you can use. DOnt know the price difference between the two.

brining_bag.jpg
 
Brine, bine, brine.

Did I tell you to brine your turkey?

Whether you bake, smoke, or fry your turkey, brinng makes it better. You can let your imagination go wild in your choice of seasoning to add to the brine. I am not a fan of sugar in my meat and omit it completely from the brine. I do add onion, garlic, lot of lemon pepper, and whatever else that sounds good at the time.

Question: Can I still inject it with seasonings if I brine it? Yes, just make sure the seasonings do not have salt. I have found we do not even salt the meat after it is cooked. It is not too saltly, but just right.

Yes, the bleach cleaning solution will clean the cooler. Setting it out in the sun after you have cleaned it will help insure all the bad bacteria is eliminated too.

The 2.5 gallon Ziploc bags are perfect for most 10-12 pound turkeys. Plus they are fantastic for storing the leftover meat in the fridge. It is easy to see what is in the bag plus it does not take up a lot of space.

Another tip for the brining process is they recommend you allow the turkey to dry uncovered in the refrigerator 24 hours before you cook it. This allows the skin to dry out and you can get the skin crisp when you cook it.

The one time we had fried turkey I could have made my meal from just the crispy skin.

A great hint if you are frying turkey is to place the turkey in it wrapper in the fryer, fill with water to a level that the oil will not overflow out of your fryer, take the turkey out, mark the water level in your fryer when the turkey is removed.

Did I remeber to tell you to brine your turkey?

Brine, brine, brine.
 
I use a couple of leftover pool chlorine buckets.
Perfect size.
Then I toss some bleach or powdered chlorine solution in them to clean/disinfect.
 
Definitly brine. My favorite are the fried turkeys. However, last year I also baked one that turned out to be the most tender breast ever. I used an injector needle to put drippings back inside the meat each time I basted turkey. I would recommend trying this.
 
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