turkey breast with pop-up--first time hosting
10 years ago
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Comments (9)
- 10 years ago
- 10 years ago
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How to roast Turkey breast without drying it out?
Comments (16)FWIW - I think most people cook it upside down and I never understood that. Chickens, turkeys, all those birds, people put on their backs breast side up and then stick them in the oven. The back is always the juiciest and best part, but there's almost no meat there at all. Cook it breast down for heaven's sake. And don't overcook. If you have a pop-up timer stuck into it, take it out and throw it away. Don't forget - the meat will still cook for a few minutes when it's out of the oven. Who cares what it looks like coming out of the oven??? Do you want it to look like a Norman Rockwell painting AND taste like one? That picture with Grandma taking the bird out of the oven with everyone looking on and imagining the dried out and tasteless dinner that awaits them - I think he was taking artistic license because a turkey butt side up just doesn't look as nice. But it tastes better....See MoreMy turkey was a turkey!
Comments (11)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?...See MoreRoasting Turkey Breast Instead Of The Whole Bird - How?
Comments (21)LOL Nancy, I'm sure those puppies just can't wait for holidays! They'll probably leave hints about Thanksgiving is year round and Christmas in July! Doing gravy in an electric roaster is kind of a personal preference. I think you'd be better off to take the cookwell and put on the stove. A lot depends on the roaster. Nesco does NOT heat from the bottom. They call it the "circle of heat" since it's in all the sides of the unit which helps keep things from burning on the bottom and the heat is more even. My mother used to make the gravy in the roaster. (I don't remember the brand but it was not Nesco) She'd crank it up full blast but as I recall hers had a heating element in the bottom. A cousin takes the cookwell and puts on the stove. Neither of her roasters are Nesco brand. I have the Roast Air attachment that fits my 6 qt. Now THAT will give you nice crispy skin! I used to just cock the top and let a lot of the moisture out and frequently take a baster and pull the juices out to help dry and crisp the skin, which did work. Now I let it cook and then about the last 1/2 hour or so I turn on the fan and even turn up the heat a bit and the convection action will crisp and brown things up. Be warned though, when the fan goes on, it will blast the juices around so you might want to pull some of them out just in case. The convection action also evaporates it more too. I never thought about the gluten issue on prebasted meats. I usually prefer to get a non-basted if I have a choice but the cheap ones usually are injected. Maybe look at organic or something? I'm not sure about that. Should ask my sister about that since she's Celiac but I know she's still confused on a lot of the things related to it....See More2.75# turkey half-breast in crock pot
Comments (8)Well, I ran out of time yesterday to cook it in the crock pot, so I ended up roasting it in the conventional oven. First of all I should point out that the breast weighed 1.75#, not the 2.75# I gave in my initial post. Anyway, here's what I did: I followed Linda's guidelines (thank you, Linda) but at Compumom's temperature (350F). In a large roasting dish, I placed the half-breast on a nest of thinly-sliced onion (1 large onion) and several peeled garlic gloves. I seasoned the breast with S&P and I few other savory seasonings I like, topped with a several dots of butter over the skin, and popped the dish in the fridge until ready to heat up the oven. Meanwhile, I cut 3 large (the size of baseballs!) red potatoes into chunks tossed them with a little olive oil and dried rosemary - just enough oil to lightly coat the potato pieces At baking time, I poured 1/4C dry white wine and about as much chicken broth (both at room temp) around the breast (not over it) and placed the potatoes in the bottom of the dish around the breast. Covered loosely with a foil tent and baked about 1.5 hours (I checked after 1.25 hours but not quite done). Removed from oven when temp reached 165F with instant-read thermometer, let sit 10-15 minutes with foil tent. The meat was extremely juicy and tender. The thin slices of onion caramelized in the wine/broth/juices and created a delicious sauce for the potatoes - as well as being tasty to eat. (There were a few thicker slices that didn't caramelize; next time I'll be sure ALL the slices are thin - they'd also be a nice addition to a turkey sandwich the next day.) Next time I may add a bit more liquid to create a bit more juice, but really it was fine as is. I still maintain it's possible to make a juicy tender delicious turkey/chicken breast in the crock pot --- if done correctly --- and I plan to give that a whirl sometime soon. I've found several recipes on-line with very favorable reviews to indicate they are worth trying. Thank you all for your suggestions and input! PS - I wanted to add brussels sprouts (halved) with the potatoes but was afraid this would increase cooking time. Will that work, all together in the same dish at the same time? The potatoes went in with the turkey and all turned out fine....See More- 10 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
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