COMFORT CORNER
THANKSGIVING:
A TURKEY TUTORIAL
BY KAREN PERRY
On November 4 or thereabouts,
the butterflies begin. “What
do I do about the turkey this
Thanksgiving? My old, faithful oven
roasted turkey seems to be obsolete.
All I want is that beautiful turkey in
the Norman Rockwell print.” The
classic turkey is not obsolete. It is
probable that your roast turkey just
needs a little powder and paint and
not an entire renovation.
TO WET BRINE OR DRY BRINE:
THAT IS THE QUESTION
It pays to be an informed con-sumer
in any area, including the
Thanksgiving turkey. There is
an annual debate among turkey
enthusiasts about the best way to
brine. One of the most concise and
informative “turkey manifestos” is
“How to Cook a Turkey” by Melissa
Clark. Ms. Clark defines wet brining
as “the process of submerging the
turkey in a salt-and-aromatic solu-tion,
then covering it and leaving it
in the refrigerator.”
There are complexities to a wet
brine. The temperature must be
watched regularly to make sure it
stays between 26 and 40 degrees.
To keep it cool without diluting
the salt, ice cubes are placed into
sealed plastic bags and submerged
into the brining bath in a bucket
or other large vessel (tip: weather
permitting, you can place it on your
balcony). As they melt, the ice cubes
must be replaced.
On the other side of the debate is
dry brining. Advocates repeatedly
use the word “crisp” when advocat-ing
this technique. At every step of
dry brining, the goal is dehydration.
The turkey even remains uncovered
in the refrigerator to continue loss
of moisture. Removing the moisture
from the skin gives your turkey that
crisp texture and golden skin. And
yet, supporters say, the meat remains
deliciously moist.
Congratulations. You have com-pleted
your “Turkey Tutorial.” But
if you’re up to your neck in spices
and are ready to cry “Uncle!” calm
down and dial the famous Butterball
Turkey Talk Line: 1-800-288-8372.
Butterball has its entire staff of home
economists on duty Thanksgiving
Day to handle the 7,000 to 8,000
calls it expects to receive that day
(that’s a lot of helpless cooks!).
Don’t be afraid your questions will
be too dumb. Here are some true
Butterball Talk Line call-in stories:
Asked what state her turkey was in,
the caller told the Talk-Line operator,
“Florida.”
A first-time father was worried
the turkey had been thawing in the
refrigerator too long while his wife
was in the hospital giving birth.
Asked how much it weighed, the
dad replied, “The turkey or the baby?”
A woman in her 70s, cooking
Thanksgiving for the first time, called
for help because her mother said she
was tired of cooking and it was time
her daughter learned how to prepare
the Thanksgiving meal.
A caller inquired how long it takes
to thaw a fresh turkey.
Wishing you, your family and your
extended circle of loved ones a joyous,
loving and safe holiday season.
Dry Brined Herbed Turkey
1 12-14 pound turkey
Kosher salt
1 T. sugar
1 T. fresh rosemary, plus one sprig
1 T. chopped fresh sage, plus
one sprig
1 T. fresh thyme, plus 3 sprigs
1 t. celery seeds
Freshly ground pepper
1 carrot cut into chunks
1 stalk celery cut into chunks
2 shallots, halved
1 cup dry white wine
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
1. Day before: Remove the neck
and giblets from turkey and reserve
them for the gravy. Pat the turkey
dry with paper towels and put
turkey on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Combine ¼ cup salt, sugar, 1
tablespoon each rosemary, sage,
thyme, celery seeds and 2 tsps. pep-per
2021
November ¢COURIER in a spice grinder. Pulse until
the herbs are finely chopped and
the salt is pale green. Rub the turkey
TOWERS inside and out with the salt mixture,
rubbing some under the skin of the
Dry-Brining Flavors: More to Explore
SHORE Chef Alison Roman of internet fame provides “Dry-Brined Turkey with
Sheet-Pan Gravy.” In addition to the kosher salt and brown sugar base, there
are red onions, lemons and garlic. Or try Melissa Clark’s version with cloves,
NORTH allspice, rosemary and thyme, lemons, oranges, apples, onions, celery and carrots.
To prepare ahead: Wrap the unbaked casserole well in several layers of foil
and freeze for several days. Defrost thoroughly. Bake uncovered for 30-40
minutes until topping is golden brown. Let casserole cool for at least 15-20
28 minutes before serving. breasts. Refrigerate, uncovered, at
least 8 hours or overnight.
3. Thanksgiving Day: Position
oven rack in lowest position; pre-heat
oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the turkey
well and pat dry with paper towels.
Stuff turkey cavity with the herb
sprigs, carrots, celery and shallots.
Tie the legs together with kitchen
twine. Put turkey breast side up on
a rack set in a large roasting pan and
tuck the wings under the body. Let sit
at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Pour wine over the turkey,
then brush all over with the melt-ed
butter. Roast the turkey 1 hour,
then baste with the pan drippings,
adding up to ½ cup water to the pan
if the drippings are getting too dark.
5. Continue roasting the turkey,
basting every 30 minutes; add more
water if needed until skin is golden
brown and a thermometer into the
thigh measures 170 degrees. This
should take 1 ½ to 2 hours.
6. Transfer turkey to a cutting
board and let rest 30 minutes before
carving.
Wet Brined Roast Turkey
6 quarts tap water
1 pound kosher salt
1 cup molasses
2 cups honey
1 cup soy sauce
1 T. dried red pepper flakes
1 T. dried sage
Large bunch fresh thyme
2 heads garlic broken into individ-ual
cloves, unpeeled
5 pounds ice cubes
14 to 18-pound turkey
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
2 lemons, zested
Directions:
1. Day before: Bring 3 quarts of
water to a boil over medium heat. Put
the Kosher salt in a large bowl and
slowly and carefully pour the boiling
water over the salt.
2. Add the molasses, honey, soy
sauce, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme
and garlic to the salt and honey mix-ture.
Stir to blend. Add the remaining
3 quarts of cool water. Add the ice
to a cooler or bucket large enough to
hold the brine and the turkey. Pour
the brine over the ice and use a large
whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
3. Submerge the turkey, breast side
down, in the brine. Make sure the
cavity of the bird fills with the liquid.
4. Thanksgiving morning: Remove
the bird from the brine and dry it
thoroughly with paper towels. Take
care to wipe inside the cavity as well.
Discard the brine.
5. Whisk together butter and lem-on
zest. Gently lift the skin covering
the breasts and spread butter mixture
on the meat under the skin.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Set the turkey in a roasting pan
fitted with a rack. Put on the lower
rack of the oven and roast until the
internal temperature of the turkey
taken from the thickest part of the
thigh reads 170 degrees on an instant-read
thermometer, about 3 ½ hours.
8. Remove the turkey from the
oven and tent with foil. Allow to
rest for 15 minutes before carving.