Today is New Years Day, January 1st 2016, Happy New Year to everyone!I am making our own roast Turkey to celebrate the day. I think I should add a post on how to make a Turkey for anyone who has never done it.
Turkey is my all time favourite Holiday or Christmas Meal. It took me a long time to figure out how to roast it properly. In this post, as I have with so many others, I'll be giving you the tips and tricks my Grandmother's and Mom knew, and what I figured out on my own.
As a society, I do think people are getting back to cooking for themselves. What better gift to give your family and friends then a homemade feast with Turkey as the star.
If you want to make a Roast Turkey for guests, but have never done it before, the advice and information in this post may be of help. Please practice at least once before committing to a full meal. You will learn the tricks that work best for you and where you live. This post is a work in progress - the basic tips are here. I'm working on carving the bird, links to ideas, flavour combinations and additional recipes will be added.
Roast Turkey for the Holidays, Tips, Tricks and Information for the Beginner
A lot of what you do with a Roast Turkey will depend on your personal tastes, traditions and the size of the Turkey you buy. If you buy a very large bird, you may wish to make the stuffing separately as it will add to the cook time when you stuff the cavity. The denser and more moist the stuffing, the longer the cook time as well.Firstly CHICKEN STOCK, you will want to keep it at hand. Store bought or follow the link to see how it's made.
Defrosting
Firstly make sure your Turkey is defrosted fully. Defrost it in the fridge in it's original packaging. You may wish to add another plastic bag around it, or defrost in a large container, to keep the condensation from running.
8 LBS (4 Kilos) or less can take 2 full days to defrost
11 LBS (5 Kilos) or less can take 3 full days to defrost
22 LBS (10 Kilos) or less can take 4 to 5 full days to defrost
Anything over 22 LBS - can take a full week.
You will know if the bird is defrosted enough if you can remove the giblets or neck easily.You will want to check the bird the night before or the morning.
Buying a Fresh Turkey is the best choice if timing is important!
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General Rule of Thumb for Roasting Turkeys (chickens too!)
Temperature 350 F
You want the internal temperature of the Stuffing to be 175F. Unstuffed, 165 F on the thigh.
Pounds15 minutes per pound, stuffed
10 minutes per pound unstuffed
Kilograms = roughly twice the cooking time per kilogram... like I said, use that thermometer if in doubt.
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NOTE: If you are planning a "Perfect Turkey", DO NOT stuff the bird, use a DARK ROASTING PAN, cook lightly covered with aluminum foil over the legs and breast of the bird....and keep CHICKEN STOCK at hand. You may need it to reheat the turkey and add moisture. It works to hold the heat of the Turkey meat and you can slice it afterwards.
I live over 3000 Feet above (1000 M plus) above sea level. Cooking times vary!!!!
A turkey will cook faster and dry out more quickly the higher the altitude you are cooking at.
And the Opposite is true too...
A turkey will cook more optimally the closer to sea level you get.
Preparing The Turkey
There are many ways to prepare a Turkey for roasting. This is my way. Wash the Turkey inside and out, lightly salt the cavity and fold the wings to the back of the bird.
Peel the skin from the neck back toward the breast, press stuffing mixture lightly into the cavity of the neck and cover with the extra skin.
Fill the cavity of the Turkey with the remaining stuffing. Don't pack it too tightly. You want a little breathing room for the stuffing.
Take the additional skin from the sides of the bird and tuck the legs inwards under the skin.
I'm using the String from the Turkey I bought to tie the the legs and wings in. It will additionally act as a lifter when the Turkey is done.
I'm a big believer in using as much as possible from ingredients I have at hand too. Cooking the Gizzards and Neck are a personal choice. I use the meat for my pets and the neck I use for broth. Whether you decide to use them, that's your choice.
I live over 3000 Feet above (1000 M plus) above sea level. Cooking times vary!!!!
A turkey will cook faster and dry out more quickly the higher the altitude you are cooking at.
And the Opposite is true too...
A turkey will cook more optimally the closer to sea level you get.
Preparing The Turkey
There are many ways to prepare a Turkey for roasting. This is my way. Wash the Turkey inside and out, lightly salt the cavity and fold the wings to the back of the bird.
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| One and a Half Hours |
Fill the cavity of the Turkey with the remaining stuffing. Don't pack it too tightly. You want a little breathing room for the stuffing.
Take the additional skin from the sides of the bird and tuck the legs inwards under the skin.
I'm using the String from the Turkey I bought to tie the the legs and wings in. It will additionally act as a lifter when the Turkey is done.
I'm a big believer in using as much as possible from ingredients I have at hand too. Cooking the Gizzards and Neck are a personal choice. I use the meat for my pets and the neck I use for broth. Whether you decide to use them, that's your choice.
****************************************************Important Roasting Tips to know:
Make sure the Turkey is completely defrosted prior to cooking.Remove neck and giblets from the Cavity.
Please Note: Neck or Giblets are sometimes stored in the neck cavity, double check.
Use a tray or a bed of vegetables and string to make lifting the turkey from the roasting pan easier. Tying back the legs and wings will absolutely make it easier to get a perfectly roasted Turkey out in one piece.
Temperatures, Covering and Roasting Pans
- May cook more quickly if using a Cast Iron Roasting Pot. Reduce heat to 325 F
- May cook more quickly if left uncovered. Reduce the heat to 325 F
- May take longer if using a shiny or aluminum roasting pan. Start Turkey at 350 F, reduce heat if to 325 F if required.
- May take longer to cook if using a covered roasting pan. Start Turkey at 350 F, reduce heat if to 325 F if required.
- An uncovered Turkey can be dry as a finished result.Lightly cover with Aluminium foil or cover if needed.
- Adding Butter, Vegetable Oil, Duck or Bacon Fat will help the browning and moisture of the Turkey.
- After the first hour, baste every hour and check temperature once top of the skin has browned.
- You can slow the cooking and browning of the breast and legs by covering with aluminum foil. and reduce heat to 325 F.
- The same is true of the stuffing, if the ares stuffed begin to brown before the breast and legs, cover with aluminum foil.
Timing
I prefer to start a Turkey early and take my time during the day to make other ingredients, it's less stressful. Holiday meals are about fun with family and friends, not slaving away in the kitchen the entire day. If I am stuffing the bird, I allow plenty of time before dinner to make any fixes that may be required. Keeping Chicken Stock at hand and using it to bring the Turkey back up to temperature when ready is a great way to "fix" your timing if necessary.
Stuffing can be fixed as well - It can be removed from the bird and cooked longer, or held to temperature in a "covered" baking dish. The longer it sits though, the drier it will become as it's still cooking. All things I learned the hard way.Cooking shows are great for recipes and ideas, but they don't always tell you how to salvage something when it goes wrong! Experience helps.
Gravies - Link here From Au Jus to Gravy, how to make it.
With a Turkey, I remove the Stuffing first, strain the contents into a large bowl using a colander and cheese cloth to ensure the carrots, celery and bits that fell from the stuffing are removed. Place in a sauce pan and leave to the side until ready to make the gravy.
For me to do that, I transfer the cooked turkey into another pan and let it rest. It will cool enough that I can break it down. I add a portion of the contents from the sauce pan into 2 quartz of chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Once it's hot, and the turkey has been broken down, I'll pour the stock over the pieces, cover and place back in the oven. this way I can finish off the rest of the meal without too much stress about timing. reduce the heat of the oven to 200 F. This keeps the turkey moist, makes it easier to carve as well as keeping it warm. Please see the bottom of this post for instruction.****************************************************
Stuffing and Dressing
The differences between a Stuffing and a Dressing is HOW it's cooked. A Stuffing is made inside the bird, a Dressing is made on either the stove top or in a baking dish and is used to help Dress the plate with additional food. Both, in my mind, are STUFFING!!!! The best part of a Roast Turkey Dinner.Making stuffing inside the Turkey has it's pros's and cons, here are my thoughts:
Inside
Moist Stuffing
Depending on the ingredients, a moisture Turkey
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| Stuffing Mixture |
Flavour of the stuffing incorporates with the Turkey
Less work when preparing side dishes prior to the meal.
Less Dishes
More flavour to the gravy
Plan on adding 1 to 2 hours to the cook time if you add stuffing to your turkey, though that is not always be the case, it depends on the density of your stuffing. The more dense, the more cook time required.
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| Dressing with Skin |
Outside (**Otherwise called "Dressing")
A faster cooking Turkey (but potentially drier)
A more accurately predicted cook time
No unwanted "bits" in your gravy
A more predictable result to the timing of your meal.
I have roasted a chicken in the past using a dense stuffing and things didn't fully cook as quickly as I wished. My fix was to remove the stuffing and finish it outside of the chicken. It works as well, though depending on your needs and your guest's, you may wish to take this into consideration when planning your meal.
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| Dressing Removed |
Make sure you have a Thermometer when checking for doneness. Stuffing Temperature should be 175 F internally, Turkey Temperature should be 165 F.
Traditional Roast Chicken Stuffing idea as well.
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This post, I'll focus on what I have made today and will update with stuffing and dressing variations in future. I have made stuffings without bread, using rice, sausage and vegetables as the filler. I want my traditional Roast Holiday Turkey for dinner today, so am making it my way. I want the flavours of Christmas.
Christmas Stuffing
This is my Christmas Stuffing, your results may be different to my own as I make my bread from scratch. You can however buy Raisin Bread, Cranberry Bread and cube them up as I did with my own bread, or ***add Raisins, Cranberries, Cinnamon and Nutmeg to your mixture. You will have to add to your taste, I had a lot of extra flavours from my breads.Homemade Raisin Bread - Starter Mix
Christmas Stuffing Recipe
3 Cups of Cubed Bread Crumbs
2 Whole Eggs
1 Cup of Lean Ground Sausage Meat2 Stalks of Celery - Diced
1 Large Carrot - Diced
1/2 Medium Leek - Green Leaves only - Or substitute with Yellow Onion
Chicken or Duck Stock, 1/4 cup
Spices - ***Please note above
2 TSP Basil
1 TSP Oregano
1/2 TSP Thyme
2 TSP Garlic
Sage - 1/8 TSP or a pinchSalt and Pepper
PLEASE NOTE: You should salt the inside of the cavity and the outside of the bird. You may wish to limit the salt you add your stuffing, sides and the gravy if you use a lot of salt.
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Breaking Down the Turkey
If your family tradition is to have the Turkey carried formally to a table whole, and carving slices for each individual, this is not the method.This does work very well if you are making a platter of sliced Turkey from which everyone can help themselves. It also eliminates the stress of having to learn how to become a perfect carver.
As noted above. I remove the Stuffing from the bird and place it in a covered baking pan. I also remove the Turkey from the original roasting pan and transfer it to a plastic cutting board. As per usual, once I removed the strings holding the Turkey together, the legs come away with very little effort. I remove them whole and place them in hot Chicken or Turkey Stock to keep them warm.I don't remove the skin from any part of the Turkey at this stage, I don't know who likes their serving with the skin on. A Turkey meal experience is different for everyone.
The Turkey Breasts have a line of cartilage right down the centre of the breast bone. You can see the indent where it juts up. I take a sharp knife and slice right on the centre of that indent. You can slice to the right or left of the cartilage until you feel the breast start to pull away from Turkey. The Turkey was well cooked so it did leave some of the white meat behind as it fell off. A large portion of the breast was left intact so I could slice it prior to serving.I repeated the process to the second side. I placed both portions of the breast into the pan with the chicken stock. I pulled off any any remaining portions large enough to slice for plating and transferred them into the stock as well.
You can now cover the portions you have pulled from the Turkey and place back into the oven as you finish the rest of your side dishes.
With what is remaining of your Turkey Carcass, you can clean any remaining meat and set aside for future use as sandwiches, leftover meals or to repurpose into a different style of Turkey meal.
Left Over Turkey Ideas - 2014
Once the Turkey has been roughly cleaned of the largest portions of meat. I cover and place to the side, or if cooled enough, I'll wrap it in Aluminum Foil and place in the fridge.
The next day or that evening, (depending on how much wine was involved in our feast!), I will make a new Soup Stock.There you have it. A roast Turkey Dinner, how to manage your time, and all of the Tips, Tricks and information I have learned over the years to help me make a Fabulous Turkey Dinner for a gathering.
I do on occasion make a Turkey for the purpose of cooking bulk meals. I don't always save it for a Holiday Celebration. I made this Turkey at the tail end of our Christmas Holiday even though we had our dinner Christmas day with Friends. I have a few posts on left over Turkey Ideas, but I am also working on several posts on how to maximize your meal planning. I do cook bulk to save time as well as money. plus I share with Friends.
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| TURKEY DINNER!! |
Happy Cooking!!!
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