I was a little nervous with the initial idea, but after Chef Alli agreed to teach host myself and Periscope followers how to cook an awesome turkey. Those once nervous feelings soon disappeared and I too looked forward to learning the secrets behind the perfect turkey.
Believe it or not, I’ve never cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving. A few years back, I had Thanksgiving over at my apartment. I bought the turkey breast from Honey Baked Ham and although it was delicious, I wish I had cooked the turkey myself. When I see the smile on my families face as I cook homemade meals, it makes me feel amazing.
Chef Alli covered from how many pounds serves a crowd, how to thaw a turkey, and how to create the perfect brine for a simple, yet delicious turkey. My turkey was so delicious that I decided to share the recipe with you!
Here are some tips for the perfect turkey this Thanksgiving:
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You should plan 1.5 pounds of turkey for every person.
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Instead of buying a large twenty pounds bird, buy two ten-twelve pound birds instead.
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Allow at least 1 day for every four pounds when thawing your turkey.
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Be sure to thoroughly rinse your turkey inside and out with cold water.
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Rolling your herbs with a small pastry roller will release the essential oils to flavor your brine.
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Be sure to label your pastry roller, you don’t want your pastries to taste like herbs.
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Make sure you have a large enough cooler to completely cover your turkey.
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Be sure to add a bag of ice to your cooler to keep your turkey cold overnight.
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Check the temperature of your turkey with two instant-read meat thermometers.
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Check the temperate on the thigh of your turkey, it should read at least 165 when you know its ready to come out of the oven.
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To avoid a dry turkey, be sure to brine your bird.
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Rub the outside of your with butter and oil for the perfect golden exterior.
Now that you have the secrets to the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, will you cook one? If you do, be sure to tag me on social media. I’d love to see your beautiful bird.
Recipe Here:
Poultry and Meat Brine
Ingredients
- 6 cups apple cider
- 1 bundle fresh thyme, approx. 1 oz.
- 1 bundle fresh rosemary, approx. 1 oz.
- 6-8 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 Tbs. allspice berries
- 1 Tbs. peppercorns
- 2-3 star anise
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 oranges, cut in half
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 1 turkey, frozen or thawed, 15 – 18 lbs.
- Two Lemons – sliced
- Two Oranges – sliced
- ice
Instructions
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Prepare herbs by placing them into a gallon bag, using a rolling pin to roll over the bag several times. You will immediately notice the wonderful aroma that releases itself; this makes the herbs extra fragrant for your brine.
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To make the brine, place all ingredients (including the rolled herbs) except the turkey and the ice into a large stock pot and bring to a boil; whisk until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved, then remove pot from the heat to let brine fully cool.
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Place your turkey into a very large (clean!) chest cooler (cooler lid must close) and pour in the prepared, cooled brine. Add enough water to the brine to completely submerge your turkey. Add ice to the brine to keep it chilled. To keep your turkey fully submerged in the brine, place a large bag of ice on top of the turkey.
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If your turkey is THAWED going into the brining solution, let him rest in the brine for 18-24 hours. , keeping the brine chilled at all times, never letting the temperature of the brine get above 40 degrees F, adding ice to the brine as needed.
If your turkey is FROZEN going into the brining solution, let him rest in the brine for up to 48 hours, letting him thaw and brine at the same time.
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To cook your turkey, remove him from the brine and rinse well, both inside and out, then pat dry. Roast the turkey using your preferred recipe.
You should have had a warning before this post: Don’t read when you’re hungry. That turkey looked SO GOOD. I’m bookmarking this to refer to when I finally make my first turkey.
AC Mims,
Thank you!
Please bookmark, I promise your guest will not be disappointed.
LaShonda
I’ve yet to cook a holiday dinner myself. We always visit family. I’m going to bookmark/share this post though because those pictures are amazing and I’m sure the tips will help!
You know I never cooked a Thanksgiving Turkey?? I am kind of nervous about it – its kind of intimidating maybe one year I will be brave to follow your recipe and do it myself!
OMG I so needed this last year. I made a turkey for the first time and I was so worried. I will say touching the turkey freaked me ALL the way out.
Yummmm! Thanksgiving is my favorite because… food. I generally cook for a bunch of folks so this year the challenge will be cooking for only 5. I still plan on using a brine for the small turkey breast I plan on making this year.
Awesome! I promise brining is better!! Let me know how it turned out via twitter.
What a beautiful turkey. I’m a pescatarian and I only eat turkey once a year, Thanksgiving. 🙂 This recipe is right on time, even though I’m not in charge of making the turkey this year I will pass this recipe on to my granny.
Siobhan
http://www.befreeproject.com
I have never used brine on my turkey. I think I will try that this year. Thanks for the tips!
Great turkey tips! I will use these tips when I cook the turkey this year. Last year, I cooked it upside down! Not appetizing at all.
Thank you!
Great tips and Lord knows that turkey looks delicious! I’ve never cooked a turkey before, but I know it’s no easy feat!
OMG these photos look amazing. And now I’m hanging my head in shame cause I haven’t cooked a whole turkey by myself 🙁 But thanks for the inspiration, maybe this will be my year! lol
I plan to help my mom cook the Thanksgiving dinner this year. We’re usually at someone else’s house so I haven’t done the whole meal before. We’ll be at home this year and I’m looking forward to it!