Favorite Way to Cook a Turkey

I brined a turkey a couple of years ago, and it was amazing! I think I used a combination of a couple of recipes, one from Martha Stewart and another that I found on the Food Network website. Basically, you soak the thawed bird in a salted and seasoned water solution for about 12-24 hours before roasting it. A little more work, but it makes the meat very moist and flavorful.

This year, I may try "larding" a turkey. I read an article about this recently and want to try it. It is just layering thickly sliced salt pork (or thick-cut bacon) over the bird before roasting it. The pork seasons and bastes the turkey while it is baking. A friend tried this recently and was very pleased with the results. He then used the pork in the stuffing, and the bacon/turkey-flavored drippings from the pan for the gravy. Yum!!! If you're interested, let me know and I'll find the article to forward to you.

I love to stuff the turkey, but I'm honestly not sure whether either of these methods is very conducive to stuffing. I think the brining recipes advised not to stuff the turkey as the stuffing will become very salty. And I think the same may be true for larding. Too bad, since the stuffing from inside the turkey is my favorite part of the meal!

Good luck! Have a great holiday.

I personally love the deep fried turkey..injected with cajun seasonings...the skin is crisp and the turkey is soooo juicy and flavorful..you just have to follow the instructions for frying it precisely..or it can be a big dangerous mess!!

I used this recipe the last time I cooked a turkey and it tasted absolutely fabulous: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Perfect-Turkey/Detail.aspx. Read some of the reviews to see if it's something that would fit your family's tastes. The only thing I changed in the recipe was I added a couple more sprigs of thyme around the turkey with the vegetables. I have made many turkeys, many different ways, and have never had much luck with them being tender and juicy because I'm always so concerned about undercooking it. This time, it was perfectly cooked and still as juicy as could be. One tip I would share is to use those silicone oven mitts when you turn over the turkey. I did it quickly and it didn't burn me or anything. It was much easier doing it that way then trying to use the big forks and/or spatulas to lift and flip it. I mean, 18 pounds is a big turkey. :-) I think some reviewers said they just covered the turkey the first 2/3 of cooking time rather than flipping it, but the flipping is supposed to help cook the dark and white meat more evenly so the white meat isn't dried out while the dark is undercooked.

I used this recipe with the turkey drippings/stock for the gravy: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Turkey-Gravy/Detail.aspx. My sister-in-law had used it for our family's Festivus celebration earlier in the month and it was so great, I had to give it a try myself. It too was fantastic. My husband threatened to drink the gravy it was so good.

The only complaint I had with the turkey recipe was that my turkey had indentations where it had been sitting on the rack when I turned it over so it wasn't as "pretty" as it usually would have been. We carved the turkey before putting it on the table though so it really didn't matter to us and the taste was loved by all. I'll be using this recipe again this year myself. I can already taste it and can't wait 'til turkey day!!

Bon Appetit and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings,
N.

i love this recipe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-...

Yes, I clean and stuff the turkey. Then put garlic, oil or your preferred spices all around the Turkey. Get a big pan and an Oven bag and cook by directions on the box. The turkey will be moist and tasty. We do this most years and it is delicious. My mother bought a smoker and occasionally smokes a turkey. That's good too. Frying is too unhealthy and a bit dangerous in my book.

I love to cook. There are just the 3 of us and I always do a 20+ lb turkey.

I usually have it in the oven and stuffed by 8am on Thanksgiving day. I start really low temp, around 200 and then increase as the day goes on. I do baste it as well during the process. I really nurture it all day. We usually eat around 3 and the meat is falling off the bone. I do brown it for the last 30 minutes or so.

I serve it with homemade cranberry sauce and all the traditional Thanksgiving goodies.
Enjoy!

I prepare turkeys the same way I prepare roasting chickens --- slather with butter, olive oil, or margarine and rubbed sage on the skin and UNDER the skin on the breast meat. Put it in an oven bag, throw some carrots and celery around the bird, and cook on 350'F, 20 minutes per pound.

Always but always comes out perfect. Good luck on your Thanksgiving meal!