Don’t get stuffed with Turkey Day stress. Try these sanity-saving tips.

By Food Editor Brook Harlan

When I was a teenager, the job of carving the turkey was passed to me. This may not seem like a normal task to hand down to a 15-year-old, especially with an older brother and three older cousins at the table, but I guess I was lucky. I had a tremendous interest in cooking and had stolen enough crispy skin straight off the cooked bird for it to become my show.

My grandfather was kind in his hope that I was up to the task. Over time, my carving and plating techniques have evolved. There are probably few households with the time or space for the Norman Rockwell depictions of carving the bird and serving at the table. On holidays, our family is usually seated around at least three tables. Trying to carve and pass the meat onto plates would take an hour and require the involvement of plate transporters and tickets with requests of dark, light or a mixture of meats.

Here are some tips to help you prepare a holiday bird and actually enjoy the event.

What To Cook

The popularity of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol gave a boost to the serving of turkey at a holiday meal. The big bird is just as common on Christmas tables as it is at Thanksgiving. Before Dickens penned his tale, people usually chose goose, ham or a beef roast for the holiday feast.

Don’t feel tied down to turkey; these guidelines apply to roasting any type of fowl. The rule of thumb is about 1 pound of raw poultry with bones per person, so a 20-pound cleaned bird should feed about 10 to 12 people.

Thawing

Unless you have arranged to buy a fresh turkey, plan ahead for the thawing process. You don’t need a great deal of planning, but leave enough time so you are not trying to throw a rock-solid frozen turkey into the oven and hope that it is done and delicious in 4 to 5 hours.

There are only two safe ways to thaw a frozen turkey. Safe thawing is very important since you will be responsible for safely feeding a slew of people. The two safe ways to thaw any fowl are in the refrigerator or in the package under cold running water. The size of the bird determines how long it takes. Thawing in the refrigerator is best; it stays cold and there is nothing else to do. Just make room on the bottom shelf and let it sit. If you are in a pinch and need to thaw it more quickly, put the bird into a container where it can be completely submerged and run a thin stream of cold water over it constantly until thawed.

Thawing Guidelines

Refrigerator (Safest)
4 to 12 pounds: 1 to 3 days
12 to 16 pounds: 3 to 4 days
16 to 20 pounds: 4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pounds: 5 to 6 days

Running Water (70 degrees or cooler)
4 to 12 pounds: 2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds: 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds: 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds: 10 to 12 hours

Toss The Popper, Save The Neck

Once you have your thawed turkey, the next thing you need to have is an instant-read thermometer. Do not rely on the turkey popper! Relying on the popper is a great way to overcook the turkey. The epoxy glue melts at a higher temperature and releases the spring that makes it “pop” up, resulting in an overcooked bird. You need to cook the bird to an internal temperature of 165 degrees; check it at the breast and the thick inside part of the thigh.

Before roasting the bird, remove the neck and any other usable offal. Some birds may come with a flavor packet for gravy. Flavor packets kind of scare me, so I toss them and roast the neck for the first couple of hours in the pan with the turkey and then make my own stock for gravy. If you are making white gravy, don’t roast the neck; put it in the water raw when making the stock. Some people like to cut up the gizzard, heart, liver and any other goodies they may have pulled out of the bird, sauté them and put them into the gravy or stuffing.

Pan Choices

Your bird needs to have circulating air. If you slop it down on a cookie sheet and toss it into the oven, the bird will stick and cook unevenly.

First, find a roasting pan with sides that are 1 to 2 inches deep; this will help catch the juices and fat to help make delicious gravy.

Second, you will need something to keep the bird off the bottom of the pan. Your pan may come with a roasting rack or you may have one from a smaller pan that will fit. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it just holds the bird. If you can’t find a rack, take a long piece of aluminum foil and loop it into an oval a little smaller than the bird. You may have to add more foil depending on the width of the foil. It should raise the bird at least an inch off the pan.

If you like bacon, or at least eat it, take a few strips and lay them underneath the bird on top of the rack. It is a great snack after the bird is cooked but it also keeps the bird from sticking to the rack.

Truss The Bird

Trussing is tying meat to make it a more uniform shape, thus helping it cook more evenly. As an untrussed bird cooks, its extremities splay in every direction, thus drying out and overcooking the legs and wings.

All parts of the bird should be kept as close to the body as possible. Rotate the wing tips over the top of the breast to the back and they will stay. Most packaged turkeys come with a plastic leg holder to keep the legs in place. If you don’t have the plastic or wish to remove it, just tie the legs together with kitchen twine and you are ready to go.

Season The Bird

However you choose to season the bird (please season it; everyone will thank you later), dry off the skin and inside the cavity before seasoning. Excess moisture on the outside of the bird will steam the skin, leaving it tough and less likely to brown in the Maillard reaction, which gives the bird that delicious brown skin by caramelizing the amino acids and sugars.

Don’t wait to season the bird until just before it goes into the oven. If you have room, season the bird and put it back in the fridge for an hour or two. If your refrigerator is packed and it is colder than 41 degrees outside, cover the bird and put it on a screened-in porch or deck where it will be safe from curious cats, dogs, Chupacabra or other scavenging animals.

The Traditional Bird: Lightly coat the bird with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper on the outside and sprigs of thyme, garlic and bay leaves in the cavity. This works great for roasting in an oven or cooking in the smoker.

The Brined Bird: Brining involves a saltwater solution of 1 cup kosher salt, ½ cup sugar  and your choice of aromatics per 1 gallon of water. The bird should soak in the cold solution for 2 to 3 hours per pound and be dried thoroughly before cooking; no further seasoning needed. (See my December 2006 article on brining. You’ll find a link to it at www.InsideColumbia.net.) Do not deep-fry a brined bird; excess external moisture will turn to steam and cause to oil to bubble over and explode.

The Jerk Bird: Lightly coat the bird with vegetable oil and season with a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon ground allspice, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Stuffing The Cavity

Just about anything within reason can go into the cavity during the cooking process and help season the bird. You’re not going to eat these items so you don’t need to worry about cutting them up or taking the leaves off the stems or even peeling the onions or garlic for that matter (though I always do – they make a good snack as well). Play around each year and keep notes on what you liked and what actually made a difference. Here are some ideas: whole fresh herbs, garlic, shallots, onions, ginger, pickled ginger, sliced apples, lemons or oranges. The flavor really does get into the air while the bird is cooking and penetrates into the meat. It may be a subtle nuance, but it may help put it over the top with your guests.

Cook The Bird

Roast, deep-fry or smoke – it’s up to you how you want to cook the bird. Work with the equipment you have, or switch it up.

Roasting is the most common cooking method. Most like to cook their turkey between 325 and 350 degrees. The lower the temperature, the longer it will take but during the slow cooking process less moisture is squeezed out of the bird by the slower contraction of the coagulation of the meat. Calculate cooking time by allowing about 15 minutes for every pound on the whole bird, so a 20-pound bird will take approximately 4 to 5 hours to cook. I know that is a wide range, but cooking time also depends on oven calibration or size of the roasting pan or even how cold the bird is. Internal temperature is the only way to determine doneness, so use the time estimate only as rough indication of when to check.

When preparing the bird for the roasting pan, try lightly covering or tenting the turkey with aluminum foil for the first couple of hours to slow down the browning process. After removing the foil, use a baster or small ladle to baste or pour the juices over the breast and legs of the bird.

Deep-frying is a much faster cooking process at a higher temperature. You normally fry at about 375 degrees. Don’t try to fry much lower than 350 degrees, though. Low oil temperatures cause the opposite effect; rather than making a nice crispy skin, it will be soggy and oil-logged. Make sure you have twine on hand to tie the legs together. The plastic that normally comes with the bird will hold up in the oven but you may be pushing it by trying to fry it.

Let It Rest

If you take any meat and put it on a heat source, all the moisture goes away from the heat. It gathers together and tries to ride out the storm and then disburse. Once you have checked the breast and thighs in a few different places remove the bird from the oven and place another light tent over the bird. Let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour before carving. The tent keeps in the moisture and allows time for it to redistribute. If you cut into it right away, the moisture will not have any barrier to stop it and will run out of the meat into the pan or onto the cutting board.

I know it is hard to resist, but try to refrain from pulling off and sampling the crispy skin until it is time to carve. The skin helps hold in the moisture along with the heat.

Legs, Thighs, Wings, Breasts Then The Rest

Change the way you carve; it may seem odd at first but this method will simplify any process. Whether you are setting up a buffet or just looking for an easier way to carve the turkey to pass, carve and cleanup is a cinch before the meal even takes place.

After the bird has rested for a sufficient amount of time, start by removing the twine or plastic that is holding the legs together. Remove the legs next by lifting at the end of the drumstick and cutting through the joint that connects the leg to the thigh. Set each leg aside to remove the dark meat later.

Next on each side, bend the thigh to the back until it releases from the socket where it attaches to the back. The thighs may now be removed by cutting through the meat and skin that attach them to the bone. Set them with the legs to remove the dark meat later.

The wings are the next to go. Start to cut into the breast just above where the wing attaches to the bird. You should find the socket where the wing attaches. Separate the wing from the bird and reserve with the other appendages.

To remove the breast, position the bird so the smaller parts or bottom of the breasts face toward you. Make an incision just to the left of center and follow it all the way down the breast or keel bone. Make sure to stay next to the breast and outside the ribcage; follow the bone path until the breast is removed, then repeat on the other side. If you wish, you may remove the skin at this time and place it onto the platter with the rest of the cut-up bird.

You may now pick off the scraps left on the carcass. The front will be mostly white meat with dark meat on the back. I think it helps to keep the meat from drying out to cut the dark meat (legs and thighs) first and plate it before cutting the white meat (breasts). The meat should pull off the legs and thighs or you can cut out the thighbone and slice it and pile it onto the plate. Lay out the breast and slice it to your desired thickness.

As with any application, using a sharp knife will simplify the task. Try to keep all the pieces together as you slice; that way it will transfer to the plate or platter much easier.

Brook Harlan is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He is a culinary arts instructor through the Columbia Area Career Center and Rock Bridge High School.

How To Brine A Turkey

By Food Editor Brook Harlan
Photos By L.G. Patterson

Cooking has always been a major event in my family, especially during the holidays. When I went to New York for culinary school, I was able to come back for only a short time over the holidays, so this left very little time to plan and execute our menu. We would start a slew of e-mails back and forth to each other just after Halloween about the turkey ¾ not for Thanksgiving, but for Christmas.

Every year was a quest to find a new way to season and cook the turkey. In the late 1990s we got on a brine kick and we’ve never looked back.

Most people ask, “What is brine?”  You may have baked, roasted, smoked or even deep-fried a turkey, but until you have brined a turkey, you have not tasted the juiciest and most flavorful turkey of your life.

The basics of brining are simple. Also known as a “wet cure,” it is a process where meat is soaked in a saltwater solution that swells the protein molecules, thus allowing the meat to better retain moisture. The flavor of the brine penetrates faster and more effectively, and brined meat is actually more forgiving if slightly overcooked.

If it sounds simple enough, that’s because it is. You just need to follow the basic brine ratio and the appropriate soaking times. The rest is up to you. Have fun and be creative!

Basic Brine Ratio:

1 gallon of water/liquid

Instead of water, or as part of your liquid, you may use apple cider, 7UP, beer or wine. What liquid you use depends on what flavor you want to incorporate. If your liquid contains sodium you may have to lessen your salt amount in the basic ratio.

You could start with less liquid and finish with ice until your volume reaches 1 gallon. This procedure reduces the amount of time needed to chill the brine prior to adding the meat or poultry.

1 cup of salt (kosher)

This is your sodium for the brine. You will need about 9 ounces of sodium by weight; you can replace the salt with sea salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or another high-sodium flavoring. This may seem like a lot of sodium, but it is necessary for the proper solution. Keep in mind that only a small percentage actually permeates into the meat.

1/2 cup of sugar

You may use granulated sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, turbinado

sugar (also called raw sugar), honey or any another highly sweetened item.

Aromatics as desired

This is where you add the special flavor to the dish; the whole point is to extract the flavors of the aromatics into the liquid so the salt can disperse the flavors into the item being brined. The amount will vary, depending on how assertive or subtle you want the flavor to be. By partially crushing the spice or lightly shredding herbs, you allow the flavorful essential oils to be released into the liquid more easily. You may use such items as peppercorns, cloves of garlic, herbs, lemons, limes, other spices, herbs or fruits. Just about anything you can think of can be used to impart flavor.

Procedure:

I normally start off with about half the amount of water or liquid, then add all of the other ingredients. After bringing it to a boil, add enough ice to bring it up to the correct ratio (1 gallon if doing the recipe one time). You want to make sure that your brine has cooled below 41 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the item. From this point on, the brined item must remain chilled. If you have space, keep the container in the refrigerator for the soaking time – a rare occurrence around the holidays. Another tip is to keep it in a large container inside a cooler; just remember to keep replenishing the ice. We have been known to keep it outside, barricaded from the pets, as long as the temperature is going to be between 27 degrees and 40 degrees.

You may use any clean/sanitized container that will be large enough to hold the brine and the completely submerged item. Less brine is needed if you use a container that is taller than it is wide. A large food-grade container is the best idea. An old 5-gallon detergent bucket is a bad idea.

After brining the item for the appropriate time, remove it from the brine, dry the skin and lightly season it. At this point, it is a good idea to let your item rest. This resting time allows for a more evenly seasoned item and it allows the skin to dry more thoroughly, resulting in a crisper skin. Larger items will benefit greatly with a few hours of resting time. Now you may cook it as you wish; I prefer to roast the turkey at 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. If your turkey has a pop-out thermometer, the first step is to pull it out and throw it away. The pop-up is the easiest way to accidentally overcook your turkey and dry it out. Instead, check it with an instant-read thermometer in numerous places on the bird to ensure that it is fully cooked.

WARNING: Do not deep-fry a brined turkey; the moisture will cause the oil to overflow and explode.

Soaking Times

The maximum soaking time will depend on the size of the item you wish to brine.

Here are some suggested times. Comparable items (such as a duck, which is about the size of a 3- or 4-pound chicken) will require the same soaking time.

Meat/Weight Chart
Fish/small meat items (4-6 ounces): 30-60 minutes
Boneless chicken breasts, pork chops (6-10 ounces): 2 hours
Whole chicken/bird (2 pounds): 4-6 hours
Whole chicken/bird (3-4 pounds): 8-12 hours
Pork loin (4 pounds): 12 hours
Roast/large meat item: 2-3 hours per pound
Whole turkey (10-15 pounds): 18-24 hours
Whole turkey (more than 15 pounds): 24-36 hours

Note: If you accidentally soak your item too long or add too much salt, you may resoak the item for half the original time in unsalted water and the salt will balance out.

This basic recipe will work on everything from turkey to chicken breasts to fillets. Depending on the size of the item, you may need to do a quarter or half recipe up to two or three times. Make sure that your item is completely submerged; it is a good idea to weight it down with a plate.

Basic Brining Recipe
½ gallon of water
Approximately 8 cups ice – reserve until after boil (may need more ice to reach total of 1 gallon of liquid)
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns
6 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves, crushed

Bring all ingredients (except ice) to a boil, transfer solution to a container large enough to hold brine and item. Add ice and stir until dissolved. Cool brine to 41 degrees, add item and soak for appropriate time (according to meat/weight chart). Remove from brine, dry, lightly season with salt and pepper and cook as desired (no deep-frying).

Apple Cider Brine
4 cups of apple cider
2 cups 7UP
2 cups water
Approximately 8 cups ice – reserve until after boil (may need more ice to reach total of 1 gallon of liquid)
1 cup of kosher salt
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons crushed peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh, sliced ginger

Bring all ingredients (except ice) to a boil, transfer solution to a container large enough to hold brine and item. Add ice and stir until dissolved. Cool brine to 41degrees, add item and soak for appropriate time (according to meat/weight chart). Remove from brine, dry, lightly season with salt and pepper and cook as desired (no deep-frying).

Brook Harlan is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He is a culinary arts instructor through the Columbia Area Career Center and Rock Bridge High School.