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September 29, 2006

Roast Turkey, Made Easy

Roast Turkey, Made Easy

By Charlie Burke

www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com

It was with some trepidation that I approached the topic of
roasting a turkey.I wondered if our readers needed yet
another recipe for 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" (William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1995).
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). His column & recipes appear
weekly in The Heart of New England's newsletter...
get a free subscription by sending a blank email to:
heartofnewengland-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit
www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com

Posted by Willie Crawford at September 29, 2006 12:15 PM

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