Whether you are preparing to roast a pasture-raised turkey from Blue Moon, a bird from the farmers market or food coop, or the one your office gifted you, there are lots of choices–and lots of debate–about how to prepare it. The origin of the turkey should be taken into account, as most grocery store varieties will have added salt and water already. They also have very large breasts that are thick enough that they quite often dry out by the time the rest of the bird is cooked. Local, pature-raised birds like our American Bronzes tend to be more balanced between breast and thigh/leg. The muscles (aka meat) of these birds tend to be more developed due to slower growth and higher exercise levels, and more deeply flavorful. Some consideration should still be taken not to overcook the breast in roasting the whole turkey. Many chefs now will tell you that cooking a turkey whole is never ideal–acheiving a perfect doneness requires breaking down the bird simply by its uneven nature. That’s not very “Thanksgiving” of them though, so we will focus on making the best of it! After all, we raise our turkeys with the intention of letting them do what turkeys “do”: forage, roost, hang out in the fresh air. It’s nice to honor their turkey quirks through the cooking process too!
“To brine or not to brine.” This is one hot debate in turkey culture. Brining is a process of soaking the turkey in a salted water bath (sometimes with sugar and additional spices) for a few hours or up to several days before cooking. The idea is that the brine infuses the turkey with moisture and seasoning to keep the bird juicy and flavorful throughout its cooking. For a beautiful primer on brining, print out this Cook’s Illustrated Guide for brining turkeys, chickens, pork, etc. I have done both a spiced brine and a simple salt brine. I loved the simple one, but our crowd had mixed reviews of the spiced brine–it does change the flavor of the turkey. Delicious, but a bit less traditional.
A salt rub instead of a brine. This is an intermediate step you can take to enhance the flavor of the turkey, and it gives you a beautiful golden, crispy skin (a personal favorite part). There’s also something about massaging your bird in a salt rub that is very calming and I think Julia Child would approve (She once said of rubbing butter all over a chicken’s skin that, not only does it add flavor, it pleases the chicken!). Check out this salt method from Bon Appetit.
Some other tips. Still others say not to brine or salt a heritage bird because the flavor takes care of itself. I tend to agree with that, but like to hedge my bets (as a novice cook) by protecting the breast by rubbing butter beneath the skin, or laying strips of bacon on the breast (Plan to chop and add this to your Brussels sprouts, spinach salad, or other side dish later!). Check out a few other quick tips from Saveur.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Need some new ideas for the leftovers? Mark Bittman’s got them! Check out his NY Times article.
Turkey Tips and Resources
Whether you are preparing to roast a pasture-raised turkey from Blue Moon, a bird from the farmers market or food coop, or the one your office gifted you, there are lots of choices–and lots of debate–about how to prepare it. The origin of the turkey should be taken into account, as most grocery store varieties will have added salt and water already. They also have very large breasts that are thick enough that they quite often dry out by the time the rest of the bird is cooked. Local, pature-raised birds like our American Bronzes tend to be more balanced between breast and thigh/leg. The muscles (aka meat) of these birds tend to be more developed due to slower growth and higher exercise levels, and more deeply flavorful. Some consideration should still be taken not to overcook the breast in roasting the whole turkey. Many chefs now will tell you that cooking a turkey whole is never ideal–acheiving a perfect doneness requires breaking down the bird simply by its uneven nature. That’s not very “Thanksgiving” of them though, so we will focus on making the best of it! After all, we raise our turkeys with the intention of letting them do what turkeys “do”: forage, roost, hang out in the fresh air. It’s nice to honor their turkey quirks through the cooking process too!
“To brine or not to brine.” This is one hot debate in turkey culture. Brining is a process of soaking the turkey in a salted water bath (sometimes with sugar and additional spices) for a few hours or up to several days before cooking. The idea is that the brine infuses the turkey with moisture and seasoning to keep the bird juicy and flavorful throughout its cooking. For a beautiful primer on brining, print out this Cook’s Illustrated Guide for brining turkeys, chickens, pork, etc. I have done both a spiced brine and a simple salt brine. I loved the simple one, but our crowd had mixed reviews of the spiced brine–it does change the flavor of the turkey. Delicious, but a bit less traditional.
A salt rub instead of a brine. This is an intermediate step you can take to enhance the flavor of the turkey, and it gives you a beautiful golden, crispy skin (a personal favorite part). There’s also something about massaging your bird in a salt rub that is very calming and I think Julia Child would approve (She once said of rubbing butter all over a chicken’s skin that, not only does it add flavor, it pleases the chicken!). Check out this salt method from Bon Appetit.
Some other tips. Still others say not to brine or salt a heritage bird because the flavor takes care of itself. I tend to agree with that, but like to hedge my bets (as a novice cook) by protecting the breast by rubbing butter beneath the skin, or laying strips of bacon on the breast (Plan to chop and add this to your Brussels sprouts, spinach salad, or other side dish later!). Check out a few other quick tips from Saveur.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Need some new ideas for the leftovers? Mark Bittman’s got them! Check out his NY Times article.