I listen to The Daily (podcast, by the NYTimes), well, daily. They did a turkey episode today. I was annoyed that the host took the attitude "OMG cooking turkey is hard!" I guess not everyone has the small amount of confidence, temperature probe, and basically nothing else that it takes to cook a turkey.

I realized that in uniquely prepared to coach turkey chefs because I have plenty of experience AND I'm not going to sugarcoat things - listen, if you need the traditional round mediocre bird on your table, thats between you and your guests but I'm not going to give it a participation prize.

I'll be following Kenji's recently updated recipe. I'm not saying its the only way, but if you stray and run into trouble then its clear where you've gone wrong. - [cooking.nytimes.com]

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2022 09:33AM by mattkime.

I love Kenji, but even that is sort of ridiculous. All you need is a large pan or foil roaster, some alu foil, and your favorite rub - salt and pepper are just fine, but I prefer some citrus and olive oil, too. Blast for about 90m and then turn the oven down to about 375f and cook until thermometer reads 165f or the leg separates easily. Uncover to get brown.

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Hurts like a bastid...

Maybe this is my shortcoming, but I've never had the thighs come out particularly well when cooking an unflattened bird. Either I'm doing something wrong or they're sacrificed.

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The key, I think, is to keep it covered for nearly the whole time. Only uncover to get the skin crispy at the end.

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Hurts like a bastid...

I’m having Thanksgiving dinner with my vegan/vegetarian family and friends.

(actually, pretty tasty and I’ll have the chance for a more traditional meal later).

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Ammo
I’m having Thanksgiving dinner with my vegan/vegetarian family and friends.

(actually, pretty tasty and I’ll have the chance for a more traditional meal later).

I'm generally happy to eat vegan / vegetarian food AS LONG AS its not trying to be something it isn't. HOWEVER, I once had fake turkey that made me ridiculously gassy for hours.

I'll be friends with vegetarians / vegans all the other days of the year.

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two words will get you a moist turkey done easily -- Alton Brown

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

200°F. for as long as it takes to cook the meat. I’m a leg man more than breast so I will have a roasting pan full of only legs. When one leg is done, then they all are.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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Speedy
200°F. for as long as it takes to cook the meat. I’m a leg man more than breast so I will have a roasting pan full of only legs. When one leg is done, then they all are.

Low and slow is good but you gotta hit it with 500°F for a couple minutes if you want crispy skin.

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mattkime

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Speedy
200°F. for as long as it takes to cook the meat. I’m a leg man more than breast so I will have a roasting pan full of only legs. When one leg is done, then they all are.

Low and slow is good but you gotta hit it with 500°F for a couple minutes if you want crispy skin.

I do what you suggest for a beef roast but not for turkey.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

I love my 24 hour low and slow recipe. Haven't had to hate pulling it apart, since I found out how to do it that way.

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mspace
I love my 24 hour low and slow recipe. Haven't had to hate pulling it apart, since I found out how to do it that way.

Have a link to it? Perhaps I'll try it with a chicken sometime soon.

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No link, but here it is. Comment at end is from writer.

Slow cooking Turkey Recipe
• Beginning the day before your meal, make sure you have a good meat thermometer, oven thermometer, roasting pan (no cover), adjustable roasting rack, carving board and knife.
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• Remove the neck and giblets of a thawed turkey (use giblets in fat-free gravy or the best turkey stuffing). Rinse turkey well, inside and out, pat dry and position breast-side down on a roasting rack in a large pan.
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• Melt 1 Tbs. of unsalted butter and rub on the turkey to help keep juices from evaporating. Cooking the turkey upside down, unsalted and lightly buttered makes it self-basting, which means you can just let your slow cooking turkey continue to roast slowly until time to serve.
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• About 24 hours before dinner, preheat your oven to 350ºF, place a meat thermometer in the breast (without touching any bone) and roast the turkey for an hour at 350ºF to begin destroying surface bacteria. Then reduce the oven heat to 185ºF. Roast the turkey at this low 185ºF temperature overnight. Oven temperatures vary, so it's essential to use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven keeps the right temperature.
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• Several hours before serving check the meat thermometer. If you've reached 185ºF for the turkey and at least 165ºF for the stuffing, keep on roasting at 185ºF until time to serve. Otherwise, turn the oven up to 225ºF (or higher) to make sure your turkey's done on time.
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• When ready, turn the turkey on its back on a carving board. If the rack sticks, just gently remove it. The turkey will be so juicy and tender it'll be easy to cut. Once you've taste how delicious it is, you'll never want to cook a turkey any other way.

Everyone tells me it's the best, juiciest, most tender and delicious turkey they've ever tasted. Plus, since it's slow roasted over 24 hours and can stay in a 185ºF oven for as long as necessary, there's less preparation pressure on the day of your dinner.

The slow roast method can be done in eight hours. 24 hours risks out drying the bird.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Hasn't happened to me yet. Really have to watch the temp, though.

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Speedy
The slow roast method can be done in eight hours. 24 hours risks out drying the bird.

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mspace
Hasn't happened to me yet. Really have to watch the temp, though.

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Speedy
The slow roast method can be done in eight hours. 24 hours risks out drying the bird.

Ugh, “drying out the bird”.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

350 for an hour wouldn't work for a chicken, it would be almost entirely cooked. Maybe 500 for 15 minutes.

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