how are you cooking your turkey this year?

[BillBeer247]

smoking?
frying?
baking?
grilling?

will you brine?

 

[pdxbg]

None of the above.

Allergic to poultry :/

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

baking.......always have...experimented with a chicken in the turkey fryer and was not a success, too messy and then had to dispose the peanut oil,,,,,not worth the effort

 

[runningweird]

Brine, then roast.

 

[two_hearted]

Did this last year http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Malt-Beer-Brined-Turkey-with-Malt-Glaze-361750

It was awesome!

 

[blakelyc]

Brine and roast.... Brine is a traditional salt/sugar mix that I hit with a huge amount of sage, apples and peppercorns.

 

[45_70sharps]

Hmm.... easy way.
I'm going to my folks house.
Me, my siblings, nieces, nephews and others.

I may bake one at home for my daughter and I.

 

[Evets]

Brine and roast in the wood-fired oven.

 

[cricky101]

We've got a fairly large crowd coming this year so the wife is doing the brined full-bird in the oven and I've great big bone-in breast I'm going to do on the smoker.

 

[lgilmore]

Alton Brown's brine receipe. Then bake. Always good.

 

[opus345]

Alton Brown's brine recipe. Then bake. Always good.

Ditto. Been doing it that way for the last couple years. Always turns out moist and tasting fantastic.

Will also smoke up a number of bone-in breasts.

 

[bwirthlin]

No turkey this year, kinda tired of the same old thing. I usually deep fry or smoke them. I'll brine for a smoked turkey, and with the deep fried ones I like to inject them with buffalo hot wing sauce (turns out awesome!). This year I'm smoking 5 or 6 racks of baby backs and a big leg of lamb.

 

[dinnerstick]

brine and bbq for me, but i just saw this yesterday on new york times website
Jacques Pépin’s Steam-Powered Turkey
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/steamed-turkey-the-jacques-pepin-way.html?emc=eta1

(i'm pretty sure we all have the kettles)

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I usually just roast it in the oven, but I'm thinking I might try the Epicurious beer-brined with malt glaze recipe that two harted posted; sounds VERY tasty.
Regards, GF.

 

[JonM]

Usually roasted, but this year we're smoking it on the WSM after a simple brine.

 

[glenn514]

I'll be deep-frying TWO birds on Thanksgiving. I'll inject them with some marinade, rub them down with some Cajun spices and dunk 'em. Only one daughter will be home...so we'll have LOTSA leftovers. Yum!

glenn514

 

[Homercidal]

MIL is probably cooking it. I have no idea. I know I'm making pies. We'll probably be doing BYO(SOUP) to Xmas at our house. By then we are all tired of the turkey and ham meals, so having soup at our place is a nice change. Most people coming will also be having turkey dinners at other people's homes too.

I think the MIL probably roasts the turkey in a bag, in the electric roaster. I've had deep fried turkey before and it's totally worth it IMO. Especially since I didn't have to clean up after...

 

[Jayhem]

Brine and roast.... Brine is a traditional salt/sugar mix that I hit with a huge amount of sage, apples and peppercorns.

Same here but I also baste my turkey with melted butter and pepper several times during the roasting to keep the skin from drying out too much.


While deep frying a turkey tastes awesome who really wants to spend $30 on peanut oil just to deep fry one turkey?

 

[GrogNerd]

roasted breast

the BigHair (SWMBO) coats it in veggie CREAM CHEESE and it turns out awesome; keeps it from drying out & crisps the skin nice and brown

 

[bwirthlin]

Same here but I also baste my turkey with melted butter and pepper several times during the roasting to keep the skin from drying out too much.

While deep frying a turkey tastes awesome who really wants to spend $30 on peanut oil just to deep fry one turkey?

Once the oil cools down you can strain it and funnel it back in the original container and save it in a cool dark place. It'll last a long time.

 

[QuaffableQuips]

Deep frying two turkeys back to back. And yes, you can strain the oil and reuse it later.

 

[glenn514]

While deep frying a turkey tastes awesome who really wants to spend $30 on peanut oil just to deep fry one turkey?

On Friday morning, after the oil is cold, I will use a funnel and pour it back into the container. I don't even bother to strain it, because the sediment sinks to the bottom...just like in brewing...and when I use it the next time, I stop pouring before the sediment comes out.

I use the same oil to fry several birds, and then take it to a place that recycles it into motor fuel!

glenn514

 

[aubiecat]

 

[Bulls Beers]

Baked as always. Next year I'm gonna try the fry route...

 

[passedpawn]

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Laser beam eyes as usual.

 

[AnOldUR]

Induction?

Never fried a turkey before, but thinking about trying it using the 3500W Induction cooker that I boil wort with. Anyone here use induction to fry a turkey before? Pros or cons?

 

[bobbrews]

Some chef advice... This is by far the juiciest turkey I've ever made, also with crispy, rich skin...

*Get yourself a normal, non-kosher turkey.
*Brine for 24 hours with 60 grams kosher salt per every 2 liters of water. No need for sugar, lemon, or herbs in the brine.
*2-3 hours before it's time to cook, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry.
*Remove the wishbone. Meanwhile, make a compound butter with minced herbs.
*Compound butter = 1 stick unsalted butter, 1 sprig rosemary, 3 sprigs thyme, 6 leaves sage, and fresh ground black pepper.

*Let the turkey come to room temperature before you smother with the compound butter, which should be pommade consistency.
*Add some chopped vegetables & herbs to the bottom of the roasting pan and inside the cavity of the turkey.
*Season liberally with salt and cook the turkey in a preheated 265 F oven for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, depending on the size of the bird. Baste every 30-40 minutes.
*The turkey breast and legs should read approx. 145 F internal temperature, but not much higher. If not, cook for another 20-30 minutes and check again.
*Remove from oven and tent with heavy duty foil for 1 hour. Do not eat. Do not worry about the lack of color.

*At this point, you can stuff it with partially cooked stuffing. Make sure the stuffing is at least 80% cooked.
*After an hour of resting, preheat the oven to 500 F. Baste the turkey for the last time.
*Roast uncovered for 10-12 minutes at 500 F. The skin will crisp up and darken.
*No reason to rest the turkey again. Begin carving whenever you want.
*Use the vegetables and brown bits in the bottom of the pan to make a gravy. Sprinkle the vegetables liberally with flour, then add hot water and/or stock. Bring to a vigorous boil, cook for 5 minutes, strain, and serve.

 

[dinnerstick]

Laser beam eyes as usual.

recipe for a headache if you ask me. learned that the hard way...

 

[emetcalf]

*The turkey breast and legs should read approx. 145 F internal temperature, but not much higher. If not, cook for another 20-30 minutes and check again.

I was a little worried when I got to this part because I thought that was the end of cooking. But it wasn't, so its all good

I do this in one of these. My parents have used that roaster for years, so I don't really know how it compares to other methods, but I love it.