How did you cook your turkey this year?

[Deleted]

A turbriskafil. +10 to anyone who gets the reference.

[traen]

Where is "I'm vegeterian" option?

[Deleted]

Cook the Turkey? Is that like choking the chicken?

[Isrozzis]

this one was smoked this year, but a good fried turkey is quite divine....

*salivates*

we also had a ham. So many sandwiches were made afterwards.

[Disenchanted]

I didn't eat turkey because it's the driest and most flavourless meat in existence.

You're doing it wrong. :P

Dry? If not cooked properly it can be. Flavorless? We must have vastly different taste buds. Well actually, we do. Everyone does. I quite like the taste of turkey. I'm a turkey junkie.

[Bodygrinder]

Oven baked, I'm not a good cook but gravy makes it all work out in the end.

[Deleted]

non-american, so i don't celebrate thanksgiving. and i don't enjoy eating a lot of meat, but if, then i rather have red meat and fish. but that OP's glazing recipe sounds great! i'm gonna try it for sure on a small piece of chicken or something...

[halmotors]

I boned our turkey this year (get your mind out of the gutter!). Basically, you remove the entire skeletal system from the bird and roll it up, secure with some twine, and bake. The nice thing is that it A) Cooks in 2 hours at 350 degrees, and B) Makes it much, much more eligible for putting stuffing in it, because you're essentially making a roulade. I highly recommend trying it out next year, as it produces a far better bird, and with a lot less waste, too!

[Deleted]

Somehow I don't see the connection between fat Americans and a holiday with the main goal to eat as much as you can. No, I don't see it.

User infracted

[halmotors]

Somehow I don't see the connection between fat Americans and a holiday with the main goal to eat as much as you can. No, I don't see it.

Somehow I don't see what this has to do with the price of tea in China, or this thread for that matter. No, I don't see it.

No, seriously, I don't see what your post has to do with the topic of this thread. Stop trying to derail it and go away.

---------- Post added 2011-11-26 at 07:24 AM ----------

I didn't eat turkey because it's the driest and most flavourless meat in existence.

If your turkey is dry and flavorless, then you most likely didn't:

1. Brine the turkey. Bringing helps keep the meat moist during cooking, and adds a lot of flavor to it.
2. Cook it properly. Leg meat requires a higher internal temperature to be 'done' than the breast meat, so by the time the legs are done, the breast is dried out unless you do it right. Next time try sliding your turkey to the very side of the oven for the first half of cooking, and then slide it all the way over to the other side of your oven for the second half. The increased heat radiating from the oven wall will cook the side of the turkey a little more in the same amount of time.
3. You tried to cook too big of a turkey. If you have a lot of people to feed, cook two smaller turkeys instead of going for one humongoid bird, as by the time they fully cook, they're dried out.
4. Get a proper bird. If you buy it frozen in the grocery store, then it's going to have little flavor. Look for something called a Heritage bird, which is allowed to grow naturally and given plenty of space and fresh feed. They grow slower, they're a little more expensive, but they're so full of proper flavor it's not even funny. Shit in, shit out basically.
5. Basting ensures a crispy skin, not a moist bird, so don't fall into the trap of basting every 15 minutes, as the constant opening of the oven door decreases heat and increases the amount of time needed to cook the bird.
6. The USDA tells us that a bird is safe to eat at 180 degrees internal temperature, which also means that it's hopelessly dried out. 165 degrees is still just as safe, and the meat retains most of its moisture. Keep in mind that a bird will continue to heat up for up to a half hour after coming out of the oven, so take it out when it's 5-10 degrees lower than your target.
7. Rest your bird for a half hour before carving it; tent it with foil to keep the heat in. Resting it allows all the juices in the breast meat (typically the drier part) to evenly redistribute throughout after being forced to the center by the heat. If you cut into it without a rest period, guess where your juices have gone? Yup, all down into the carving platter.

Turkey can be amazing if you take the steps to properly cook it. If you half-ass it though, you're going to end up with a dry, flavorless hunk of meat.

[belfpala]

If your turkey is dry and flavorless, then you most likely didn't:

(list of really good things)

Turkey can be amazing if you take the steps to properly cook it. If you half-ass it though, you're going to end up with a dry, flavorless hunk of meat.

You don't necessarily have to brine it. Brining is good though (I can go into the science of it if you want).

The main "technique" for me is breaking down the bird before cooking it. That is, don't try to cook a whole turkey. This is fine for me, because my family has no tradition of carving the turkey at the table. Having it in 8 pieces (2x each of breasts, thighs, legs, and wings) allows you to more accurately gauge the temperature of each piece and control how they're being heated. Also, it cooks faster this way.

That said, I cooked two turkeys this year. I broke them both down and brined for about 6 hours. One was roasted in the oven with onions, celery, and carrots over a drip tray (needed something to make gravy with!). The second was grilled outside. Both turned out great.

Also, the two turkeys I used were from a local organic farmer and were slaughtered the day before I cooked them. It makes a difference.

[Frozenbeef]

we have turkey for christmas but it's very bland i prefer chicken >.<

it's just traditional to have turkey at christmas so we have it anyway no matter what it tastes like :P

[belfpala]

we have turkey for christmas but it's very bland i prefer chicken >.<

it's just traditional to have turkey at christmas so we have it anyway no matter what it tastes like :P

I prefer chicken too. It's easier to work with, faster to cook, and (in my opinion) more flavorful.

When you're cooking for a large number of people in your home, though, turkey makes sense. Let's see... do I want to prep and cook 2 turkeys, or 10 chickens?

I love my family. Our Christmas tradition: they eat whatever I decide to make.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

Other

I cooked mine in the NuWave Oven. It was my first time doing it, and it turned out amazing. The fact you can start from frozen saves soo much time, too.

And I actually had my turkey yesterday since I went to my aunty's parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Then, I had Turkey Hash for breakfast this morning. Turkey Hash breakfast > Thanksgiving dinner

[belfpala]

Other

We cooked ours in the NuWave Oven. It was our first time doing it, and it turned out amazing. The fact you can start from frozen saves soo much time, too.

How is that thing? I've seen it on TV but never in person. I'm not going to buy one, but I've been looking into that technology a bit.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

How is that thing? I've seen it on TV but never in person. I'm not going to buy one, but I've been looking into that technology a bit.

I love it. I use it more than my stove, microwave, and conventional oven combined these days. The food cooks all the way through faster than it would otherwise, meat stays moist, and the food browns nicely. The fact you can start from frozen and still have the food come out perfectly is probably the best part. Plus, it's really easy to clean up (which is awesome, because I don't have a dishwasher). Probably the best kitchen appliance I've ever purchased, and I'm including my Keurig brewer in that. :P

[belfpala]

Probably the best kitchen appliance I've ever purchased, and I'm including my Keurig brewer in that. :P

Many people in my profession look down on non-traditional equipment such as that appliance. But I've been reading about the infrared cooking technology, and it seems worthwhile to try... hmm.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

Many people in my profession look down on non-traditional equipment such as that appliance. But I've been reading about the infrared cooking technology, and it seems worthwhile to try... hmm.

I was kinda hesitant about it as well (waited a good two years before I decided to try), but I wish I had bought it sooner. I mean, I'm not a chef by any means, though I do enjoy cooking, but the fact it can cook the food all the way through, while browning and keeping it juicy... seems like a good deal to me.

[Bluemli]

In my country, it's illegal to eat people from different nations...or different nations, for that matter.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

In my country, it's illegal to eat people from different nations...or different nations, for that matter.

Gave me a good chuckle, thanks. :P