turkey roast

Now that turkey day is practically upon us & I'm in charge of the bird this year, actually wrested it out of my mother's hands, I'd like to try using more modern cooking methods. Traditionally the bird, a fresh one, has been stuffed using alot of fresh herbs then roasted in a covered roasted with water in the pan. This is where we disagree. My research seems to point to the fact that many chefs use an herbed butter or olive oil on the bird & roast in an open or tented pan. Brining also seems to be a favorite with many chefs, my mother claims brining is for a less than fresh turkey. Does anyone have any experince or opinion as to which method works best?

thanks
Sharon

[m brown]

last week i took out a two year old turkey form my freezer, it was in there two years.after the thaw, 4 days, i cooked this turkey thinking what the ****. well i salted with kosher salt and dusted with bells herb mix than sprayed with fine olive oil. baked for 2 hours at 375 then 350 for the last hour and 1/2. at 2 1/2 hours i added a few cups of water to the pan and basted three times that remaining hour. THIS BIRD WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND TASTIEST BIRD I EVER HAD!!!AND NOT A SINGLE EXTENDED FAMILY MEMBER TO SHARE IT WITH. always the way, when you have a maseter piece, no one is looking.14 # turkey feeds 4 family members for 2 nights, 3 neighbors for one and yields 4 quarts stock.

Hi Peter,

When you were creating your masterpiece turkey did you roast it covered, uncovered, tented? This is also a point of contention between moms & I.

Thanks for you note.
Sharon

Hi M. Brown,

sorry I called you Peter. I was so delighted with your response my fingers & brain weren't paying any attention to anything other than turkey.

Sharon

[m brown]

nothing, nada, naked turkey and the breast meat was tender! go figure. I got another free turkey at the market today in fact. I don't know if I'll let this one "age" like the last one. Just remember to put some form of fat on the skin, spray oil or butter.

[Pete]

I always roast my turkey covered for the first 2/3's of the cooking to help keep the breast moist and baste it every 20 min. or so. For the last 1/3 of time I finish it uncovered and brush the bird with melted butter to help get a nice crisp skin (the best part of the turkey).

[Ruthy]

I have been brining turkeys, chickens, pheasants and guinea hens (especially the breast meat when cooked separately) for a couple of years now. It works wonders whether you are roasting, sauteeing or grilling.

To M. Brown- what is bells herb mix? I never heard of it. I'm looking for cooking tips for my thanksgiving turkey...

[Lisbet]

I brined a turkey only once......it turned out so delicious and moist that I always brine any poultry now. That doesen't mean that it was stale or less than fresh. Any bird is enhanced with brining.

It is a true fact, that beef or any type of meat, when just a little bit "iffy", can be cleaned and sanitized with a good rubbing with salt.