Five Easy Steps to the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
Five Easy Steps to the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
We want you to enjoy the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey with ease and have crafted these five easy steps in our farm kitchen to help guide you! If you have purchased your turkey from us it will be a farm fresh, all natural turkey and you will have stored it in the coldest part of your… Read More »
We want you to enjoy the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey with ease and have crafted these five easy steps in our farm kitchen to help guide you!
- If you have purchased your turkey from us it will be a farm fresh, all natural turkey and you will have stored it in the coldest part of your refrigerator. We suggest that you keep your turkey on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator on a baking sheet to prevent any cross contamination. If your turkey is frozen, plan ahead time for thawing. According to the USDA, the safest way to thaw your turkey is in your refrigerator allowing one day of thawing for each 4-5 pounds.
- Wash and dry your bird after removing packaging, remove inner gizzard package. There are several ways to prepare your bird for roasting, either by dry rub, wet brining, or herb butter seasoning. To make a dry rub combine favorite spices such as sage, rosemary, salt and pepper and sprinkle outside and inside the bird. To wet brine a turkey, make a basic solution of water and salt and soak the bird in brine for up to 12 hours in the fridge. The brine allows the turkey to absorb extra moisture and the salt in the brine provides seasoning and tenderizes meat. Making an herb butter seasoning is as simple as mixing butter with your favorite fresh or dried herbs and rubbing the bird with your mix. We like to use 4 TBS of Amish butter, softened, mixed with fresh pressed garlic and 1/2 TBS each of fresh chopped Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley & Sage.
- Your bird has been prepared and now is ready for roasting. You may also choose to place raw onion, shallot and herbs inside the turkey cavity before cooking for added flavor. Place your turkey in a large roasting pan fitted to your oven rack (adjust shelves according to your pan and turkey height). Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and then place your fresh turkey tented in foil in the oven to cook for the first 30 minutes. After 30 minutes reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees and continue roasting until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. When the turkey reaches 160 degrees, remove the foil and place the turkey back in the oven to allow the skin to brown for about 10 minutes or so.
- Using your meat thermometer, make sure that the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees before removing from the oven and let it rest before carving. Use your thermometer at the thickest part of the meat to register 165 degrees, ensuring the thermometer is not resting on a bone. Your turkey needs to rest before carving and keep it covered in foil while doing so. General rule of thumb to plan your meal is that it takes approximately 15-20 minutes per pound to cook your turkey in this method.
- You may want to baste the bird the last half hour of cooking time using the juices at the bottom of the pan, although not a requirement for fresh turkeys. The juices can also be made into a delicious gravy after the turkey is cooked. Here’s a helpful hint on how to make homemade gravy from your drippings. Once your turkey has been roasted, pour the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup fitted with a top strainer (you should have approx. 2 cups of liquid, if not you can add a little water or turkey broth to make up difference). Set the drippings aside and cool to allow fat to rise to top. Skim fat off from top of drippings using a spoon. Make a slurry in another glass container of 2 Tbs. cornstarch mixed with a little broth or water. Pour this slurry back into the pan with the skimmed drippings, bring to boil and mix until thickened. Add salt and pepper and any seasonings at this point. Serve warm. You may also have turkey broth warming on your stove to use for making your gravy or use a mixture of broth and wine. If you prefer you can make a stock from the giblet package (neck, gizzards and liver) by simmering the giblets in water with salt and pepper along with carrot and onion for flavor. You are using the entire turkey in this manner which is a sustainable option.
Best wishes from our farm kitchen to yours!
