Kitchen Skills

The Cure

Try this dry-brining method for a moist and evenly cooked turkey

BY JASON ROSS

The classic turkey roasting dilemma: How do you get the legs and thighs done without drying out the breast? It’s not easy. The legs take longer to cook and the large, lean breast tends to overcook and lose moisture. A liquid salt brine can work well, but takes a tremendous amount of refrigerator space—and that’s assuming you even have a container large enough to hold a turkey in a salt brine.

The solution? You can get a similar effect by lightly curing, or “dry brining” while saving space and reducing mess. A little salting of the exterior penetrates into the turkey, seasoning the meat throughout and lessening the chance it dries out. As a bonus, the skin will crisp better since the salt dries it and makes it more flexible.

PHOTOGRAPHY TERRY BRENNAN FOOD STYLING LARA MIKLASEVICS

Dry Brined Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy

MAKES 10 TO 15 SERVINGS

This recipe takes a day, or up to 2 days, to salt and cure the turkey. Store uncovered so the skin will dry a little. If you are worried the raw turkey will touch something while curing in the refrigerator, cover with plastic film, and pat the skin dry with a paper towel before cooking. Remember to not re-season before cooking. The curing adds all the salt needed.

For the Turkey

1 (12 to 15 pound) fresh or defrosted turkey with giblets removed 2 to 2½ tablespoons kosher salt (unless using a turkey injected with seasoning brine) ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon ground pepper 1 tablespoon minced thyme 1 tablespoon minced sage 1 tablespoon minced parsley 1 teaspoon paprika 1 garlic clove, finely minced

For the Giblet Gravy

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (ABOUT 10 TO 15 SERVINGS)

2 quarts water 1 turkey neck 1 turkey gizzard ¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter 1 turkey liver, minced 1 turkey heart, minced 1½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon granulated garlic 1 shallot finely minced (about 3 tablespoons) 1 carrot, minced (about ½ cup) 1 rib celery, minced (about ½ cup) ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white wine (whatever you are drinking with dinner, or you could use water or low sodium broth)

1. Plan on using ½ teaspoon of salt per pound of turkey, making it 2 to 2½ tablespoons for the 12- to 15-pound bird used here. In a large mixing bowl, season the turkey by sprinkling it all over with salt, including inside the cavity, and under and around the wings, legs and thighs. Make some room in the refrigerator, place the turkey on a rack on top of a sheet tray, and refrigerate uncovered overnight, or up to 48 hours. The turkey will first release moisture with wet skin, and then the skin will dry and start to become flexible and stretchy. 2. After curing, heat the oven to 425°F, and remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Pour out any moisture collected in the sheet tray. In a small sauce pan on medium low heat melt the butter with the pepper, thyme, sage, parsley, paprika and garlic. Brush the turkey skin with the seasoned melted butter, and place turkey onto rack and pan. You can use a roasting pan with a V-style rack or a sheet tray and flat rack. 3. Cook the turkey at 425°F for 45 minutes or until the skin just starts to brown, then lower the heat to 325°F. Plan on cooking it for 20 minutes per pound, brushing the turkey with the butter and herbs every 30 to 40 minutes until the butter is gone. After that, baste with the drippings. For a 12- to 15-pound turkey, it should take 4 or 5 hours to cook, respectively. 4. While the turkey is cooking, start the gravy. In a medium sized pot, make light turkey broth by simmering the neck and gizzard in 2 quarts of water for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the turkey neck is fully cooked, with meat easily pulling away from the bone when jabbed with a fork. You should end up with about 1½ quarts of broth. 5. After it is cooked, remove the gizzard and neck to a plate, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes or until it’s cool enough to handle. Then, pull any meat from the neck and mince along with the gizzard. Discard the neck bone. If the turkey is still cooking in the oven, store the minced turkey neck and gizzard covered on a plate, and the broth in a covered container until the turkey comes out of the oven. 6. Check the turkey by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the leg and thigh joint. This is the critical part. The dark meat needs to come to 165°F on the thermometer, but not any higher. Think of every degree higher as moisture being removed from the breast. There are other things you can look for—browned skin, juices run clear from the thigh, leg joint feeling loose—but by far the most accurate is to check for 165°F at the thickest part of the thigh joint. 7. When the turkey is done, pull the pan from the oven. Use a pair of tongs and a 2-pronged fork to carefully move the turkey to a large plate or pan to rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 30 minutes. 8. In a medium-sized sauce pot, melt the ¾ stick butter on medium heat. Add the minced liver and heart. Season with salt, pepper and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add the shallot, carrot and celery, and sauté for another 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a

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DRY BRINED ROAST TURKEY WITH GIBLET GRAVY