BEST TURKEY EVER!

BEST TURKEY EVER!!!!!

Thanksgiving 2016.  After 20 Years of attempting to roast the best, most juicy Turkey ever year after year after year............It finally happened!  This is my story of THE BIRD OF 2016!  FINALLY!

 In preparing to cook Thanksgiving Dinner this year for my mother in law,  my husband and our daughter, I decided to trek to Trader Joes this year.  I have learned that Trader Joe's quality of food is far superior to almost any grocery store I have ever been to in the World, and I am one of those that visits all grocery stores everywhere I travel!  We all have our Hobbies I suppose! 

 My most recent excursion was to Iceland.  I learned a lot about local branding and selection!  Iceland grocery stores are very small and have a very limited supply of options.  Strangely enough, the largest department in their grocery store was the frozen ICE CREAM!  Shocking!  I concluded it was because all the ice cream is made locally!  Everything else would need to be off a cargo boat shipped in, and that is costly.  The craziest thing is, "Iceland Water Co." is the best water I ever put to my lips, it was so pure and so refreshing.  Sounds crazy, but, see for yourself.  We can buy it bottled in the U. S. The purity is best experienced when it is very cold.  Everyone on our trip converted to water from Iceland as a first choice.    The ironic part of this is Iceland's tap water is what they bottle!!!  How lucky are they?  WOW!

When I arrived to Trader Joes, I wondered over to where the Turkey's were waiting to be chosen!  I saw, Organic, Free Range Birds that were fresh to frozen TJ branded birds, and finally to the lucky champion bird of 2016!  The bird was 14.5 lbs. and more than we needed, but, we love the leftovers.  This particular bird was, branded Trader Joes, and was "pre-brined", and frozen. 

 I brought it home and refrigerated it to thaw it over 2 days.  It was perfectly thawed on Thanksgiving day and I pulled it from the refrigerator an hour before cooking it to bring it's temperature down.  This helps the bird to cook more evenly and to keep the protein from becoming tough  from being shocked by quick temperature changes.  I preheated my oven to 400 degrees.  This is to crisp up the skin and to get the golden brown suntan!  After 30 to 45 minutes I turned down the temperature to 325 degrees and cooked it for a remaining 3.5 hours.

The night before Thanksgiving, I creamed together an herb butter.  This is what I did:

Ingredients:

* Two sticks of salted butter at room temperature

* 1/2 c. EACH of  finely chopped herbs, fresh sage, fresh thyme off the stem and fresh parsley

* t. salt, and t. pepper and 1 heaping t. garlic powder and onion powder

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and remove onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap or wax paper.  roll it up like a log and close the ends with a twist and refrigerate over night.  Pull it when you pull your bird to rest before cooking, 1 hour ahead and let it become room temperature.

Turkey Prep:

* This involved only one thing, but a very important ONE.  Remove the bird from the packaging, take out the neck and organs. ( put them aside for now).  DO NOT rinse the bird., just let the juices drip off into the sink and set place the bird into your turkey roasting pan.  Take a hefty roll of paper towels and dry that bird until it is parched! Dabbing and dabbing and using the whole role if you need to!  The bird will not take the herb butter to wet skin, so dry away!!!

*  When good and dry, rub the herb butter all over the whole bird and be generous, all over and put some into the cavity of the bird as well.   Do not feel like you have to put this under the skin, it is best on top.  Don't ask,, just trust me from my over 20 experiments before!   Once smeared and thick coated, add kosher salt to the bird.  Stuff the bird with the following ingredients:

Stuff:  In mixing bowl combine:

* Cut up 2 stalks of celery, one small onion quartered, one cut up apple, 6 cloves of garlic whole, and the juice and fruit of 2 halo's or oranges.  I'm sure lemon would be wonderful as well.  Salt and pepper the mixture and stuff into bird Cavity with some sprigs of sage and thyme.

Be sure to tie the legs together for even cooking if your bird is not already tied.

Once your bird is completely stuffed and buttered up, put it in the oven that is preheated to 400 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.  The goal is a beautiful, crisp golden brown skin.  Once that is achieved, put the lid on your roaster and cover to finish cooking for 3.5 hours at a reduced temperature of 325 degrees.

Gravy Prep:

* Take the packaged organs and the neck and put them into a small pot with water half way, approx. 6 cups.  Add plenty of salt, 3 T. and some pepper.  Add a few sprigs of  fresh Thyme and Sage, a stalk of celery and a half of an onion and 4 cloves of whole garlic.   Cook on medium until it comes to bubbling, and lower to low for 2 hours.  Keep an eye on the water level always keep it covering the ingredients generously.  When the bird is finished and you set the bird to rest, drain all the juice from the roaster and the contents of the organ pot and juices into a colander that is resting in a medium stock pot.  This will be your gravy.  Put over medium heat and add flour ( approx. 1/2 c.maximum  slowly while whisking ).  This should thicken pretty quickly.  Once you have your desired thickness, add 2 T. of butter to give it a beautiful shine and flavor.  Serve!

When the bird is finished being roasted, remove the roaster from the oven and uncover it, put it on a plate to rest at room temperature.  Do not leave it in the roaster, it will continue to cook and to dry out.  Let it rest for 25 minutes.  The juices will settle down and remain in the bird ready to kiss your palate with a juicy taste of Thanksgiving Turkey!  It will stay juicy days later as well.  AMAZING!

Carve bird carefully by removing the wings first, followed by the leg and thighs on each side  at the junction of the leg joint to the bird.  Do not separate them.  Place them on a serving tray,   Next we do the Breast by cutting right down one of the sides of the middle breast bone. Cut all the way down past the tenderloin and then cut towards the breast bone at the bottom of the breast meat into the first cut at a 90 degree angle.  Remove the entire breast on each side and lay on serving dish.  Continue to cut the breast meat into slices of your choice.  I choose to do 1 to 2 inch thick cuts.  It stays moist that way!  

Serve garnished with fresh herbs and fresh cranberries for color around it.  

Since Thanksgiving 2016 is over, You have an entire year to practive and assure yourself that 2017 will be your story to share about your BEST TURKEY EVER!  Happy Holidays, and many blessings!