#turkey tips

Want to have a Thanksgiving turkey that is juicy and flavorful without deep-frying it? Here are my Thanksgiving Turkey Tips to avoid a dry, flavorless, foul-tasting fowl.

Tip 1: Buy fresh, not frozen - My apologies if you've already purchased a frozen turkey. I don't know how well the rest of my tips will apply when preparing a frozen turkey. When I first started being in charge of turkey duty for my family, I had assumed that fresh turkeys would be significantly more expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that fresh turkeys at the supermarket are usually either approximately the same price or even cheaper than frozen turkeys. (And SO much easier to work with!)

Tip 2: Use an oven bag - Oven bags are inexpensive, and they help a TON with keeping the natural moisture of the meat from escaping and making your turkey dry out. Using a bag will alter the cooking time and temperature required, but fortunately most boxes of oven bags will provide those altered cooking times and temps for you.

Tip 3: Butter - The next step is always my least favorite to execute, but so important that I know it's worth it in the end. Warm up a stick of butter until it is soft. (You don't want it to be liquid, but it should be soft enough to mix stuff into.) I like to add some salt, rosemary, and basil to the butter, but honestly the seasonings are going to vary by personal preference and availability. Once you've put the turkey in the oven bag, pick up the stick of butter in your hand and start slathering it over the entire surface of the turkey. Like, everywhere. In every nook and cranny, top, bottom, right, left, front, and back. If you were one of those kids who loved to play in squishy mud as a child, you may claim this feels "strangely satisfying." I was not one of those kids, and I will not lie to you. I always regret it the moment I start, but then I always know I did the right thing as soon as I'm done. Power through it, my friend. Your family and your taste buds will thank you. (I used to use regular butter before we discovered my wife's dairy allergy, but I'm happy to report that dairy-free butters work equally well.)

Tip 4: Throw a small dash of flour in the oven bag - That's... that's pretty much it. Nothing profound about this, you don't need to coat the turkey with flour or anything. Just put a little bit of flour in there to help keep the bag from bursting. Why does this work? I dunno, ask Alton Brown or Bill Nye or something.

Tip 5: Cook it "upside down" - I've observed that many people cook their turkey with the white meat (turkey breast) at the top, and the dark meat (legs and wings) at the bottom. I beg you to do the opposite. The dark meat is the most flavorful part of the bird, and the white meat is the most likely to go dry. By cooking the turkey "upside down," you allow the delicious flavor of the dark meat to cook through the whole turkey, and the white meat is able to stay down at the bottom where it is able to get tender and juicy. (Honestly, if there are only two tips you take away from all this, Tips #2 and #5 involve the least hassle, and make the biggest difference.)

Bonus Tip: Don't bother washing the turkey - I know it might seem a little icky when you take the turkey out of the packaging and there is so much liquid in there. (Sorry if this grosses you out, but we're all grownups here.) So yes, I do recommend opening it near your sink so you can let all that liquid drain out. But a lot of people make the mistake of thinking they need to go a step further and wash/rinse the whole turkey before doing anything else. This is both unnecessary, frustrating, and counterproductive. The heat from cooking is going to kill off any bacteria that may be on the bird, and honestly most kitchen sinks are going to put more microbes on your meat than remove it. So skip that slippery Sisyphean turkey task, and keep save your sanity. (This tip isn't really about improving the taste of your turkey, just improving the state of your mental energy and stress levels, which I suppose could have an indirect impact on how the turkey turns out?)

Let’s Talk Turkey: Choosing a turkey

Lunds & Byerlys has the perfect turkey for your holiday feast! Scott Kersting, Director of Meat & Seafood, is here with a breakdown of all your turkey options this Thanksgiving!

For those of us charged with picking out the turkey this holiday season, we have important decisions ahead of us. Should it be organic, fresh, frozen or brined? And wait – how big should it be?

When it comes to your holiday turkey, we’ve got you covered! Whether you’re looking for a whole turkey or a turkey breast, all-natural or organic, Lunds & Byerlys offers a wide range of options that are sure to impress your friends and family at holiday gatherings. Plus, we have incredible in-store FoodE Experts and highly-trained meat and seafood staff who can help make your turkey decision easier and answer those all-important questions about preparation.

Before you make your holiday shopping list, take a look at some of the impressive turkeys we offer:

Lunds & Byerlys Fresh Organic Turkey: These turkeys are raised locally in Minnesota and are fed a pure organic diet that’s free of antibiotics, hormones and gluten. Available sizes: 10-18 pounds

Lunds & Byerlys Fresh Brined Turkey: These all-natural, free-range turkeys are brined in a spice and herb blend that helps retain their natural juices during the cooking process. Available sizes: 10-24 pounds

Lunds & Byerlys Fresh Antibiotic-Free All-Natural Turkey: Raised in Minnesota, these turkeys are never fed gluten. They are also never given antibiotics or hormones. Available sizes: 10-26 pounds

Lunds & Byerlys Fresh Turkey: These locally-raised turkeys are fresh – never frozen – and have never been fed gluten or hormones. Available sizes: 10-26 pounds

Lunds & Byerlys Cider Brined Turkey Breast: This all-natural turkey breast is brined in cider made from Minnesota apples and is free of antibiotics, hormones and gluten. Average size: 4.75 pounds

To guarantee a turkey is just the right size for your gathering, place your order today by visiting the meat department service counter at your local Lunds & Byerlys or call 952-548-1400.

Turkey Tip Tuesday: Seasoning

Seasoning your turkey correctly makes all the difference! I love using rosemary, thyme, sage and citrus. I soften some butter, chop my herbs, zest my citrus and mix it all together with plenty of salt and pepper. Then I slather the butter all over the bird that I have patted dry with paper towels (inside and out). I slather the butter under the skin  too. Then I stuff the cavity with more herbs…

Turkey Tip Tuesday: Resting

After it’s cooked, let the bird rest. Make a little tent for Tom Turkey with some aluminum foil and let him hang out for about 20 minutes between roasting and carving. Trust me on this one.   Daddy-Daughter leftover turkey sandwiches. 2014

To brine, to bard or to baste…that is the question if you have a bird in hand to roast. Like most of the big questions in life, this one also begs several others before the answer is to be found: 

Which bird is it? Where did it come from, how did it live?

The grain-fed Butterballs of the world are bred to be busty and are plumped with chlorinated water before delivery to the supermarkets in their vacuum-sealed straight jackets so they are nearly guaranteed to be moist and juicy without much intervention.

You can rinse, dry and roast these birds as is or add a handful of fresh herbs like thyme, sage and parsley to the cavity and a hearty dose of salt and pepper to the skin for some actual flavor. Cooking times are usually included in the packaging along with a curious little plastic pop-up thermometer to let you know when it’s done; all convenient but less than ideal.

In the real food world, game birds like wild turkey, pheasant, quail and grouse bear little resemblance to their bourgeois relatives. They’ve lived beyond the crates and confines of industrial farms and thus offer more depth of character and flavor in their lean flesh. Pastured chickens and turkeys allowed to live omnivorously in the open air are similar.

If you want to access this richness of flavor and prefer moist meat, you may want to brine, bard or baste your bird. Here's a quick guide to each method.

BRINE

To brine means that you soak it in salted water* for several hours or overnight before roasting. This is a time-honored way of adding moisture to the meat while enhancing its natural flavor. Some people are fond of adding herbs to the brine but it may be more effective to add them to the cavity as stated above or to tuck them under the barding fat to truly influence the flavor of the meat.

BARD

To bard means that you wrap the bird with strips of fat like bacon while it roasts. It’s customary to tie the fat to the bird with kitchen twine but you may find that using a piece of cheesecloth is a much simpler way to keep the fat from slipping off. Sadly, the bird tends to look like a bandaged victim so be sure to remove the cloth and the fat strips 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time in order to brown the skin and get it looking as good as it will taste.

BASTE

To baste means that liquid added to the roasting pan is periodically poured over the meat as it roasts. Wine, broth, cider or water is added to the pan and allowed to combine with the juices released from the roasting bird. Using a ladle or “turkey baster” gently pour some of the liquid over the breast every half hour or so. Any bird benefits from basting as it adds more fat and moisture. A piece of cheesecloth is an effective way to capture the basting liquid on the surface of the meat and again, must be removed to allow the skin to get brown and crispy for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

SUGGESTED COOKING TIMES

 Allow at least 15 minutes per pound if cooking at 350 degrees and cook to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees. That reading should be taken with a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh. A good rule of thumb is when you can easily pull the leg and thigh away from the bird, it is well done. Always allow the roasted poultry to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before you carve it. This resting period retains the moisture in the meat.

If you will carve in the kitchen without any table side ceremony, butterflying nearly guarantees an evenly cooked bird. First, line a baking sheet with foil and add coarsely chopped vegetables like onions, celery and carrots with chopped fresh herbs, salt & pepper and some additional liquid if desired (cider, broth**, wine, water, etc.). Next, with kitchen shears, cut the backbone out and splay the bird with its legs out to the side. Now add a flat rack to the pan and lay the bird on it, skin side up. Season generously with salt and pepper roast in a 425 degree oven for half the time it would take to roast whole in the conventional manner described above. Here, the vegetables beneath the rack will steam the meat while the skin stays crispy. This method, called “spatchcocking” is my current favorite for it’s timely, consistent and delicious results.

For a simple and flavorful “gravy”, puree the roasted vegetables and juices in a blender while your bird rests, thinning with additional water or broth to your desired consistency and then reheating again in a saucepan on the stove.

Enjoy your brined, barded or basted birds best with side dishes featuring fruits and nuts and served up with a healthy dose of gratitude any day of the year.

*Kosher salt or sea salt is best, approximately 5% salt to water weight or 2 cups salt to 2 gallons water to make the brine. The bird must be completely submerged and stored in a cold place for 8 hours or more.