Turkey Recipe

It’s almost time for Thanksgiving Day. It’s time to prepare the turkey. For frozen turkey, you have to allow at least 10 days for the turkey to thaw in refrigerator. I don’t have the space nor the time in my fridge to let a big bird staying for 10 days. I usually go for the fresh turkey. For fresh turkey, it’s much easier, you only need to prepare the turkey the night before cooking.

Temperature is the key to not overcook or undercook the turkey. I strongly suggest to get a thermometer which can monitor the temperature as you cook and sound the alarm when the target temperature is reached.

Cooking turkey involves 3 or 4 parts: 1. Thaw (skip for fresh turkey) - at least 10 days to thaw in fridge for frozen turkey 2. Brine - soak in the brine solution for 14 hours to at most 20 hours 3. Air-dry (Optional) - let the turkey to air-dry in the fridge for 2 days for crispier skin 4. Roast - around 3 hours or more, depend on the size of the bird, until the temperature of the thickest part of thigh reaches 175F (79C)

Gallery

Brine

Ingredients

  • Salt 2 cups
  • Water (until fully submerged the turkey)
  • Fresh Thyme 3 sprigs
  • Fresh Rosemary 3 sprigs
  • Ground sage 2 Tablespoons
  • Sugar 1 cup
  • lemon, quartered 1

Steps

  1. Dissolve salt and sugar in 1 Quart (1 L) of hot water in a deep pot large enough to submerge the turkey.
  2. Add 3 Quart (3 L) of cold water, thyme, sage, rosemary and lemon. Whisk together and let the mixture to cool down completely to room temperature
  3. Meanwhile prepare the turkey: remove the giblets (reserve the neck, heart and kidney if you want to make gravy) and rinse the turkey.
  4. Submerge the turkey in the solution for at least 14 hours and at most 20 hours. If your turkey is too big for the pot, you can turn the turkey half way through.

Air-dry (Optional)

  1. Remove the turkey from the brine solution
  2. Pat dry the turkey and dry the pot
  3. Put the turkey in dry pot back to fridge without cover
  4. Let it air-dry in the fridge for 2 days

Roast

Ingredients

for Herb butter

  • Fresh rosemary 3 sprigs
  • Fresh thyme 3 sprigs
  • Fresh sage 3 sprigs
  • butter 1 cup (225 g)
  • Salt
  • Pepper

for main cavity

  • Fresh rosemary 4 sprigs
  • Fresh thyme 4 sprigs
  • Fresh sage 4 sprigs
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Steps

Prepare the herb butter

  1. Let the butter to rest in room temperature
  2. Minced rosemary, thyme and sage
  3. Mix the minced rosemary, thyme and sage with the butter. Season with salt and pepper
  4. (Optional) reserve 2 tablespoon of herb butter for gravy

Prepare the turkey

  1. Pat dry the turkey and preheat the oven to 350F (177C)
  2. Loosen the skin with a small silicon spatula
  3. Squeeze the herb butter under the skin and spread it evenly
  4. Rub the remaining herb butter over the skin
  5. Sparkle main cavity with salt and pepper
  6. Put rosemary, thyme, sage inside the main cavity
  7. Tuck wing tips under and insert a thermometer probe to the thickest part of the thigh
  8. Add 2 cup of water to the roasting pan
  9. Loosely cover the turkey with tin foil. ** Do not let the tin foil to get in contact with the turkey skin **
  10. Put the turkey in the oven, set target temperature to 175F (79C)
  11. Until the thermometer read 165 F (74C), increase the oven temperature to 425F (218C) remove the tin foil to brown the skin
  12. Remove the turkey from oven when the temperature registered at 175F
  13. Let the turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving

Recipes for gravy and cranberry sauce to go with the turkey

  1. Gravy (Coming Soon)
  2. Cranberry (Coming Soon)