Turkey 101
Wild Turkey
Well, it’s that time of year in Canada where we must turn our thoughts toward turkey. It seems that no matter who you are or where you’re from, turkey is the meat of choice for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving itself is the most socially agreed upon holiday. It is not religious, although there are those who would make it so. It is a time of year simply to give thanks for the harvest and celebrate what we have. If your household is anything like mine, you have altogether too much! As a Canadian who has lived abroad, I can freely say that we all have too much. Many would argue that we aren’t as bad as those Americans down south but, is that really the case or is it all just a slippery slope to consumption?
With that said, it is important to stop and reflect on being thankful more than once a year. It’s just necessary to do it with Turkey at least the once!
My journey with the bird has been long and tiresome. Many of my cooking students know the story of me trying to perfect roasting turkey. I bought 8 birds in the space of 2 months, one year, and roasted them in all different ways. My poor family was so sick of eating turkey. . .but what it afforded me was a recipe that is foolproof.
In my quest, I had to let go of many of my preconceived notions about the meat. I had to forsake the dry and stringing white meat and come to apprecitae that it could be juicy and moist. I also had to come to terms with the fact that pink coloured dark meat is o.k. and not undercooked. Since learning these things, I have tried to re-educate those in my life to love turkey the way I do now.
So, for those of you who already have my recipe, happy roasting this Thanksgiving; and for all the rest: here it is
Recipe: Turkey 101
Ingredients
- 1- 12-18 lb. (5-7 kg) turkey, thawed and at room temperature
- 1/2 cup of butter
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- Aluminum Foil
Instructions
Remove the giblets, heart, kidneys and neck from the bird. Wash the bird, inside and out and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and set the oven rack to the lowest position. Hock-lock or truss the bird together and tuck the wing tips underneath. Set the bird on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan, breast side up. Rub the entire bird with butter and then liberally salt and pepper it. Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and smooth it down, over the bird, like a second skin. Pour the chicken stock into the bottom of the pan and place in the oven. Roast the bird for 1 full hour and then remove the aluminum ‘skin’ and baste with the pan juices. Replace the aluminum ‘skin’ and continue roasting, basting like that every 1/2 hour. After 2 hours of total roasting time, insert a thermometer in the meaty part of the thigh. (you’re looking for a reading of 175 degrees before it’s done!). Continue to baste every 1/2 hour and check with a thermometer. Once the meat is at 160 degrees, remove the ‘skin’ and continue to roast it without it. Once the thigh registers 175 degrees, remove the bird from the oven and set aside, covered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carve and serve.
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