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basic turkey


Bier Meister
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I always brine my turkey overnight. Take it out of brine for about an hour to let it come to room temp. I like milder woods such as cherry or apple for the bird. I always smoke about a 10lb bird (I fry another 10lb to go with it). I use indirect cooking method (this may seem obvious, but then again, it may not.) I like to smoke the bird around 225-250 degrees. I've also "roasted" one on my Egg at 350 with apple wood that still had a nice, smoky flavor. I usually go for internal temp of 160. Take the bird off and rest it for 15-30 mins.

 

I have changed my smoking method. I feel that for turkey 225-250 degrees is too low. Yes the bird cooks and has a nice smoky flavor, but at this low temp, the skin does not crisp up and is a bit rubbery. I now advocate smoking the turkey at 350 degrees. I still get the nice smoky flavor but now the skin is also nice and crispy.

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I have changed my smoking method. I feel that for turkey 225-250 degrees is too low. Yes the bird cooks and has a nice smoky flavor, but at this low temp, the skin does not crisp up and is a bit rubbery. I now advocate smoking the turkey at 350 degrees. I still get the nice smoky flavor but now the skin is also nice and crispy.

 

 

could you do the majority of the cooking at the lower temp, then maybe the last 1/4 or so bump it up to get the crisp skin?

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I take the temp in the meaty part of the thigh and near the end also check the thick part of the breast. I always shoot for about 160 and then let it rest. I think 140 is too low and I'd be concerned about salmonella, but that's me. If you go by those little pop up things, your turkey will be at risk to be dried out.

Didn't go far enough to see if anyone else commented on this but this is absolutely confirmed. In this month's Saveur Mag they discussed them and someone from the magazine contacted the company that makes them. They're set to pop at 180. So, if you don't just remove to begin with, consider it a last resort, you're already pretty much screwed but what the hell maybe it's still edible if you pull it out this very second, alarm clock.

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could you do the majority of the cooking at the lower temp, then maybe the last 1/4 or so bump it up to get the crisp skin?

 

That might be possible. I don't want to experiment on Thanksgiving but on a weekend after football season, this will warrant further investigation.

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1 14-16 lb turkey (thawed)

2-3 tbs olive oil

1 C + 2 tbs butter (2 1/4 sticks- 1/4 inch dice)

2 tbs minced thyme

2 tbs minced rosemary

2 tbs minced sage

2 tbs parsley

10 C chricken broth

3 C diced onion (1/2 inch)

2 C diced carrot (1/2 inch)

2 C diced celery (1/2 inch)

2 lemons (halved)

S&P

 

 

preheat oven to 425. remove neck, gizzards, etc. rinse tureky inside and out. pat dry. create a pocket between meat and skin. rub whole bird with olive oil, salt, and pepper. mix thyme, parsely, sage, rosemary in a small bowl. evenly distribute in the pocket and outside of the bird.... if you need more make more :wacko: evenly distribute about 2 C of butter inside those pockets. stuff the bird with 1 C onion, 1 C carrot, 1 C celery, and 2 lemons. tuck legs under and tie legs (trousing).

 

roast for about 20-30 min, reduce temp to 350. cook 30 min.. pour 1 cup of broth over turkey. add abut 1 tbs of butter to roasting pan. cook 30 min. baste with pan drippings. pour another C of broth over the bird. and add another tbs butter to pan. cover loosely with foil and roast until therm reads 175 at thickest part of thigh....basting with a cup of broth and tbs of butter every 30-45 min. this should take about 1 hour and 45 min + or -.

 

for gravy (base)-

melt 2 tbs of butter. in deep skillet over high heat. add 2 c onions, 1 c celery, 1 c carrots.... saute until brown. add 6 cups of broth and bring to boil.. reduce heat to med-low and simmer for about 45 min uncovered. strain.

 

strain pan juices from the turkey... whisk in gravy base. melt 2 tbs of butter in large sauce pan over med heat. add flour and whisk constantly until our roux is golden brown (about 6 min). gradually add the gravy base/pan juice mixture into the roux. increase heat and whisk until gravy thickens, boils, and is smooth. reduce heat to med. reduce gently until it reduce to about 4 1/2 cups..whisking often (about 10 min). season gravy with s&p.

 

I am going to follow this recipe too! I have a 24 pound turkey so if the 15 pound turkey takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes do you think the 24 pound turkey would take about 2 hours and 45 minutes? 7 minutes per pound .....

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I am going to follow this recipe too! I have a 24 pound turkey so if the 15 pound turkey takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes do you think the 24 pound turkey would take about 2 hours and 45 minutes? 7 minutes per pound .....

 

 

i think it may take closer to 4-5 hrs for a bird that size

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  • 11 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Turkey has been in the brine for 4 hours now (while I went to the bar). I'll take it out in another 7 hours or so and commence to roasting. I'll follow the recipe that bier started in this thread. Did it a few years ago and it went over very well.

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Turkey has been in the brine for 4 hours now (while I went to the bar). I'll take it out in another 7 hours or so and commence to roasting. I'll follow the recipe that bier started in this thread. Did it a few years ago and it went over very well.

 

Mine went into the brine last night about 10:00pm. Soon, it will become one with The Egg. My other bird has been happily injected with a garlic/herb/butter sauce and it awaits the fryer.

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My bird this year was a failure (although everyone assured me they liked it). 20.5 pound bird, unbrined. Gave the skin a brushing with melted butter, S&P, and did the first half hour at 425. Brought it down to 350. Checked the temp at just under 3 hours (expecting the total cook time to be around 3.5 hours) and the internal temp was already at 178 :wacko:

 

Only good thing was the fact that I made a homemade herb gravy that I was very happy with. The bird needed plenty of it. :tup:

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:wacko: oven calibrated correctly? baste every 20-30 min? if not, oven maintains that heat longer.i admit that i am a little paranoid and check doneness more frequently the close it gets to my perceived "ready" time.

 

 

edit: a couple of years back i made dinner at my parents place. though she said she got it fixed, the oven was an issue and it took longer to cook than usual.

Edited by Bier Meister
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:wacko: oven calibrated correctly? baste every 20-30 min? if not, oven maintains that heat longer.i admit that i am a little paranoid and check doneness more frequently the close it gets to my perceived "ready" time.

 

I'd always thought basting was an old wives tale. 1. The liquid doesn't penetrate the meat, it just runs down the sides of the bird, and 2. You went through the effort of getting the skin golden brown and crisp. . .why are you dousing it with liquid?

 

After everyone left I started harvesting the carcass for turkey salad/turkey hash/etc and the dark meat was perfectly moist and tender. I wish the entire family hadn't stampeded for the white meat. . .

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My bird this year was a failure (although everyone assured me they liked it). 20.5 pound bird, unbrined. Gave the skin a brushing with melted butter, S&P, and did the first half hour at 425. Brought it down to 350. Checked the temp at just under 3 hours (expecting the total cook time to be around 3.5 hours) and the internal temp was already at 178 :wacko:

 

Only good thing was the fact that I made a homemade herb gravy that I was very happy with. The bird needed plenty of it. :tup:

 

First mistake was not brining the bird. This makes the bird very forgiving when it comes to being overcooked.

 

Next, you need to purchase a remote probe thermometer. This is the one I have. http://www.chefsresource.com/wirremcookth.html

No matter where I was in the house, I knew the internal temp of the bird on The Egg.

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Next, you need to purchase a remote probe thermometer. This is the one I have. http://www.chefsresource.com/wirremcookth.html

No matter where I was in the house, I knew the internal temp of the bird on The Egg.

 

I've owned 3 in the past 5 years and they've all been dead wrong.

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  • 11 months later...

This year I'm having people over to my place for Thanksgiving for the first time, and for the first time I will be in charge of the turkey action. I'm a bit nervous. Armed with a brined bird and my probe thermometer I figure I can't mess it up too badly, but I'll be embarrassed for weeks if I serve an inedible turkey.

 

Any of you have tips for getting that nice even brown across the whole bird?

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This year I'm having people over to my place for Thanksgiving for the first time, and for the first time I will be in charge of the turkey action. I'm a bit nervous. Armed with a brined bird and my probe thermometer I figure I can't mess it up too badly, but I'll be embarrassed for weeks if I serve an inedible turkey.

 

Any of you have tips for getting that nice even brown across the whole bird?

lots of butter.

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