***Miss Prissy*** I need YOU :)

[RickiHupp]

Hi!! I have been following alot of your posts and threads. I am 26 years old and I am attempting to have thanksgiving dinner at my house this year

Its only going to be 8 people but I have no idea how to make a turkey

I was wondering if you had a fabulous recipie for making a turkey

I would love to hear from anyone else too about side dishes and such, Thank you

 

[Opa]

I'm not Miss Prissy but I have over sixty years experience with Thanksgivings. The best turkey I have ever eaten was brined overnight and then cooked in less than 2 hours. Check out Alton Brown's Good Eats show on the Foodnetwork. It's with out a doubt the best tasting turkey I've ever eaten. Good Luck

 

[greyfields]

I'm not MissPrissy either, but wanted to post here. I'll just say:

1) Get a meat thermometer.

2) Make sure the bird is room temperature when you put it in the oven.

3) After it's finished, remove it from the pan and let it rest 20 minutes on a cutting board, covered in aluminum foil.

4) Get a meat thermometer.

 

[MissPrissy]

Ohh! Yayy for home for the holidays! I have a recipe for turkey that will make people think you bought it off TV!

Give me some time to type it up and you will have it to practice with on a roasted chicken! Easy peasy!

Get cheese cloth. Fresh clean lovely cheese cloth. You can buy it by the yard at any fabic shop - hancocks, joann's etc.

 

[RickiHupp]

Cheese cloth= CHECK!
Meat Therm= CHECK!

 

[greyfields]

I'm also told with complete authority that if you leave the bird uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking, you'll get a delicious crispy skin without having to baste it continuously.

 

[FLOWERPOT]

Use one of the oven cooking bags to soak the turkey in a brine solution just like the first poster said!!!
Best turkey ever!! Stays juicy! The salt is a natural tenderizer because it breaks down something... cant remember what right now. Google turkey brine....
1 Gallon of water to a half cup of salt. enough to cover the turkey, soak it in the fridge over night. in the morning, take it out and rinse it off the bake it.
Do not baste it a lot! Thats only to make the skin evenly brown anyway. 1x every half hour is plenty, if you open the oven door a lot you let all the steam out and dry the meat out!!!

Im getting hungry!!

 

[Missouri chick]

mmmm num yummy yum.....can't wait till thanksgiving


Miss P. cant wait to see your recipe.

 

[the1much]

we ALL need M.P

 

[ChooksChick]

#1 - DO NOT ever cut a bird until it has been left alone to cool for 15 minutes. This will cause you to lose lots of liquid and it will seem dryer.

#2 - Brining a bird is FABULOUS because it causes the cells to intake water- salt is a natural cell wall 'opener.'

#3 - If you turn the oven up to 450 to 500 and put the bird in for twenty minutes, it seals the skin and you don't need an oven bag to trap the moisture; turn the heat back down to 325 after that, then cover the breast in foil and put the legs closer to the side or door- this reflects the heat back so it cooks that area faster. This allows the breast to NOT overcook. Another way to cook the legs faster for some folks is to ice the breast by putting the bird breast-down in a bath of ice prior to cooking, so that area is colder to start.

#4 - Don't overstuff. This ups the cooking time and causes the bird to overcook. It's best to loosely stuff and put the rest in a separate dish.

#5 - Don't stress out. Even if you don't have a perfect bird, the meal is always a success if everyone is happy to be together. Stress-cooking is not fun, nor do guests enjoy it. A glass of wine makes cooking go better!

Best of luck, and try the brine and then the hot oven- 450-500 for *ten* minutes with a chicken, drop down to 325. It's incredible!

Edited to clarify time difference with chicken.