Talking Turkey

Here are some easy tips for preparing a tender, juicy turkey.

Turkey Terminology: Let’s talk turkey about what’s on the label!

Heritage:   Heritage turkeys are the feathered equivalents of heirloom vegetables. To turkey breeders they're "standard breeds" -- old-school turkeys that look, live and, most important, taste the way turkeys used to taste!

Pasture-raised:  Pasture-raised turkeys roam around outside and eat primarily grass, so their food and activity level -- both of which affect flavor -- differ from those of their grain-fed cousins raised in confinement. Pasture-raised turkeys are also likely to be heritage breeds; the factory farm birds are so heavy of breast and short of leg that they can't thrive out in the open.  

Organic:  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to be called organic, a turkey has to be raised on organic feed: grain- or grass-fed without the use of genetic engineering methods, ionizing radiation or sewage sludge for fertilization. And the birds cannot be given hormones or antibiotics.

Kosher:  To qualify as a kosher turkey, the bird must be healthy at the time of slaughter and must be killed in a specific manner intended to minimize pain, under supervision of a rabbi trained in ancient Jewish dietary laws. All the blood has to be removed from the slaughtered bird, first by draining, then by a process of soaking and salting. The net effect of all that salt and water is equivalent to brining the bird, an effective although sometimes unwieldy way to enhance the flavor and juiciness of a turkey.

Free-range:  Free-range refers only to turkeys given free access to the outdoors. They may still be penned, unlike pastured turkeys, which actually wander around grass. Crowded conditions apparently have more impact on turkey health and taste than does access to the outdoors.

Fresh:  According to Agriculture Department definitions (revamped in 1997), "fresh" simply means the turkey has never been stored below 26 degrees. The term describes a "pliable surface." The bird may still have been stored for several weeks. For the holiday season, most grocery chains carry fresh turkey. They still generally taste better than "deep frozen" birds and can be perked up further with brining. You may prefer to look for "fresh-killed," meaning recently butchered and delivered, usually coming from farms closer by.

Natural:  Fresh turkeys may also calls themselves "natural," which has no official definition. It is a broad marketing adjective that officially indicates nothing about how the bird was raised, fed, killed or held. Sometimes packaging will further explain that "natural" indicates that the turkey contains no artificial ingredients.

Frozen:  Poultry taken below 26 degrees and held at zero degrees or below must be labeled "frozen." If the turkey is defrosted, it should say "previously frozen" on the packaging. "Rock" frozen refer to those requiring longer defrosting time, and these turkeys may have been held a long time after processing.

Some Frozen turkeys may also be "self-basting," injected with a solution of fat, broth, salt and water. This is meant to counteract the drying tendency of the quick-freezing, industrial cold-air process. Factory-raised birds grow so quickly that their meat doesn't have a chance to develop rich flavor and dense texture.

How Big a Bird to Buy

Buy 1 pound per serving when buying a bird 12 pounds or less. Buy 3/4 pound per serving if a bird is more than 12 pounds.

Tom or Hen?

No difference in quality, tenderness, or flavor.  Tom's will be larger, but Hen's have more breast meat.

Buying Fresh Turkey (see above)

Fresh turkey is highly perishable. Buy fresh turkey just one or two days before you plan to cook it. Pre-stuffed fresh turkeys aren't recommended because you have no way of knowing if sanitary methods were followed when the bird was stuffed.

Buying Frozen Turkey (see above)

Choose one that's solidly frozen.  Look for one with no damage to the package, and no pockets of frost under the wrap.

Thawing Frozen Turkey

To thaw in the refrigerator, place the bird on a tray and allow 24 hours thawing time for every 5 pounds (3 to 4 days). You can also thaw in cold water, allowing 30 minutes thawing time per pound. Be sure to change the water every 30 minutes. 

Going Where No Man Has Gone Before

Reach into the thawed turkey and pull out the parts that have been prepackaged or are loose in the cavity.  You can thrown them away or use them for gravy, etc. 

Do You Prefer Stuffing?

Don't stuff the turkey until you're ready to roast it. Loosely spoon stuffing into the neck and body cavity. Do not pack, because the stuffing will not reach a safe temperature by the time the bird is done. Tuck drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. If there isn't a band, secure the legs to the tail with string. 

Most chefs recommend Dressing (stuffing that is cooked outside the Turkey) for a safer food experience plus it's easier to control the cooking.

Roasting Directions

See the new  Dry-brined turkey technique (below)!

A room temperature turkey will roast more evenly, so remove the turkey from the refrigerator about a half hour before putting it in the oven.

Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in an open or covered roasting pan.  

For open roasting, cover bird loosely with foil. Roast in a 325° oven, basting occasionally. Remove the foil the last 30 to 45 minutes to let brown.  

For covered roasting, roast bird with vent open in a 325° oven for 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Uncover and drain. Turn oven to 475° and roast 20 more minutes or until brown. 

See the chart below for detailed cooking times. 

Turkey Roasting Guide

Because birds differ in size, shape and tenderness, use these roasting times as a guide. 

Testing for Doneness

You've calculated the time it takes to cook the turkey, but you want to be absolutely sure it's done. Here's how to tell.

After the turkey has roasted for approximately the right length of time as indicated on the chart, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the upper thigh of the turkey without touching the bone.

A whole turkey (and turkey parts) is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F degrees F.

This may be different than the recipe you have!  This cooking temperature is a change from previous 180°F for a whole turkey and 170°F for turkey breast. The single minimum internal temperature change to 165°F was recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.

The basic reason most turkeys are dried out is because they are overcooked. In the past, the USDA recommended cooking a turkey to 180 degrees, a sure-fire way to guarantee all bacteria was killed. Problem was, so was all the flavor and moisture.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a change in the "Single Minimum Internal Temperature Established for Cooked Poultry" in 2006 and the USDA says it’s safe to cook a turkey to 165 degrees.

The Turkey Federation continues to recommend 180° because this ensures that the meat is no longer pink yet will remain juicy.

Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures.

Double-check the temperature reading by looking at the juices that flow from the point of insertion of the thermometer. When the juices are clear, the turkey is done.

Warning:
Ignore the turkeys that have pop-up indicators that are supposed to signal when the turkey is done. These indicators (you might call them idiot birds) can be faulty. You don't want an overly dry turkey.

When you remove the turkey legs, if you find that the meat around the thigh joint is still too pink, cut the drumsticks from the thighs and put thighs in a shallow pan in a 450° oven until no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes.

Let the turkey rest another half hour outside the oven before being carved. The residual heat will continue to cook the turkey all the way through, and it will improve the flavor because some of the juices get reabsorbed.

Then read How To Carve A Turkey!

Safe food handling after the big meal also is important.

Crammed refrigerators make for poor cooling because of reduced air flow around the items.  Putting leftovers in several smaller containers instead of one or two larger bowls also helps cool foods faster.

When storing leftovers, food safety experts recommend that the temperature of hot food should drop below 70°F within two hours after placing into the refrigerator. Warm or hot foods should not be allowed to sit on the countertop until they reach room temperature before being refrigerated.

Ideally, the food should remain above 130° until it is placed into the refrigerator and then it should cool to below 70° in two hours and below 40° in another 4 to 6 hours.

The major illness-causing bacteria in cooked meat and gravies slows its growth at around 70° and does not reproduce well below this temperature.

-- Andy Gilchrist

Here’s Zach Selch's, AskAndy Forum member, recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey:

1 turkey, free range if possible
Handful of lardons (small chunks of bacon, if not available, use regular bacon, 5 strips, cut into little pieces)
20 cloves of garlic

The Rub:

half stick of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons course salt
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons chili jelly
pinch each:
Szechwan pepper
5 spice powder
paprika

The basting liquid in pan:
 
2 cups milk
2 cups red wine
2 cups rich chicken, turkey or beef broth

Stuffing:
 
2 corn muffins
link of Mexican chorizo, or Italian sausage, hot or sweet
cup of crushed pecans
1/4 stick butter
2 tablespoons chili jelly
small apple, cored, seeded, peeled and diced, or handful of cranberries

Brine :

cup of salt, cup of vinegar

36 hours before serving, find a pot big enough to fit the turkey.  Dissolve the salt and vinegar into water and soak the turkey in this brine for 24 hours.

Take out the turkey, discard brine, rinse turkey, pat dry and let sit to dry for a few minutes, pat dry again.

Preheat oven to 450

Prepare the Rub by mixing spices, flour, butter (without bacon and garlic) in bowl, you should get the consistency of mud.

Rub bird inside with this mixture. Gently peel skin away from the body of the bird, and smear the remainder around the turkey. Cut 20 or 30 punctures in the Turkey and insert lardons and garlic.  They should disappear into the punctures.

To prepare the stuffing put butter in large frying pan.  Fry pecans, then add sausage, then crumble in muffins, then add other ingredients, and brown.

Stuff turkey with stuffing (what ever doesn’t fit, stick between legs and body, or it can be baked separately.   

Place turkey in pan, with half of liquid. Put pan in oven, after 1 hour, lower heat to 350.   Every 45 minutes baste with liquid, as liquid goes down, add reserved liquid.   Cook at least 5 hours, but no more than 8.    When the drumstick feels like you can pull it off, it is done.   If it looks like it is browning too fast, lower heat to 300.   Don't stop basting.

Let the turkey sit after you take it out of the oven for about 30 minutes before serving.

And now that you've cooked all day read the article How To Carve A Turkey