Posted By Ingrid Turner on Nov 28, 2013 in Christmas, Cooking Tips & Tricks, Featured, Food Holidays, Holidays & Events, How To Cook, Main Dishes, Poultry & Fowl, Thanksgiving, Turkey | 0 comments

The 4th Thursday of November is National Turkey Day!

How appropriate to have Turkey Day at this time of year? What would a Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration be without the proverbial turkey, one of my very favorite meals?

Apparently, every nation has its own distinctive way to cook this International favorite. In recent years, I have been introduced to a couple of new ways to cook this wonderful bird.

Turkey Tips:

I’ve always placed it into my roaster with the breast up, but now I see that the breast is more moist, if it’s placed breast side down.

Next, I was shown how to brine the bird, and I’ve found, this too, is a way to impart more flavor, and it cooks more quickly.

Sometimes, if serving a large number of dinners, you might purchase a very large bird, 20 plus lbs, but I’ve found that the quality & tenderness of smaller birds is worth roasting 2 smaller turkeys, and you get more legs, thighs & breasts.

You should cook or freeze turkey or poultry, in general, within 2 days of purchase, and it will be safe to eat for several months, but for maximum flavor & texture, cook it within a month.

Some diners enjoy the stuffing more than the actual turkey meat – to each his own. Make more stuffing than that which fits inside the turkey & cook separately in a baking dish with a lid.

How to Roast Turkey:

Here’s what I’ve traditionally done. I like to use a bird of about 15 lbs.

Preheat my oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse, pat dry & remove giblets & stuff your bird.
Simmer the giblets separately until they’re tender. We eat the liver as a snack, and the rest of the giblets go into the mushroom gravy.
Massage 1/2 cup softened butter all over the skin.
Salt & pepper inside the cavity before stuffing.
Salt & pepper very lightly outside, and lightly sprinkle with poultry seasoning and/or gumbo file, if desired. This is how my Kimmy does it, below.

Begin roasting and after 10 min, reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees F. Roast 15 – 20 min per lb, basting with butter often.
When the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F, remove it from the roasting pan and allow it to rest about 10 – 15 min.
Remove the stuffing & keep warm while you carve the turkey.
The roasting pan will have lots of beautiful brown bits – the makings for a wonderful gravy. Make your gravy.

Throw nothing out! Bones, sinew, cartilage & skin can all be used to make delicious soups & stocks. Store in a plastic freezer bag until you have enough bones to create a flavorful broth.

National Turkey Day will be that much more enjoyable when using these tips to roast a gorgeous Holiday turkey.