Frozen Turkeys are the most difficult to work with and provide the least satisfactory results. Moisture is released during the freezing process so the end result is usually a very dry texture.
Fresh Turkeys are birds that have been stored at 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Meat does not freeze at this temperature, but water does. You may notice that the moisture inside the turkey’s chest cavity will freeze, making it feel hard to the touch. Fresh Turkey’s are juicier then frozen ones, assuming your supermarket has really kept them at the proper temperature.
A Fresh Killed Turkey is just that, a bird that has just been killed and left to hang and tenderize for a day or two. The big advantage is the meat does not have any time to lose moisture so they are much juicer then the other varieties. Fresh killed turkeys are more expensive but are well worth the extra cost because they taste so much better. I put my leftovers in freezer bags with a ladle of gravy in each one. Then I squeeze out all the air and freeze. They stay good this way for at least 6 more months.
Cooking your Turkey:
There are lots
of different ways to cook a turkey but for Thanksgiving, I’ve always preferred
roasting turkey the traditional way. If
I expect 12 people for dinner I buy a 15 pound bird. That leaves me with at
least six extra portions for leftovers.
The equipment
is simple; you need a roasting pan that can hold your turkey, an oven
thermometer, preferably a digital one and a baster.
Start the
prep by removing the gizzards from the inside of the cavity. Lately some birds
have these tucked under the skin near the neck. Discard the heart. Reserve the
liver and the neck. Cut off the wing tips and save. Wash the inside of the bird
with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside and let it air dry for a few minutes.
Turn the oven to 325 degrees. When the oven is at the proper temperature put the bird in the roasting pan breast side up. Coat the turkey with a thin layer of canola oil and when it is nice and shiny sprinkle it with garlic powder, onion powder and ground pepper. Don’t use salt. Place the probe of the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and make sure that it doesn’t touch the bone. Put the turkey in the oven and cook according to this table:
Turkey
Roasting Times
Weight in Pounds Cooking Time Temperature
10 – 12 2 ¾ to 3 hours 325F
12 – 14 3 to 3 ½ hours 325F
14 – 18 3 ½ to 4 hours 325F
18 – 20 4 to 4 ½ hours 325F
20 – 24 4 ½ to 5 hours 325F
24 – 28 5 to 5 ½ hours 325F
Dice two
onions, three carrots and four stalks of celery. Take five garlic cloves and
squish them with a garlic crusher. Take half of this mixture and put it in
a 4 quart pot. Add the turkey neck, wingtips, a quart of water, some ground
pepper and a good shot of powdered garlic. Cook on a high flame until it boils
and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
After the
bird has cooked for an hour and some drippings have accumulated, take the rest of this mixture and place it in
the bottom of the roasting pan.
I baste once
an hour with the last basting about 40 minutes before the estimated finish.
This lets the skin get crispy. When the meat thermometer reaches 175 degrees
remove the turkey and place on a carving board. Let it sit for 20 minutes before
carving so the juices have time to congeal.
Gravy:
Remove some
of the excess fat from the roasting pan. Put it on the stove top under a low
flame, Remove the remnants of the turkey neck and wing tips from the boiling
water and discard. Pour the rest of the mixture into the pan and mash with a
potato masher. Let this simmer under low heat. If you are going to need more
than a quart of gravy, add some additional water. Then add one cube of low
sodium chicken bouillon for every two cups of water used.
Now take the
liver and put it on a cutting board. With a meat clever or a large heavy knife,
chop it up into a coarse paste and mix this into the roasting pan. Let it cook
for at least 5 minutes.
Sprinkle in
some quick mixing flour until the gravy thickens. If it is too thin, add more
flour. If it is too thick, add more hot water. When it’s done, add salt to
taste.
Rutabaga’s and Mashed Potatoes:
I use Rutabaga’s
instead of the smaller turnips. The easiest way to cook them is to cut off the
top, bottom and the skin. Then cut them into ½ inch thick slices and boil them
in at least four quarts of salted water for 15 minutes. To remove the
bitterness that is characteristic of Rutabaga’s, drain, refill with hot water
and boil for an additional 15 minutes or until fork tender. Add butter, salt
and pepper to taste. These taste even better when mixed with mashed potatoes.
