Roast Turkey...Made Easy
By Charlie Burke
Roast Turkey Printer Friendly Version
It was with some trepidation that I approached the topic of roasting a
turkey…I wondered if our readers needed yet another recipe for roast turkey
in November when the cover of nearly every cooking magazine is adorned
with a picture-perfect browned bird, while the editors struggle to convince us
that, (at last!), the definitive recipe for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey is
contained within.
I have Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines filed by month and dating back
for more than twenty years, so last weekend I pulled out all the November
issues dating back to the late 1970’s. It was amusing to see all the differing
approaches: wide variations of temperatures touted as ideal, turkeys roasted
in various positions and subjected to all sorts of injections, rubs and
subcutaneous additions. A current magazine even advises making an
incision in each breast and filling them with herbed butter!
It soon became clear to me why there is so much mystique associated with
what should be a simple process, and why so many cooks are intimidated by
the prospect of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The goal of this column then
became clear – to provide a straightforward, safe and reliable recipe resulting
in a correctly cooked turkey, moist and full of flavor
If you have read previous columns, you probably have noticed that I favor
roasting at high heat, which I’ve done almost exclusively over the past ten
years since becoming familiar with Barbara Kafka’s classic cookbook:
“Roasting, A Simple Art”. She makes the case, confirmed by our experience,
that a properly cooked turkey is moist and tender without injections or other
machinations.
High heat roasting (500 degrees) intensifies flavors and considerably shortens
cooking time so there is less time for the white meat to dry out while the dark
meat reaches proper temperature. We have found that fresh local turkey
cooks in a surprisingly short time and has superior taste, although
commercial turkeys are quite consistent in quality. It is important that the
oven be clean, because excess smoke will be caused by any residue in the
oven.
Turkeys in the 12 – 16 pound range are ideal for this technique, while
brining, the only extra step worth considering, helps ensure a moist result;
kosher birds should not be brined because salt has already been added.
Because the skin is impervious, spreading with oil or butter or basting are
not necessary to keep the meat moist. Additionally, the turkey should be
covered with a moist cloth and brought to room temperature before cooking
at high temperature (3 – 5 hours for a 15 - 16 pound turkey).
Cooking the turkey without dressing gives the best results because of shorter
cooking time and is safer. All poultry have salmonella risk, and dressing
served below 180 degrees is the most common source of food poisoning from
turkey. If you wish to cook the dressing in the turkey, bring it to room
temperature before placing it into the turkey and make sure it reaches the
proper temperature. It is best to cook it in a casserole adding some of the
liquid from the roasting pan for flavor.
A thick-bottomed roasting pan with handles and an instant reading
thermometer are good investments which can be used for roasting meats and
vegetables throughout the year.
To serve 10 or more:
One 16 pound turkey
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For brine:
2 cups kosher salt
8 quarts water
If brining, dissolve salt in water in a large stock pot. Add turkey and
refrigerate overnight. Remove from brine, rinse and pat dry with paper
towels. Proceed as below.
For stock:
Neck, gizzard and heart from turkey, rinsed and dried
canola oil
1 medium onion cut in half
1 medium carrot
1 stalk celery
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon pepper corns
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
Place a small volume of oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add neck,
gizzard and heart and cook, turning until browned. Add the remaining stock
ingredients and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2
hours, skimming foam from time to time. Strain and set aside. This can be
done well ahead of the rest of the meal.
Roasting turkey:
Rinse inside and out, dry with paper towels and bring turkey to room
temperature, keeping skin covered with a moist towel to prevent drying.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (450 degrees works nearly as well; cooking times
will be slightly longer). Sprinkle turkey with ground pepper and salt and
place into a roasting pan; we place it directly into the pan, but a rack can be
used. Cook, rotating pan 180 degrees after 1 hour; add 1 -2 cups water or
chicken stock to pan if drippings appear to be turning too dark. ]
Check temperature in the thickest part of the thigh at 1 ¾ hours. Remove
from oven when temperature is 170 degrees, about 2 hour’s total cooking
time for unstuffed turkey. Add approximately 30 minutes if you have stuffed
the turkey. Let turkey sit for 30 minutes, during which the temperature in the
thigh should reach 180 degrees.
Gravy:
While turkey is resting, pour fat from roasting pan and place pan over
medium – high heat. Pour stock into pan; boil, scraping up the browned fond
from the pan. Boil until reduced nearly by half, check and add salt and
pepper to taste. Keep hot and serve with turkey.
This high heat method reliably yields moist flavorful turkey and is
remarkable for its simplicity. Brining is not essential, and plain chicken broth
can be used for making the pan gravy instead of the giblet stock. Cooking
times are short: 3 hours for a 20 pound unstuffed turkey, and an amazing 1
hour and 20 minutes for one of 12 pounds, according to Kafka.
Become familiar with high temperature roasting, and you will enjoy
predictable results, simplify holiday cooking and have more time to enjoy
this special time of the year with your family.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president
of the New Hampshire Farmer’s Market Association (www.nhfma.org) and
helps run the Sanbornton Farmers' Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, he
grows certified organic herbs, greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in
Sanbornton, NH.
By Charlie Burke
Roast Turkey Printer Friendly Version
It was with some trepidation that I approached the topic of roasting a
turkey…I wondered if our readers needed yet another recipe for roast turkey
in November when the cover of nearly every cooking magazine is adorned
with a picture-perfect browned bird, while the editors struggle to convince us
that, (at last!), the definitive recipe for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey is
contained within.
I have Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines filed by month and dating back
for more than twenty years, so last weekend I pulled out all the November
issues dating back to the late 1970’s. It was amusing to see all the differing
approaches: wide variations of temperatures touted as ideal, turkeys roasted
in various positions and subjected to all sorts of injections, rubs and
subcutaneous additions. A current magazine even advises making an
incision in each breast and filling them with herbed butter!
It soon became clear to me why there is so much mystique associated with
what should be a simple process, and why so many cooks are intimidated by
the prospect of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The goal of this column then
became clear – to provide a straightforward, safe and reliable recipe resulting
in a correctly cooked turkey, moist and full of flavor
If you have read previous columns, you probably have noticed that I favor
roasting at high heat, which I’ve done almost exclusively over the past ten
years since becoming familiar with Barbara Kafka’s classic cookbook:
“Roasting, A Simple Art”. She makes the case, confirmed by our experience,
that a properly cooked turkey is moist and tender without injections or other
machinations.
High heat roasting (500 degrees) intensifies flavors and considerably shortens
cooking time so there is less time for the white meat to dry out while the dark
meat reaches proper temperature. We have found that fresh local turkey
cooks in a surprisingly short time and has superior taste, although
commercial turkeys are quite consistent in quality. It is important that the
oven be clean, because excess smoke will be caused by any residue in the
oven.
Turkeys in the 12 – 16 pound range are ideal for this technique, while
brining, the only extra step worth considering, helps ensure a moist result;
kosher birds should not be brined because salt has already been added.
Because the skin is impervious, spreading with oil or butter or basting are
not necessary to keep the meat moist. Additionally, the turkey should be
covered with a moist cloth and brought to room temperature before cooking
at high temperature (3 – 5 hours for a 15 - 16 pound turkey).
Cooking the turkey without dressing gives the best results because of shorter
cooking time and is safer. All poultry have salmonella risk, and dressing
served below 180 degrees is the most common source of food poisoning from
turkey. If you wish to cook the dressing in the turkey, bring it to room
temperature before placing it into the turkey and make sure it reaches the
proper temperature. It is best to cook it in a casserole adding some of the
liquid from the roasting pan for flavor.
A thick-bottomed roasting pan with handles and an instant reading
thermometer are good investments which can be used for roasting meats and
vegetables throughout the year.
To serve 10 or more:
One 16 pound turkey
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For brine:
2 cups kosher salt
8 quarts water
If brining, dissolve salt in water in a large stock pot. Add turkey and
refrigerate overnight. Remove from brine, rinse and pat dry with paper
towels. Proceed as below.
For stock:
Neck, gizzard and heart from turkey, rinsed and dried
canola oil
1 medium onion cut in half
1 medium carrot
1 stalk celery
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon pepper corns
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
Place a small volume of oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add neck,
gizzard and heart and cook, turning until browned. Add the remaining stock
ingredients and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2
hours, skimming foam from time to time. Strain and set aside. This can be
done well ahead of the rest of the meal.
Roasting turkey:
Rinse inside and out, dry with paper towels and bring turkey to room
temperature, keeping skin covered with a moist towel to prevent drying.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (450 degrees works nearly as well; cooking times
will be slightly longer). Sprinkle turkey with ground pepper and salt and
place into a roasting pan; we place it directly into the pan, but a rack can be
used. Cook, rotating pan 180 degrees after 1 hour; add 1 -2 cups water or
chicken stock to pan if drippings appear to be turning too dark. ]
Check temperature in the thickest part of the thigh at 1 ¾ hours. Remove
from oven when temperature is 170 degrees, about 2 hour’s total cooking
time for unstuffed turkey. Add approximately 30 minutes if you have stuffed
the turkey. Let turkey sit for 30 minutes, during which the temperature in the
thigh should reach 180 degrees.
Gravy:
While turkey is resting, pour fat from roasting pan and place pan over
medium – high heat. Pour stock into pan; boil, scraping up the browned fond
from the pan. Boil until reduced nearly by half, check and add salt and
pepper to taste. Keep hot and serve with turkey.
This high heat method reliably yields moist flavorful turkey and is
remarkable for its simplicity. Brining is not essential, and plain chicken broth
can be used for making the pan gravy instead of the giblet stock. Cooking
times are short: 3 hours for a 20 pound unstuffed turkey, and an amazing 1
hour and 20 minutes for one of 12 pounds, according to Kafka.
Become familiar with high temperature roasting, and you will enjoy
predictable results, simplify holiday cooking and have more time to enjoy
this special time of the year with your family.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president
of the New Hampshire Farmer’s Market Association (www.nhfma.org) and
helps run the Sanbornton Farmers' Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, he
grows certified organic herbs, greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in
Sanbornton, NH.
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