LET’S TALK TURKEY!
LET’S TALK TURKEY!
Ingredients
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Instructions
THAWING TIPS:
- Be sure to thaw your turkey completely before brining, deep-frying, roasting or grilling! Thawing in the refrigerator is the best method. Defrosting a frozen turkey in the fridge will take 24 hours for every 4 pounds of turkey, so a 16-pound bird will take 4 days. If you find yourself short on time, try the Cold Water Thawing method. Place the turkey in its wrapper, breast side down, in cold water to cover. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep the surface cold. Estimate the minimum Cold Water Thawing time to be 30 minutes per pound of turkey.
BRINING TIPS:
- An overnight soak in a brine, or salted water solution, gives your turkey a chance to absorb both moisture and seasoning. I recommend that you brine your bird no matter what method of cooking you plan to use, be it deep-frying, roasting or grilling. To brine your turkey, find a container large enough to submerge the turkey in the brine, such as a large stock pot or bucket and line it with a large heavy plastic bag (an unused 30-gallon trash bag works great!). For a basic brine use 1 cup Kosher salt to 1 gallon of cold water. Season the brine for added flavor with slices of citrus, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, fresh herbs etc.
DEEP-FRIED TURKEY TIPS:
- Feeling adventurous this Thanksgiving? Then try deep-frying your turkey! Deep-frying makes the turkey deliciously crispy and beautifully golden on the outside and super juicy and tender on the inside. Using a Turkey Fryer Kit and an outside gas burner makes for the safest frying. A one-time investment of a turkey deep-fryer will guarantee years of fabulous feasts! I like to use peanut oil when frying my bird, and since the turkey cooks from the inside out, deep-frying is the quickest way to cook a turkey…about 3 minutes per pound!
- A deep-fried turkey, with its crisp skin and moist meat is a terrific alternative to the traditional holiday bird. The cooking of a fried turkey should be done outdoors and extreme caution should be taken due to the hot oil.
- A whole turkey should be fried for approximately 3 to 4 minutes per pound or until it floats and is golden brown. The internal temperature of the turkey should be between 170° and 180° F on a meat thermometer.
- When preparing your fried turkey, be very careful when lowering the cold turkey into the hot oil as it will bubble vigorously.
- Allow the turkey to rest on a rack for 15 minutes after frying to drain any excess oil and to allow the juices to settle before carving.
TURKEY ROASTING TIPS::
- To test your turkey for doneness, insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, between the thigh and the breast, making sure the thermometer does not touch the bone. Turkey is fully cooked when the thigh's internal temperature is 180°F. The thickest part of the breast should read 170°F, and if you've stuffed the bird, the stuffing should read 160°F.
- If you've chosen to cook the stuffing inside the bird, stuff the turkey just before roasting to eliminate harmful bacteria growth. Also, turkeys roasted with stuffing inside take a few minutes longer per pound to cook than unstuffed turkeys. Be sure to check the roasting times on my chart below!