I brined my big bird last year - not the first time I've done it, but the first time I have brined it and cooked it ala' Alton Brown. It came out pretty damned good, so I'm gonna do it again. Here's the recipe...
Good Eats Roast Turkey by Alton Brown
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement or garage) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
NOTES:- I brined mine overnight, in a cooler that I sterilized really well after. This year, I will do the bucket!
- It's a good idea to bring the turkey to room temperature before roasting - about 45 minutes or so. It will cook more evenly this way.
- Don't mess with basting - all you do, every time you open the oven is let heat out, lengthening the cooking time, hence drying out the bird more. This totally defeats the supposed purpose of basting.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
NOTES:- Be prepared, when you cook it at 500F for it to start smoking - just a warning from personal experience!
- I did invest a big $16.00 in a probe thermometer and let me tell you - it's worth every penny!
- Also - make a foil triangle to cover the breast with, after you have done the 30 min's at 500 - this keeps the breast meat from overcooking and drying out. (He does this on the show)
This is the cranberry sauce that I'm making - a personal mix of mine that's really good..
Cranberries and Brandy:
2 cups cranberries
Juice and chopped zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup good Brandy
1/2 cup sugar, or more if needed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a small saucepan combine cranberries, orange juice and zest, brandy, sugar and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmering and cook until cranberries are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more sugar, if necessary. Pour into a pretty bowl and chill until set.
I will make mashed potatoes, of course...I think that I've already posted my recipe for those.
Oh! And some Brussels Sprouts, because we all love them! Seriously!
Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Garlic
1 3/4 pounds Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Working in small batches, place brussels sprouts in feed tube of processor fitted with thin slicing disk; slice, or slice on a mandolin.
Melt butter with olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until almost translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add brussels sprouts; increase heat to medium-high and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
My mom is bringing the stuffing this year, but I will tell you how I make my basic stuffing. You will have to bear with me, as this is one of those things that I make without any real recipe.
My Basic Turkey Stuffing:
Melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a large pot. Add some sliced onion and celery, chopped mushrooms, plus one clove of minced garlic, and saute until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle in a bit of dried sage and parsley, and stir. Add some bread crumbs - I like the cubes that you buy (no, I don't do the bread crumbs from scratch, I admit it) and stir to coat with the butter & veggies. Add enough turkey or chicken broth (here, yes, I make my own turkey broth - I will get to that) to moisten the bread well, but not so much that it makes it all soggy. Let cool, if stuffing the turkey, (which I have stopped doing - it makes the turkey have to cook longer, therefore risking drying out the bird) or put in an oven safe dish and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. (I cover mine with foil for the first 30).
Now, I happen to also like the chopped giblets in mine sometimes (but I usually add mine to the gravy), so if you like yours like that, chop them well and add with the onions and celery.
Turkey Broth:
Take your turkey neck (and other giblets, if not using for stuffing or gravy) and place in a saucepan. Add a couple cups of water, some chopped celery, onion, and carrots, a few black peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer until reduced by half. Pour through a strainer to strain out chunks, and then I pour through a colander lined with a paper towel to get out all the little bits. Wa-La - turkey broth.
Now, as far as my turkey gravy...I change this up a bit every year, but basically, this is how I do mine.
Turkey Gravy:
Transfer turkey from roasting pan to platter and tent it with foil, to keep warm. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator, and give it about 2 minutes to let the fat separate. Carefully transfer the juices to another dish, leaving the fat in the separator for now. Place roasting pan across two stove burners and heat. Add a bit of brandy or white wine to deglaze the pan. (or a little apple cider works too!) Add a tablespoon or two of reserved fat, plus some butter if you'd prefer and melt. Wisk in some flour to make a roux, and lightly simmer, stirring constantly. (make sure there's no lumps!) I do this for a few minutes, and then add reserved pan juices and some turkey or chicken stock. Bring back to simmer and simmer until thickened.
Now, if you'd like, for some extra flavor, you can also add some chopped garlic/onion/celery/carrots/mushrooms and then strain before serving. (or not - I know people who don't).
I will also be posting some of my holiday appetizers, so be watching for those!
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