Turkey Tips
Cook Legs and thighs 2 days before:
1.Rub a marinade on the meat under the skin before roasting, see recipe
for Adobado Marinade
2.Make sure to cover the legs with foil so they don't burn while roasting
the bird
3.Count on 20 minutes cooking time per pound of a stuffed turkey
4.Once the bird is done, remove the breasts and slice it rather than
carve it while on the turkey...It's easier and yields more meat.
To Roast the Turkey:
Preheat oven to 335 degrees F.
Rinse the bird thoroughly and pat it dry. Reserve the neck and bones
and innards. Carefully, using your fingers, separate the skin from
the breasts and from around the thighs. Liberally rub the adobado
marinade into the meat, being careful not to tear the skin. Pack the
turkey cavities 2/3's full with stuffing and seal or truss them. Place
the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan sprayed with vegetable
spray. Rub the turkey breasts and thighs with some bacon fat, shortening,
butter or oil and place a piece of foil over the breasts and thighs
so they keep from browning too quickly. Allow 20 minutes cooking time
per pound for a stuffed turkey. After about two hours the turkey will
have generated enough liquid to baste the bird. With a basting ball,
baste the entire turkey every 15 minutes, placing the foil back on
the bird each time until only one hour of cooking time remains then
remove the foil and discard. The turkey will yield sufficient liquid
to baste the stuffing and to make the roux leaving enough to continue
basting the bird.
When the turkey is cooked the legs will be loose and the liquid will
run clear from the thighs when pierced with a fork. Remove the turkey
from the oven and let it rest for a half hour before carving. In the
meantime remove the stuffing and heat in oven for dinner service.
To carve the turkey, first remove the wings, legs and thighs removing
some meat from each bone but leaving some on the bones for noshing.
Next, remove the breast meat from the carcass. This is easily accomplished
with a sharp knife. You will now have two large boneless turkey breasts
which can be thinly sliced against the grain. This technique yields
much more meat and is much easier than carving the breast while it
is on the turkey.
[Tips] [Cream
of Green Onion Soup] [Roast
Turkey Adobado with Smoked Poblano, Chestnut and Portobello Stuffing]
[Maple Syrup Gravy]
[Gingered Jalapeno
Orange Cranberries] [Sauteed
Beet Greens, Mesquite Bacon and Candied Pecans] [Roasted
Onions, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Red Peppers and Whole Heads of Garlic]
[Spicy Red Wine
Poached Pears and Pumpkin Ice Cream]
Turkey
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