Just in time for the holidays…how to prepare the classic
Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey.
If you purchase a pre-prepared turkey (pre-basted with a
pop-up doneness thingy) you will find little of value in this. But if you have
decided to go with a less expensive, less high-tech bird, here is how we used
to prepare our holiday turkeys in the “olden days” of the Fifties and Sixties and before…
Utensils
Large roasting pan (a 13in x9in x3in cake pan will do,
provided your turkey will fit in it)
Heavy duty foil (or lid for roasting pan that will fit over
turkey)
Meat thermometer (optional)
Trussing instruments (small, thin skewers and kitchen
string)
Turkey baster, basting brush, and/or small ladle
Rack for bottom of the toasting pan (or make a stand of foil)
Turkey lifter
Oven mitts or hot pads
Pair of trivets, same height (optional)
Pliers (to remove skewers)
Close-fitting latex gloves (optional)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
Cleaned, plucked and singed turkey with head and feet
removed
One recipe of Poultry Stuffing (optional)
½ cup melted butter
¼ lb (1 stick) of butter, sliced into squares ⅛ inch thick (25mm
x 25mm x 3mm thick) (optional)
Method
Prepare the turkey
1. Remove centre oven rack and
move remaining rack to the bottom-most position
—Preheat
oven to 325F (160C)
2. Spray the inside of the
roasting pan well with cooking spray and set aside
3. Remove turkey from its
packaging
—Remove neck and packet of
giblets from the cavity
—Wash turkey inside and out
with cold running water, pat dry, and put in prep space, breast-side up.
—Put gloves on (optional)
—(Optional step) Starting
at the opening of the cavity, gently lift the skin away from the meat of the
turkey, sliding your free hand under the skin up towards the breast and wings.
Loosen as much of the skin as possible on both sides of the bird’s breast side,
being careful not to tear the skin
—(Optional step) Place the
slices of butter between the skin and breast meat of the turkey and smooth the
skin into its place over them. This will ensure the breast meat is tender and
juicy
Skip to Step 7 if you are not stuffing the
turkey
4. Stuff turkey neck cavity
—Turn bird onto the breast
(a couple of wadded up kitchen towels on either side of the bird will help stabilize
it)
—Unfold the flap of neck
skin and spread it out
—Using your hand, scoop up
some of the prepared stuffing and compact it slightly in your hand, then press
the dressing into the V-shaped opening where the breasts meet.
—Continue adding handfuls
of stuffing until the skin has to be stretched to cover and contain it all
—Stretch the skin to cover
the stuffing and secure it to the bird’s upper back by pinning it with a small
skewer or toothpicks.
5. Stuff the turkey body
—Turn the bird onto its
back again
—Using the same technique,
scoop dressing from the bowl and put it into the main cavity, packing slightly
as you go along
—When the dressing is
bulging out of the cavity, it is time to truss the bird
6. Truss the bird
—Insert skewers into the
skin on either side of the cavity opening. Use at least 6 skewers for a 18lb (8 kg) or
larger bird.
—Using the kitchen string,
run it across the skewers in an X pattern as shown in photo, pull snug, and tie
in a bow (for easy removal)
—Using skewers, pin the
turkey wings to the body of the bird so they don’t come loose and burn during
cooking
7. Prepare the pan for roasting
—Place the roasting rack in
the bottom of the pan. If you don’t have a roasting rack, tear off a long
length of heavy duty foil, roll it in a tight tube, lengthwise, then compact
with your hand until you have a “rope” of foil. Shape this “rope” into an
oval-shaped coil in the bottom of the pan
—Put the turkey lifter in
the pan. If your bird came with a turkey lifter, it will look like four pieces
of string with a button connecting them. If your bird did not come with a
turkey lifter, make your own by cutting two lengths of kitchen string about 18
inches (46 cms) each; hold them together and make a knot halfway down the
length of the pair of strings. Now, spread the turkey lifter over the roasting
rack, the button/knot in the centre, the four strings hanging over the sides of
the pan in an X configuration
8. Get the turkey in the pan
—Lift the turkey and place
it in the pan, breast side up, making sure the turkey lifter strings are all
out where you can grab them
—Brush or ladle melted
butter all over the skin (this will help it brown)
—If you are using
thermometer, place it in the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to
touch bone or the side of the pan
—Tear off a large sheet of
foil and spray one side well with cooking spray so the foil won’t stick to the
turkey. Tent it loosely over the top of the turkey, making sure not to touch
the thermometer
—Place the turkey in the
centre of the oven and roast according to the time table below. Allow up to an hour
additional (total) if you are above 5000 feet (1500 meters) in altitude. (2.2 lbs = 1 kg)
Stuffed Turkey Unstuffed
Turkey
6-8 lbs 3-3.5 hours 2.5 to 3 hours
8-12 lbs 3.5 to 4.5 hours 3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 lbs 4.5 to 5.5 hours 4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 lbs 5.5 to 6 hours 5 to 5.5 hours
20 to 24 lbs 6 to 6.5 hours 5.5 to 6 hours
9. Basting and finishing
—After the first hour,
baste the turkey with melted butter and pan juices every hour to keep the meat
juicy
—In the last half hour of
cooking, remove the foil and discard, and baste well with melted butter and pan
juices
—If using a thermometer,
look for an internal temperature of 165F (75C) to indicate doneness. If you are
not using a thermometer, wiggle the drumstick (grasp the end of the bone with
your fingers and wiggle it up and down, back and forth). If it moves easily,
the bird is done.
—Remove the turkey from the
oven (be sure to have plenty of padding to protect your hands from the heat)
and place the pan on the trivets to cool.
—Gather up the four strings
of the turkey lifter and lift the bird from the roasting pan and transfer it to
the serving platter
—Remove all string and remove
skewers. If they are stuck, use the pliers to get them out.
—Allow the bird to rest
from 10 to 20 minutes before carving so that the juices aren’t lost
Put a little greenery around the bird…some parsley or sprigs of
rosemary…and serve.
Happy Holidays!
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