Slow Food Boulder
www.slowfoodboulder.org
1. Buy a Heritage turkey for the best possible turkey flavor. Heritage turkeys are free-roaming creatures and have developed leg muscles (drumsticks and thighs) that are larger than the average “Butterball”. Hence, there is more dark meat than you may be accustomed to (and less white meat). You will also be helping to keep a species from becoming extinct.
2. Remove the turkey from the bag and remove the giblets, etc. Wash it inside and out with cold running water. Remove any extra fat or internal organs if necessary. Pat dry the inside and outside of the turkey.
3. If you are a fan of crispy skin, don’t baste the turkey while cooking. This prevents the skin from crisping up and doesn't’t actually help the turkey stay moist. Pat the skin dry and lightly salt and pepper.
4. To add flavor to the turkey, refer to the SW style roast turkey recipe. A yogurt or butter based mixture can be made and rubbed under the skin on the breasts. As it cooks, most of the butter/yogurt will melt out of the turkey but the herbs will remain on the breasts to impart flavor. A Mediterranean mixture can be made by using lemon juice, basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Create your own mixture!
5. Trussing a turkey is not necessary. It can actually increase the cooking time as it can take longer for the drumsticks to reach the desired temperature of 165° because the legs are tightly wrapped to the turkey. This hinders the circulation of hot air around them which helps cook the turkey faster.
6. Again, basting is also not necessary for a moist turkey. If you want to baste, try not to baste with water or wine. This removes the layer of fat from the skin that helps keep the turkey moisture inside as it cooks. Try and use the turkey drippings and/or melted butter.
7. A 15 lb. turkey will take approximately 3 – 4 hours in the oven when roasted at 325°. Plan for a resting time of 30 minutes before carving.
8. If the turkey breasts become too brown while roasting, loosely place a piece of foil over them. This will reduce the amount of browning that continues. It will also cause the skin to be less crispy!
9. The thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh region; make sure the thermometer doesn't’t touch bone and is not in the cavity of the turkey. When the turkey reaches 165°, it is done. Any possibility of salmonella was killed instantly when it reached 160° (though actually once the temperature reached 145° and stayed there for 3 minutes, it was killed then). Cooking a turkey (or chicken) beyond 165° is encouraging a dry turkey.
10. Once the turkey is removed from the oven, the most important step in the entire process is to rest it. The resting is important as it allows the internal juices to percolate back down through the meat so the meat will be moist when cut. If the turkey is cut right away or even after 10 minutes, most of the juices haven’t yet returned to the interior of the meat, so they will run out on the cutting board and produce a drier meat. A 15 lb. bird can rest uncovered for 30 minutes and the meat will still be warm. If you are concerned about serving hot meat, make sure the platter is hot when the carved turkey is placed on it. Then cover it with foil if the rest of Thanksgiving dinner is not ready to be served.