CLIV--It's Turkey Time

17 years ago

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I agree on the pinkness. You can also get a pinky tinge depending on what the bird has been eating. If the texture is smooth and soft and glossy, it's under done. If it's cooked turkey texture, it's cooked. :) I can't deal with all the turkey gymnastics that other people put their birds through. The whole point for me is that it starts early and doesn't need any fussing. Mine goes on a short, silicone covered rack in my "goosepot", which is basically a 15 qt. Le Creuset oval dutch oven. I should say that I always start with a top quality, free range bird, usually about 22 lbs. in the Spring, which means it has defrosted for a few days in the fridge, there being no fresh turkeys that size at Passover time. Recently, I gave up on stuffing, which also shortens the cooking time so I may go back. Without stuffing, I put a lemon and a broken up tarragon branch in the cavity, and a blend of dried herbs and maybe garlic pepper, shaken all around. I don't know that it makes a difference, but it feels like cooking. :) A bottle of cheap (palatable) white table wine in the bottom of the pot. My birds are always too big for the pot lid, so I do the loose tent of heavy duty Reynolds Wrap. Just a sheet of foil, dangling loosely. Then I put it in the oven for the proper amount of time for the size of the bird, take it out, let it rest, and get one of the guys to carve because I'm way too busy at that point to care what happens to it. But it is always gloriously, beautifully brown and juicy. Not crispy skinned. We don't eat the skin, but it is appetizing looking. Because I have a tight fit in the roaster, and the wine in the bottom, people will tell you I'm steaming, rather than roasting the turkey. Fine by me. It tastes good. :) And one year I did six turkey breasts and thighs in the steam oven because I needed more turkey and the big oven for something else. :) I know you know how to cook. Maybe the trick is to not try so hard?
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Cooked the turkey breast: long cooking time
Q
Comments (13)
Thanks everyone. Yes, I used an oven thermometer. It's an old one (the standard metal frame) and I have no reason to think it's off, since setting the oven 25 degrees lower seems to work almost all the time.... and NOT setting it lower tends to burn/brown the food too much (though I haven't tried that for a long while....). In addition, I always put the rack in the middle of the oven (unless the recipe says to do otherwise), then put the thermometer in the middle of the rack on which I'll put the pan, and wait until it registers at (or very close to) the temp I want. And, yes, the breast was cold when it went into the oven -- I made the herb paste in the morning, spread it on, covered with foil, and put it in the fridge. I wanted to go for a bike ride and didn't want to cut that short to come back and prepare the turkey; all I'd need to do is stick it in the oven. No doubt, letting it sit at room temp for about an hour would have made a difference in cooking time. I bought it fresh, not frozen, and kept it in the fridge until cooking time. (I removed the foil except for the last 30 minutes.) So, next time I'll let it sit for about an hour at room temp before cooking, then let it reach 165 degrees before removing it from the oven. This was Ina's recipe and tried and true so I'm going on the assumption I did something differently. It wasn't overly dry.... a little on the dry side. The flavor is great and I would definitely make it again, but not for company until I get this right! I also made the dill potatoes (posted here before), and brussel sprouts blanched then tossed w/ EVOO and drizzled with finely chopped walnuts then roasted in the oven. Hubby (who does most of the cooking since he's retired and I am still working) said "This is really good, Hon." .... then, after dinner, "Good job!" All's well that ends well! :-) Thank you all so much!! What a great forum.
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Cooking a farm-raised turkey for the first time
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I have cooked a fresh farm raised turkey for the last 8 years. Here's my two cents worth: I don't brine or salt the turkey. I hate the texture brining gives the bird and I'm sensitive to over salty foods. I make a compound butter with butter, garlic, paprika and beer or white wine. I rub the compound inside the bird and place some under the skin everywhere I can fit it. I melt the remainder to use for basting. Placed turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, add a little wine or water to the bottom of the pan and place in preheated 450 oven, close the oven door and reduce the heat to 275. I baste the bird every hour or two until an instant read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 160-165. You are looking to get a finished temp of 165. The bird will continue to cook while resting covered with foil. Resist the temptation to overcook. These birds are less fatty and have no solution added so the margin for error is smaller. Remove the bird from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the bird to rest for 30-40 minutes. Carve and serve. There is very little extra juice for gravy with these birds as they are not injected with sodium solution. I usually roast some necks, backs and wings with celery, carrots, onions and garlic and make stock a few days ahead of time for gravy and stuffing. Also they seem to cook faster than store bought birds. For example for me a 40 lb. unstuffed bird cooks in about 6 hours.
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turkey breast with pop-up--first time hosting
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Comments (9)
Agree with both preceding comments. Especially the need for a digital thermometer. Ignore the pop-up, there's really no substitute for a digital thermometer to properly cook meat of any kind. With poultry, it's for food safety, with beef or lamb, it's to be able to cook to whichever degree of doneness is desired. They're useful for far more than meat too. It's the best $10 you'll ever spend. 325 and 350 are really the same temperature, especially given how inaccurate and variable most home ovens are. At the lower temp, it will take a bit longer than 90 minutes, but the process is the same. At the risk of giving an obvious suggestion, remember to allow maybe 72 hours (+/-) of defrost time by moving the breast from the freezer to the refrigerator before you cook it. Also, I always pull turkey and chicken out of the oven at least 5 degrees below the target temperature. When you're clear it's in the high 150s or at 160 in the very center, take it out of the oven so that it doesn't overcook as the temperature will continue to rise for the next 5-10 minutes.
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CLIV--It's Turkey Time

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