Standard Bronze Roasting Recipes please

[1Rooster]

We have standard bronze turkeys 2 toms and 2 hens going to keep 1 tom and 2 hens
going to have 1 tom for thanksgaiving.
can anyone help me with roasting?? Everyone says they have to be done different since are
not pumped with salt water and harmones.
Mine are organic fed and also free range a couple hrs a day. cant do more due to predators.

 

[SkyWarrior]

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I highly recommend brining your turkey. Makes an awesome difference. I use salt, spiced cider, orange juice, cloves, garlic and a bunch of herbs and brine the turkey for a day or more.

Yum yum!

 

[1Rooster]

Quote:
I highly recommend brining your turkey. Makes an awesome difference. I use salt, spiced cider, orange juice, cloves, garlic and a bunch of herbs and brine the turkey for a day or more.

Yum yum!

thank-you and what temp do you suggest?? and 15 minutes per lb??

 

[SkyWarrior]

Whatever the recommended guideline for cooking a turkey would be (check cookbooks for that). I only look it up once a year or so, but this year, I have two toms, so I think I'm going to be cooking more turkey.

Cooking BBB is almost the same as cooking a turkey from the store, but without the nasty stuff added. They add their version of the brine before freezing the bird so that people have moist turkeys. I prefer a more natural way to brine (my own) and it works awesomely. Every year husband says: "cook your turkey like this all the time." It really does work. You can also find other brining recipes if you search the internet for turkey brining recipes.

Oh, as an important FYI, I do use those Reynolds wrap turkey bags. Make a HUGE difference.

If you don't brine, you have to baste heavily. If you're lazy like I am, lay a pound of organic uncured bacon on the breast. Nice bacony taste and the fat drips into the breast, keeping it moist.

 

[emptynesterMom]

I also brine my turkeys. For additional flavor, I saute garlic, fresh sage, and fresh thyme in butter, let it cool, and rub this under the skin of the breast and thigh. yummmm!!!

 

[1Rooster]

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oooooooooooooooo yum love the garlic !!

 

[Jocasta]

In the UK, turkeys are never brined! I heard about it by accident from an American friend and was gobsmacked! I guess that's why I'd always thought of turkey as dry and tough! I buy turkey thighs all the time now as I brine them and the meat is soooooo much more tender - turkey is actually our favourite meat as a family now.

That said, this is the first year that I've raised my own bird. Every previous year, I've had a store bought broiler prepared by family. I remember one year having an organic farmed free range bird and was blown away by how tender and tasty it was. I always figured it was the cooking technique but having researched the organic, free range turkey market in the UK, I've discovered that the reason they retail so much higher than a broiler bird, has a lot to do with how they are treated post slaughter. Basically, the birds are dispatched via dislocation, creating a large neck cavity for blood pooling but with the skin still in tact. They are then plucked and hung, in tact, for up to a fortnight. Then they are dressed out and sold. This considerably improves the flavour and texture of the meat.

I have four toms. I have two orders from friends and am planning on eating two ourselves. Being that I'm already a brining convert, I'm going to dispatch one of my two early to trial the hanging method so I know which I prefer in time for Christmas.

 

[1Rooster]

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at what temp do you roast? some say fast and others slow