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Stuffed

Well, I only had to send David to the store twice (I thought I had bought it all!), and everything came out as planned... the brined, injected, spice rubbed 12 pound turkey who roasted over the open pan of gravy - in the oven for 2 solid hours with NO opening the oven - turned out maybe even juicier than last year.  Definitely more tasty, since the recipe has been improved upon!  The oiling and searing at 500 for 30 minutes really locks in the moisture so basting is NOT needed. The gravy in the pan retains humidity in the oven so basting serves no purpose.  


So I went with everything linked in the previous blog entry, and I intend to repeat exactly the same again next time.
Om nom nom.




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Turkey Time!

I know, I know, I have to wait 1 more week.  But just remember to get all your ducks in a row THIS week, so that NEXT week you won't be stressing and fretting.  :-)  Get your recipes out, start your shopping list, and all that good stuff, NOW!

As for my holiday cooking plans, well, they're not much different from last year, though the turkey gets a few tweaks:

The Bird:
-Alton Brown's Good Eats: Roast Turkey is the base plan since it has been SO DELICIOUS the past few times now! But I am going to make use of the gravy and wet rub sections from The Ultimate Turkey. I wish I could incorporate the smoking wood but I'm doing it all in the oven. It will still get injected though, bwahaha. I believe I am going to try this Turkey Injection Recipe unless I can come up with anything better. This one sounds good.

-Butternut Squash Casserole - It's so good you won't ever make sweet potato casserole ever again after trying this. Seriously. I have to make a whole casserole separate for my dad every year!

-Cranberry Apple Pear Chutney - A step up from the canned gel glop garbage. So good you can eat it on the side with a spoon! ;D

-Chicken & Dressing - my family has always done the "stuffing" on the side like this. (Here's a decent recipe, minus the apples and raisins, eww.. Plus, you need to use cornbread, not loaf bread! Just a few slices for consistency.)

-Green Bean Casserole - a requested staple.

And for dessert:
-Fat Man's Pie - Another annual prerequisite.
Maybe some of you would prefer the Mystery Pecan Pie. I might save that one for Christmas.

-Maybe I will mull some apple cider, too.  Mmm...



Refrigerator thawing. This is the easiest method. Leave the meat in its packaging in a pan deep enough to catch drips. Allow one day for every four pounds, so if you have a 20 pound turkey to cook on Thursday, you need to start thawing it on Sunday.

8-12 lbs. 1-2 days
12-16 lbs. 2-3 days
16-20 lbs. 3-4 days
20-24 lbs 4-5 days

Cooking Time:

At 325°F, a 15-pound bird will be done in about 3 to 3.5 hours.  A 20-pound bird should take a total of about 4 to 4.5 hours.  The total time depends on how well you control the oven temp, and how often you open the lid.
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