You’ve got your menu planned for Thanksgiving now it’s time
to pick your turkey. So do you go with the classic Butterball or do you get the
free one with $400 worth of receipts from your local grocery store? I guess
that all depends on what you’re going to do with your turkey.
I’m not big on frying the turkey because I’m allergic to
peanut oil and that’s what you use to fry it in, so I’ve avoided it since I’d
rather not spend my holiday in a hospital however, I’ve heard that they are
fantastic so if you’re feeling gutsy go ahead and fry away, just don’t ask me
how to do it. I’m more of a traditional turkey kinda gal. I like to put mine in
an oven and be done with it.
Some people are basters. They spend their entire day opening
up the oven and squeezing the juices onto the turkey thinking this is the
secret to a moist bird, but it’s not. As a matter of fact once you put your
turkey in the oven you should only open the oven door twice: first to put a
tent of foil over the white meat and second to take it out of the oven prior to
serving. You see it’s not what you do to your bird while it’s cooking; it’s
what you do prior to cooking that makes it juicy.
Brining your bird is quite possibly the best thing you can
do for a juicy gobbler. If you’ve never brined anything in your life, no
worries it’s as easy as pie…pumpkin pie. You can do your basic brine which is
either chicken or vegetable stock, ice water, lots of kosher salt and whole
peppercorns or you search out a recipe online. Most recipes will call for brown
sugar and different seasonings, but I’m not into the whole sugar thing with my
diabetes so I stick with the basics. Some people cook their brine first, but I
don’t and the turkey has always turned out juicy. All you need to do is mix
your ingredients in a plastic container large enough to hold the bird and let
it sit overnight, making sure you turn it at least once during the soaking
process. I have a big plastic Tupperware bowl that fits in my fridge so I
usually place it in there. If you don’t have a fridge big enough to hold the
brining bird then place it outside if it’s cold enough or in your garage. Just
make sure it’s covered and that you’ve used iced water and at least a cup of
kosher salt depending on the size of your turkey. Bacteria avoid salt at all cost so your bird will be fine. If you
do this on Wednesday night then your turkey will be ready to go the next day.
Just remember to rinse your bird well to get rid of the salt and peppercorns.
Now you may be asking yourself, how do I get a golden bird
if I don’t baste? Well that’s another blog.