I've never tried a whole turkey but I usually prepare turkey breasts the day before. Sometimes I cook for 25 to 30+ people and don't have enough oven space for everything because I still make an extra turkey for those who like the dark meat. I roast the breasts, cool them, take them off the bone (but don't slice) put in a zip loc bag with chicken broth and squeeze out the extra air. The next day I slice the meat, arrange in my baking dish, heat up the broth and pour it over the turkey. I heat gently and briefly just until the meat is hot. It is very moist and tender. In a blind Thanksgiving taste test my extended family couldn't tell the "premade" from the "just made". We don't think you can tell the difference.

Hi Lvmadison,
You mention; I heat gently and briefly just until the meat is hot.
How do you re-heat the turkey breast after you pour the heated broth over it?

Thanks

Sorry. I sure wasn't very clear about that. I take the cooked turkey out of the fridge about an hour ahead of time so it isn't icy cold. When I'm ready to put it in the oven I slice it and layer the meat in the baking dish, pour the hot broth over it, cover with foil and put in in a 325 oven.You don' need to drown the meat in the broth but enough to keep it moist and juicy. Because I put the hot liquid on top it only requires a short time (about 10 minutes as I recall). I drain off the broth and use it in my gravy. Hope I didn't forget anything else.

This will be an easy Thanksgiving for me this year. Only 6 people to cook for so I won't need the extra turkey breasts.

It's only two of us, but I grill the full turkey breast. I do it on Thursday, but could do it the day before. Easy, because I make gravy 2-3 week before!

I used the attached recipe once. The turkey part of it was great. The gravy, not so much, although The Bitten Word Boys thought it was fabulous. Oh, I couldn't find turkey leg quarters, so I dismantled the turkey myself. I can cut up a chicken, how hard can it be to cut up a turkey? The answer is: harder than a chicken!

Make-Ahead Turkey
Cook's Country (October/November 2011)

Serves 10 to 12

Check the label when you're shopping for turkey. If there's an ingredient list, the bird has been enhanced and will work in this recipe. If you prefer natural, unenhanced parts, we recommend brining. (Dissolve 1 cup of salt in 2 gallons of cold water. Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Proceed with step 1 of Day 1, omitting the salt for seasoning.)

Notes from Zach and Clay of TheBittenWord.com:

Several readers have written to ask about the two turkey legs are used in the making of the gravy for this recipe. Are they served or discarded? The answer is that the legs are discarded along with the other solids after you make the stock, as the flavor of them has mostly been extracted in order to make a flavorful base for the gravy.

INGREDIENTS

2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
4 (1½- to 1¾-pound) turkey leg quarters, trimmed
1 (6- to 7-pound) whole bone-in turkey breast, trimmed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

DAY 1

Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme in large roasting pan. Set V-rack inside pan. Pat turkey legs and breast dry with paper towels. Arrange 2 legs and breast, skin side up, in V-rack. Brush turkey with butter and season with salt and pepper. Place remaining 2 legs in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Place roasting pan on middle rack and baking dish on lower rack. Roast until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 2 to 2½ hours. Transfer 2 legs and breast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Transfer vegetables in roasting pan and remaining 2 legs to large pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, water, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to 5 cups, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container, discarding solids. Let cool for 1 hour, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 2 days. Wrap cooled legs and breast tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

DAY 2

Scrape fat from top of chilled stock and reserve 5 tablespoons. Bring stock to simmer in medium saucepan. Set aside ¼ cup stock. Heat reserved fat in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaining 4¾ cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to 4 cups, 12 to 14 -minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer legs and breast to carving board. Separate legs into thighs and drumsticks and arrange on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Cut breast meat from bone into 2 single breasts. Working one at a time, remove skin from breast in 1 piece; reserve. Slice breast crosswise into ¼-inch slices and place on 18 by 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil, keeping slices together. Pour 2 tablespoons reserved stock over each breast and top with reserved skin. Wrap tightly and place on rack with legs.

Roast until turkey is heated through and thighs and drumsticks are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard breast skin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with gravy.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Bitten Word Make Ahead Turkey

thanks everybody..
we are going to roast our turkey the day before...
based on the information you all have provided i think it will be fine, it's only the immediate family anyways.. no one to impress.
enjoy your thanksgiving everyone

Beachlily: How do you make gravy in advance??

Jasdip, this recipe was posted here probably 5-6 yr ago. I don't have the name of the person who introduced it to us.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Makes about 2 quarts

For more flavor, after roasting the turkey you can skim the drippings from the pan and add them to the gravy just before serving. This recipe makes enough to accompany a large turkey and still have plenty for leftovers.

6 turkey drumsticks, thighs, or wings
2 carrots, chopped coarse
1 head garlic, halved
2 ribs celery , chopped coarse
2 onions, chopped coarse
Vegetable oil spray
10cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
12 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°. Place drumsticks, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in roasting pan, spray with vegetable oil, and toss well. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

2. Transfer contents of roasting pan to large Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container (discard solids), cover stock with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 2 hours.

3. Using soup spoon, skim fat and reserve. Heat 1/2 cup fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbling. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until honey colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

(Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.) Reheat gravy in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.

I just found my original document. This recipe was given to the Cooking forum by Woodie2 on November 17, 2007. It has been enjoyed by many, many forum members!!!!! Woodie2, are you listening????

I'm making my gravy tomorrow and will freeze it for Thanksgiving.

This post was edited by beachlily on Thu, Nov 13, 14 at 19:43

Thanks so much for posting the recipe Beachlily!

If-unlike the 'old days' when the father carved at the table..I prefer to roast mine the day before. I place the carved meat in a roasting pan and pour some turkey broth over it, cover w/foil &refrigerate. This allows the top shelf of the oven available for other baked items. Pull turkey out about 35 min. to get to room temp before placing in the oven t heat up. I actually buy 3 turkey legs and slow boil them on Tuesday before the big day..adding S&P, dry chicken base,2-3 qts of turkey broth, celery & onion and poultry seasoning to the water. When meat is tender..I remove the legs, brush with a little meted butter and place in the oven to bake until skin is golden. I jug the broth until the day of..so I have lots of broth to make gravy with. Often I make gravy out of the broth and when the turkey is done? Just scrape all of the goodies from the roasting pan & add to the gravy. If you don't want to leave the legs whole for serving, remove the meat and add to the pan of meat to be reheated..

Everyone around here does the turkey the day before. Less stress that way. I plan to cook it, debone it and have the bones on for stock the next day. After the stock is done, I will freeze the leftovers in the stock.