Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Cooking a Turkey, Some Advanced Ideas.

Cooking a turkey is one of my favorite things to do. I highly recommend one person make the turkey and another take on the sides.

If you've never made a turkey before follow the link below. It's an easy step by step video recipe that will help anyone have a great, delicious Thanksgiving Turkey.




If you've made a turkey lots of times before but want some new ideas, here are some options for that wonderful traditional bird.

1. Try a brine. It's a salty mix that you soak your thawed turkey in for 12 - 24 hours. This is a store bought one but there are lots of recipes on the web for brines. Basically, disolve the brine in a gallon of boiling water, let it return to room temp (for me that means putting ice in it until it cools.) add aonther gallon of water (minus the ice :-)) Put turkey in bucket and pour brine over turkey and make sure turkey is completely covered. Put in the refrigerator (or if you live in Minnesota, out on the deck or anywhere that's not inside. :-)) for 12 - 24 hours.


I of course didn't plan far enough ahead so It only brined for 5 hours.

2. place butter under the skin. Use a rubber spatula to loosen the skin on the breast and spread a layer of butter under skin. Make sure the skin doesn't get punctured.


3. Slice a lemon and an orange and put it in the cavity. It gives a sparkly top end to the taste. I highly recommend it.


4. add one or two handfuls of pomegranate seeds to the stuffing. add it right after you finished fluffing it with a fork and it's still hot. Add the seeds and stir. That way a little of the juice gets mixed in with the stuffing but the seeds maintain integrity.

Here's a video where all of these are shown.


Have a great Thanksgiving,

Cook well,
Rob Barrett

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