<p>I probably have a pretty unique way to cook our Turkey. We have done it this way for years and have always had very flavorful & moist meat:</p>
<p>We start the night before! Really!!</p>
<p>Lay Turkey, breast side down into the pan, garlic butter on the inside of the bird and we put it on the outside too. Then some seasonings. Cover tightly with tin foil. Bake at 250 for one hour. Reduce heat to 200 and roast for 10-15 hours. Cooking time could be longer to fit your schedule. Test with a meat thermometer & make sure temp in the thigh is at 180 degrees.</p>
<p>We prep the turkey the night before and then put it in the oven an hour before we go to bed. Then after an hour, turn down to 200…it should be ready by 12 noon the next day but can stay in the oven as long as needed because of the low temperature.</p>
<p>Sometimes at the very end I’ll put the broil on to crisp up the skin before taking the bird out and covering it with a tent of foil to let it rest before carving.</p>
<p>This is the best turkey we have ever eaten. The meat falls off the bones and is very juicy & moist.</p>
<p>I cover turkey in bacon, wrap in foil and bake medium and uncover to brown. Gravy from all the juice at bottom with corn starch and water to thicken it up. It comes out gorgeous.</p>
<p>chocchipcookie, that’s very similar to the method my mother used to use-she’d stay up until 3 am the night before to put the turkey in the oven and then let it roast at a low temp until it was time to eat the next day. The turkey always ended up moist and tender. BUT I would NEVER cook poultry at that low a temperature today–the USDA says a turkey should cook at no lower than 325 degrees to be sure you aren’t incubating bacteria in your bird. (Mom bought her turkeys at the local turkey farm and had confidence the handling was safe–I don’t have the same feeling about the mass produced birds that are shipped all over the country and handled by waves of people.) I’d be too scared of poisoning the whole family to ever use mom’s method, and I’ve found that brining produces a bird that’s just as tender and juicy as hers.</p>
<p>I just did a very quick on-line search…I never knew it could be harmful for bacteria…I’ve been doing it this way for years and never had a problem. Many websites agreed with you…not to cook below 325 and a few websites said that don’t cook at less than 200…well, maybe I’ll start it at a bit higher temp and turn down to 250 instead of 200 and cook for less time…also when using broil to crisp up the skin, maybe that kills any bacteria that may have grown during the cooking process…</p>
<p>I bought my turkey from Trader Joes today, which is brined to begin with. Hopefully since I’ve done this way year after year it’ll still be okay this year and no one gets sick! :eek:</p>
<p>I feel like I’m running a marathon. Making MommaJ’s NY Times turkey gravy recipe today along with the two desserts and rolls. What was I thinking?? Have to stop in the middle and drive down to pick up DD from school – 45 minutes each way. </p>
<p>Did not walk/run with the neighbors this morning. Started cooking at dawn. I’m thinking Christmas will be on a beach somewhere . . .</p>
<p>We also start chicken upside down, high temp, then turn it, lower temp. My grandmother’s “secret.” Lately, DH turns it several times so the sides also get a turn being up. (That ends up being a lot of work.) Did a trial run on a chicken on Sunday and it was so juicy. </p>
<p>Making the pumpkin muffins and tomato ice cream today. I did something from last year’s version of this thread, can’t remember what, but the conversation is fun. Thanks to the OP and all. Happy Tday to all.</p>
<p>Just the turkey eaters this year so it feels like a vacation. Did all my shopping on Sunday and made the orange-cranberry sauce and turkey stock for the gravy. </p>
<p>Made the pie crusts last night and cooking my pies today. I’m using the Cook’s illustrated’s pumpkin pie recipe for the first time this year. Coincidentally, it’s on the main page of Yahoo today. It calls for vodka (!) as the secret ingredient to a light and fluffy crust. It cooks off so there’s no alcohol and no taste in the finished product. Very interested to see how this comes out.</p>
<p>Also doing a brined bird for the first time, with an herb encrusted butter rub under the skin, orange, lemon, herbs and garlic in the cavity and a dry rub outside. It goes in the oven at 425 and gets turned down to 325 after 1/2 hour. </p>
<p>I just made the most decadent potato leek gratin. I’ve been working at a rich, tasty gratin or scalloped potato side and this is a keeper. Saute 2 sliced leeks, a couple cloves of minced garlic, rosemary or herbs de provence, salt and pepper in a generous pat of butter until leeks are tender. Slice about 2 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes thin and add to pan with 2 cups cream and a cup of milk. Cook uncovered until cream/milk is substantially reduced and very thick and potatoes are just about done…about 20 minutes. Put half the potato mixture in a casserole with about 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, put the rest of the Potato mix on top and top off with 1/2 cup of Gruyere and 1/4 cup of Parmesan. I made it tonight and put it in the fridge - Bake for about 1/2 hour tomorrow until bubbly and browned on top. I could have eaten the spoon. i adapted a recipe I found and this one works. Too many calories to contemplate. I can imagine this one on a really cold snowy night with some kind of sausage.</p>
<p>jym- the pumpkin muffins are amazing- definitely good for dessert. It wasn’t hard at all to shred, but I did end up with enough batter for nearly 24. I’ll make some sort of cream cheese icing tomorrow and am thinking of a sprinkle of chopped crystallized ginger on top of that. Thanks. [I think these will go to the office potluck, too.]</p>
<p>As for the tomato ice cream, it’s a winner. The kids will hate me, but my mother will think I am a freaking creative genius.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys–that sounds amazing!! I put that in my recipe file (I have one saved on my computer so copy and paste is lovely!!). I can see where my family would love this.</p>
<p>First time brining a turkey. Used an apple cider brine. The sugars in the brine made the skin of the turkey way too brown, it looked burned. Tasted wonderful. Pan drippings too black too be used, but I had made broth with neck and giblets so had decent gravy. Not sure the brining was worth the trouble.</p>
<p>I used the butter/wine suggestion for my cheesecloth basting and loved the flavor. I have used my large roaster the past 2 years for my turkey and I have to say, the turkey is SO JUICY. It was dripping with juice from the meat as we carved it. I HIGHLY recommend one for everyone–it also frees up the oven. It does such a nice job browning the turkey too. I’ve used the roasting bags in the past and they just don’t do as good of a job.</p>
Yay to us cooks!</p>