If you've cooked a Thanksgiving dinner or two, then you know how an overcooked turkey can ruin a dinner. Too long in the oven, not enough time thawing it, or no preparation done to the bird at all and the meat can turn into a spindly, meaty clump of fibers with the consistency of pine shavings. And just as dry.
And just as embarrassing is cutting into the meat and realizing that the center is still pink inside...
So I discovered a few insurance policies you can enlist that will force the turkey to turn out just the way you'd like. They may add about 15 minutes of prep time, and you have to start preparing it earlier than normal, but it's definitely worth it. Especially if you have an aunt/sister/grandmother/mother-in-law/resident B!&@# in the family who likes to critique your cooking. Have them try a few moist slices from the breast and tell them to suck on the drumstick.
First, completely thaw the bird. Nothing wrong with using a frozen turkey. I do it all the time, because I'm not made of money. But if you don't COMPLETELY thaw the bird, the outer meat will be much warmer than the inner meat will be as you start to cook. This means one part will be done while the other part is still raw, or one part is properly cooked and the other is as dry as the Sahara.
Second, try brining the meat. Brining the turkey will force a little more flavor and moisture into the meat, which will give you a better chance of a very moist bird. It all goes back to your biology class, where you learned that an excess of salt and water on either side of a membrane will always try permeate the tissues to equalize the level of salt on both sides. Because there's less salt inside the bird than in the brine, it'll suck some through the skin and into the meat, along with some of the water, spices and sugar. And that little extra salt will help it retain water, like I do when I eat a foot long Italian Sub from Coronado's. Retained water means more moist meat. And finally, brining it will help a previously frozen bird thaw completely because it's soaking in water for almost 24 hours..
Third, DO NOT TRUST THE TENDER TIMER!!!! Tender timers never work correctly. I've seen a turkey breast reach 175 degrees and the tender timer wasn't anywhere close to popping. They're no where close to accurate and if you trust them, they will turn your kitchen into a den of lies and a room of shame! Rely on your handy dandy digital thermometer instead. Stick it into the thickest part of the breast if you're doing just a breast or stick it into the thickest part of the thigh if you're doing a whole turkey. And don't let it go over 168 degrees before pulling the turkey out and letting it rest by wrapping it in a towel and some tin foil. It'll finish it's cooking on the counter and be perfect when you slice it up
A turkey breast or a turkey under 15 pounds will most likely fit in a large stockpot when you brine. But if you're preparing a very large bird, you'll need a large vessel to soak the turkey (like a 5 gallon Gott drink cooler, keeping ice in it to keep the mixture as cool as it would be in the refrigerator) Then triple or quadruple the brine and water amounts to cover the bird completely in the large water cooler.
Brined and Seasoned Turkey Breast
Prep time is a minimum 4 hours, cook time is around 3-5 hours depending on the size of the bird, so read through completely and prepare properly.
Meat
1 8-14 pound turkey or a large turkey breast
Brining Stage
If you're brining it in a stock pot, one batch of this is enough. If you are using a Gott cooler for a very large bird, then you'll want to triple/quadruple it.
1 quart water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon sage
1 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, chopped into eighths
2 or 3 more quarts cold water
In a large saucepan, combine the water, salt, sugar and spices. Turn the heat to high and stir the concoction so the sugar and salt begin to dissolve. Bring it to a boil and keep it there for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour into a large stockpot (or whatever large vessel you've chosen to use soak the bird in). Add two quarts of the cold water and stir to mix. Finally, add the turkey , breast side down, submerging as much as possible. If it won't completely fit, let the legs poke out, but by putting the breast side down, the majority of the meat will still brine. Cover completely with plastic wrap and soak for at least 4 hours in the fridge (Best if left overnight).
Roasting Prep / Cooking Stage
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon rosemary
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped very fine
Freshly ground pepper
In a small bowl, combine the thyme, sage, and rosemary. Remove the turkey breast from the brine and thoroughly dry it (use paper towels). Place it breast side up on a rack in an aluminum foiled lined roasting pan. Rub the breast with the butter until it is coated. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the breast evenly. Then spread the garlic over the breast as well. Stuff the bird at this point, if you want (my stuffing recipe is here). Stick your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast if cooking a breast, making sure you don't go more than halfway through the meat. If you are cooking a whole bird, stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Cover the breast in a tin foil tent and place in a 325 degree oven. Cooking time will be about 20 minutes a pound, but rely on your meat thermometer. When the temperature reaches 150 degrees, remove the foil tent so the skin will crisp up. When it reaches 167 degrees, pull it from the oven, cover it in tin foil and a large beach towel. The temperature will increase to around 173-175. When the temperature begins to drop (about a half hour), remove the towel, tin foil and thermometer.
Now since you have all these wonderful meat drippings captured by our roasting pan's aluminum foil lining, we can make a great gravy. The drippings are important, not only because they have great turkey goodness in them, but some of the spices have mixed in. So there is very little you'll need to add to it for some great taste.
Turkey gravy
Turkey drippings
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
8 to 12 ounces turkey broth/stock (substitute chicken broth if you don't have any turkey stock)
Pour the turkey drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Add the tablespoon of cornstarch and mix together so the cornstarch is incorporated. This will prevent lumps. Add the turkey broth and turn the heat up to medium-high. Take it to the boiling point, whisking the mixture occasionally. Remove from the heat and pour into a serving vessel. Allow to cool for a couple minutes.
So try this recipe out and see if the meat is as moist and tender as it is for me.
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