Roast Turkey Recipes?

I don't marinate a turkey. I do put fresh herbs - basil, sage, etc under the skin before roasting it, though.

I quit cooking turkey years ago, but my best turkeys were when I boiled the turkey for a few hours before roasting. This cooked the turkey most of the way while keeping it extra moist after browning.

Soak turkey in salt water for a day.

Stuff it with oranges and...place inside a brown paper bag.

Set in cake pan with maybe 1/4inch of water in the bottom and place in oven at 250 dgrees for 10 to 12 hours (overnight is good.)

Moistest, mouth watering turkey you ever put in your mouth.

I agree with Dave - soak the turkey, in a tub of brine - sugar & salt, herbs, lemon halves, garlic cloves - at least for 12 hours. Set cooking time by weight of the bird. Keeps meat moist.

Yeah, a good brined turkey is always incredibly delicious.

Proper brining will drastically increase the moisture content in the final product... but that's usually NOT the problem for most home cooks.

Very few people cook a whole turkey more than once or twice a year, so they tend to time things badly, then rush the bird from the oven to table.

As with other roasts, cutting or carving immediately out of the oven will mean you're serving all the internal moisture that rises to the surface seeking an escape during cooking. The same applies to roasting chicken or beef, even steaks or chops - don't rush things!

Let it rest - by timer, not gut instinct - for at least 15-20 minutes BEFORE you carve it for serving.

And use a digital thermometer (170° in the thickest part of the thigh)! The time and temperature charts only get you in the neighborhood, and those single use pop-ups are notoriously inaccurate if they don't completely fail altogether.

My advice is to browse around Butterball - Celebrate Everyday a few days in advance, then settle on a recipe that sounds appetizing and well within your skill set. They've got the best advice for all the options assembled in one place year-round.

Basting will give you a richer color to the finished product. Or you can use a glaze if you want something darker and richer.

If you're going to glaze (apricot jam or marmalade will give you a beautiful mahogany finish without overpowering the flesh with any noticeable flavor). Because of the high sugar content, it will get darker with higher heat and longer cooking times.

Cook your dressings separately. Stuffing the turkey sounds cool, but it's a health issue begging to happen. You, your family, and guests might blow the symptoms off as simply having eaten too much - which we all do during the holidays. In fact, it could very well be a mild case of food poisoning - the turkey was properly cooked to 170° but the stuffing was slightly underdone and still had live bacteria common to all poultry.

I adore Sichuan anything - sweet and hot - thanks for the recipe Tbird

Wow some great suggestions here I never dreamed of. Thanks! I will make a note of this thread in case I ever cook one.

I can make the best cranberry orange sauce (mostly because it is so simple) 2 me cranberry sauce is essential for any poultry, especially turkey - maybe not Sichuan but regular turkey.

The secret is just substitute fresh squeezed orange juice for at least half the water and add orange zest

fresh cranberrys - follow the measurements on the bag
water/orange juice - 1/2 to 1/2
orange zest
1/2 cup stevia (botanical sweetener)
1/2 - 3/4 cup dehydrated organic cane juice
(or 1 cup regular sugar)
mix it all up
bring it to a boil
add the cranberries
reduce the heat and simmer until the berries start popping
then reduce heat some more and let work for a while longer

(the longer the better - I got it to be almost like the consistency of cherry pie filling and that was the best batch).

ENJOY YOUR POOR DELICIOUS BIRDS THIS HOLIDAY!

It's probably a good idea to kill the turkey first...

This is exactly how I make my bird. The first time I made it, my mother-in-law officially retired from cooking the turkey:

Good Eats Roast Turkey Recipe : Alton Brown : Recipes : Food Network

I've been looking into cooking bags. Never used one before -- are they like parchment paper?

We'll cook Sichuan Turkey much like that in the Washington Post Recipe but with sesame oil, and giving it a fusion touch by adding red wine to the marinade.