Thanksgiving Turkey Tips?

Helenback
Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:13:38 +0000

I second the “dry brine” suggestion. I did it last year, and it was marvelous and easy–as opposed to having to refrigerate a giant pot of salt water with a turkey in it. I made the turkey at the link below and it was a snap. The only thing is that the salt makes for extremely salty pan drippings, so you can’t use them for the gravy. I like the suggestion about making the gravy a day ahead, because otherwise it’s a last minute pain in the neck. We didn’t make the gravy that comes with this recipe, but it looks like it might be good.

[Salted Roast Turkey with Herbs and Shallot-Dijon Gravy Recipe at Epicurious.com](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salted-Roast-Turkey-with-Herbs-and-Shallot-Dijon-Gravy-350432)

I have bought different turkeys over the years–from the wildly expensive organic to the cheapest grocery store bird. I have decided that the best turkey is a local turkey that hasn’t been frozen. They’re more expensive than the grocery, but cheaper than organic. If you have a local butcher, I would ask about it.