Turkey Primer 101

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How To Prepare A Turkey

Thanksgiving Day is a stressful time for many experienced and first time cooks trying to make the picture perfect event. The biggest advice I could tell you is NOT to go for picture perfect. This mindset will leave you with less frustration and the ability to go with the flow when things may not work out as planned. Remember, it is all about being with the family and having fun. Don't stress out over the meal. Plan ahead. Get plenty of rest the night before. Ask for help when you need it in the kitchen.

Thawing a frozen turkey requires patience and common sense. The safest method is to thaw turkey in the refrigerator in its original wrapper. If you are thawing in a refrigerator, keep it on the bottom shelf in a pan to catch the running drippings from the bag to avoid cross contamination. If the bird is 8-12 pounds, it will take at least 3 days to thaw. If 13-16, wait at least 4 days. If 17-20, wait at least 5 days. If 21-24, wait at least 6 days. If you need a bigger bird, go straight to the farmer and get it fresh because the earlier thawed meat can go bad if you wait too long.

Another safe alternative to thawing or getting it fresh from the farm would be to let it thaw in a brine solution in a picnic cooler. Make sure your cooler is big enough to hold the bird and you have enough of an ice supply to keep topping it up when needed. Follow this recipe for the brine:

• 1 gallon apple juice
• 1-1/4 cups, brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups Kosher salt
• 1 large white onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 10 whole cloves
• 3 tsps black peppercorns
• 3 tsps dried sage
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp dill seed
• 3 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Slice the onion and crush the garlic cloves. Add these to a large pot (which can hold up to 2 gallons of fluid) along with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Let it continue to boil for 15 minutes and remove from heat. When it is cool enough, store it in the refrigerator overnight. Cool the turkey overnight using the precautions outlined above.

When you are ready to brine the turkey, clean the cooler (use a mild solution of hot water with bleach and completely rinse out then dry with a clean towel.) Add the brine to the cooler. Remove any packaging from the turkey including the neck, giblets and anything the company may have put inside the bird. Rinse the turkey with cool water and put in the cooler. Pour ice over the bird until it is covered to the top, but enough so that you can still close the cooler.

Let this stay in a cool area for at least 6 hours. Turn the turkey over and let stand for another 6 hours. Keep rotating it every 6 hours for up to 24 hours. As the ice starts to melt, be sure to keep adding more.

When you are ready to cook it, rinse the brine from the bird in cool water.

A warning about stuffing. Stuffing can kill you or make you really sick if done improperly. Think very carefully about how you approach it. While you can safely stuff a turkey, one little slip will make the day after not very pleasant for anyone. The best approach would be to make stuffing in a casserole dish on the side and cook the turkey separately.

Besides, your turkey will cook more evenly if it is not densely stuffed. If you used brine, your turkey will have a lot of flavour to it already. If you do not use the brine method and want to put something inside the cavity, consider adding aromatic vegetables such as carrots, celery, onion or garlic or by carefully tucking fresh herbs underneath the breast skin.

If you like a crispy skin on the turkey, before roasting, coat the outside of the turkey with vegetable or olive oil, season with salt and pepper and tightly cover the breast with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. If you like turkey that falls off the bones, use an oven safe turkey bag.

Once you get the turkey in the oven do not check up on it until it is nearly done. By constantly opening the oven, you will not get an even temperature which will contribute to a dry bird. Instead, purchase a thermometer with an alarm setting. Press it into the thickest part of the turkey between the leg and breast and set it for 180 degrees (disregard the plastic stem that comes with some turkeys that pop out).

If you insist on stuffing, get a second thermometer and set that to 165 degrees and place in the stuffing area.

When the alarm goes off, then you can feel free to open the oven and remove it. Tent the bird with foil and let rest for about 15 minutes before carving. If you start carving or poking around with it, you will let the juices run out and you will certainly have a dry bird.

Carve your turkey with a very sharp or electric knife on a carving platter or a very clean cutting board (again, the risk of cross contamination urges you to clean it with a light bleach water solution before and after you are done). Cut band of skin holding drumsticks. Grasp end of drumstick. Place knife between drumstick/thigh and body of the turkey and cut through skin to joint. Remove entire leg by pulling out and back, using the point of the knife to disjoin it. Separate the thigh and drumstick at the joint.

Insert fork in upper wing to steady turkey. Make a long horizontal cut above wing joint through to body frame. Wing may be disjointed from body. Slice straight down with an even stroke, beginning halfway up the breast. When knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, slice will fall free. Continue to slice breast meat, starting the cut at a higher point each time.

Turkey Dinner Quantity Calculator

Number Of Adults To Serve
Number Of Children To Serve
Leftovers Expected	Plenty None or Not Much
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Turkey Needed	Pounds
Stuffing Needed	Cups
Gravy Needed	Ounces

The National Turkey Federation and USDA suggest following these guidelines when roasting an unstuffed bird:

• 8-12 pounds: 2-3/4 to 3 hours
• 12-14 pounds: 3 to 3-3/4 hours
• 14-18 pounds: 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours
• 18-20 pounds: 4-1/4 to 4-1/2 hours
• 20-24 pounds: 4-1/2 to 5 hours

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