Comments on: How To Cook A Turkey

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:04:24 +0000

By the way, I have a very interesting (or at least I think so) post coming out tomorrow AM on 10,000 birds on the first thanksgiving vis-a-vis turkeys.

By: Calli Arcale

Calli Arcale — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:40:07 +0000

The deboning portion is also the method used in making a turducken. My dad once made one from scratch; it was heavenly, but really too much work to do often. Or even more than once. 😉
1) Using the process described above, debone a turkey. For aesthetic reasons, retain wings and drumsticks.
2) Remove wings and legs from a duck. Set them aside to cook separately, or discard. Debone completely. Skin can be kept or discarded depending on preference; it will not be getting crispy, however, so I recommend removing it. (If there is lots of fat, this skin can have other excellent uses.)
3) Remove wings and legs from a chicken. Set them aside to cook separately, or discard. Debone completely. Skin can be kept or discarded depending on preference.
4) Lay the turkey, skin down, on top of some long, precut sections of butcher’s twine. Spread a thin layer of stuffing across it.
5) Lay the duck down on top of that, in a similar attitude. Spread a thin layer of stuffing across it.
6) Lay the chicken down on top of that, again in the same orientation, and put the remainder of your stuffing on that.
7) With assistance, roll this whole mess up and truss it tightly.
8) Bake as a roast.

It’s delicious, but very very fussy. I might try this method of cooking a turkey, though. Not this Thanksgiving, though; I’m gonna be short on time, and will be going with the upside-down and otherwise cook normally method.

By: First turkey | Daria's World – things that make me smile

First turkey | Daria's World – things that make me smile — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:43:19 +0000

[…] How To Cook A Turkey Greg Laden’s Blog […]

By: Doug Alder

Doug Alder — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:18:39 +0000

Interesting technique Greg – I would suggest to anyone wanting to try it that you need to have a very (!) sharp and quite flexible boning knife to accomplish this without tearing the skin. Another technique after boning is to roll the the turkey (duck, chicken etc) into a log, tie with butchers twine and roast

By: gwen

gwen — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 21:56:03 +0000

I brine mine for 12 hours, and then cook it upside down. I use a meat thermometer to let me know when it is optimally cooked. My turkeys are famously juicy! 🙂

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 20:54:44 +0000

The best turkey I ever cooked was a 12-lb bird, unstuffed, cooked over indirect heat on a charcoal barbecue using mesquite charcoal (never briquets!)

By: Susan C. Steckov-Caiazzi RN BSN

Susan C. Steckov-Caiazzi RN BSN — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:42:29 +0000

Duh!

Or you can do the entirely brainiac thing and cook the turkey upside-down! Yup! That simple.

Place the breast on the bottom in a roasting pan appropriately sized so that the moisture is contained around the bird while roasting.
As the water and fat are released from the areas of higher myoglobin, (the dark meat), they run into the less fatty proteins of the breast, adding loads of flavor…..AND more importantly, moisture!
Cooking need not be rocket science! Prep time to avoid ever running afowl (sic) again?
As much time as it takes you to remove the bird from it’s wrapper, remove the packaged organs from the abdominal cavity, toss it ,breast-side-down,in the roasting pan, slap the lid on, and put it in the oven!
Your baking time is contingent on the weight of the bird, and the patience you have to wait until it is done. Meaning, you can set the oven temperature at 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and wait all day, or set the temperature a 450 for the first two hours then turn it down for the time it takes for all juices are running clear, and the meat is easily separated from the bone.
Got more time? You can stuff it first, OR, now you have plenty of relaxed prep time for the rest of the meal!