Let's Talk Turkey

HOW TO ROAST A TURKEY

Allow one day of thawing in the refrigerator for every four pounds of turkey. Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy.

The most common and traditional way is a standard roast. First, brine your turkey. This is a process that involves fully submerging the bird overnight in a solution of water, salt and other seasonings. The brine is absorbed into the meat of the turkey, which helps to keep it moist during the roasting process. A brined turkey can be roasted at a higher temperature for a slightly shorter length of time, which also helps the meat retain its moisture. (A non-brined turkey roasts lower and slower.)

The Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture both recommend roasting your bird until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reaches a temperature of 185ºF. (This is true whether you grill it, smoke it or roast it.) For a brined turkey, preheat your oven to 400ºF. Do not use the convection setting. Roast the turkey for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 325ºF. Cooking times will vary based on the size of the bird. Plan for about 15 minutes per pound, regardless of total weight. (Your biggest limitation will be the size of your oven.) To protect your turkey from browning too quickly or drying out, create a foil “tent” to cover the turkey breast. This will help insulate the quicker-cooking breast and maintain its moisture. Remove the tent for the last 20 minutes of cooking for that nice, crisp, golden-brown skin.

HOW TO SPATCHCOCK A TURKEY

Spatchcocking or butterflying has become particularly popular in the last few years (it is especially popular for chicken). Spatchcocking involves carving out the turkey’s backbone and flattening the turkey on a baking sheet with the breast facing up, the bird splayed open. It will slash the cooking time while allowing you also to indulge any latent and grisly Halloween impulses. The finished product will retain its moisture better simply because it doesn’t have to cook as long.

To spatchcock a turkey, you will want first to brine it, just as you would a bird for a traditional roast. When ready to roast, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Brush the turkey with oil and, depending on its weight, cook in

the preheated oven for 70 to 90 minutes. (A 12-pound turkey will take approximately 70 minutes.) Because your turkey is splayed open with no center cavity, a safe internal temperature is 165ºF. Once the roasting is complete, you’ll discover a very even cooking of the legs, thighs and breast. The breast is typically the part of the bird that suffers most during a traditional roast, drying slowly over time. By opening the turkey with this technique, the breast will be far juicier and have more flavor.

HOW TO FRY A TURKEY

Deep-frying is a great way to prepare a turkey in terms of speed and flavor, but it’s not without its risks. You’ll need to fry it in an open area with no covering (i.e., outside and definitely not in the garage or under any patio covering). You will need a large thermometer made specifically for your pot to monitor the temperature of the oil.

To deep-fry a turkey, first pat it down to remove all water. The biggest mistake people make is attempting to fry a turkey with moisture on or in it. Water will cause the oil to splatter, which can cause severe burning and/or a house fire.

Bring your oil to 350ºF, and fry your turkey at threeand-a-half minutes per pound. Your standard-issue, 12-pound turkey takes about 45 minutes to fry. You need enough oil in the pot to fill the turkey’s cavity while leaving a gap between the top of the turkey and the surface of the oil, and a gap between the surface of the oil and the top of the pot. You don’t want the turkey to cause the pot to overflow, so you don’t want too much oil there, either — yet you must have enough oil. It’s a difficult balance to achieve.