Turkey and the Trimmings

Turkey for All Seasons

Index
Brining a Turkey
Buying Guide
Cooking a Turkey on a Natural Gas Barbecue
Cranberries
Roasting Timetable
Roasting Turkey
Smoked Turkey
Storing Cooked Turkey
Storing Home Made Turkey Soup Stock
Storing Turkey
Stuffing
Test for Doneness
Thawing Turkey
Turkey Gravy
Turkey Safety
 

• Brining, or immersing in a salt solution, has become a popular method of preparing the holiday turkey.  Brining offers benefits in terms of flavour and texture.  Overbrining, however, may result in an overly salty taste in the cooked meat and pan drippings.  Follow these recommendations when brining a turkey.

• Use a thawed or fresh whole turkey weighing no more than 15 lb (7 kg).

• Use a food-safe nonreactive container, such as an unchipped enamel canner, to hold the turkey.

• For best results, use kosher salt.  Be sure the salt and sugar are completely dissolved in the brine.

• Remove neck and giblets from turkey; wash turkey and pat dry.

• Submerge turkey in brine in container, making sure brine completely covers turkey.  As turkey will float, weigh it down using a plate with a jar of water on it.

• Refrigerate for time specified in recipe.  After brining is completed, rinse turkey well under cold running water to remove excess salt.

• Gravy made from pan drippings may be salty.  Be sure to taste gravy before adding any salt.

       Apple Brined Turkey

• When buying a whole turkey allow 1 lb (500 g) per person.  In general, the larger the turkey, the better the buy since the proportion of meat to bone is higher.

• When buying boneless turkey, allow 1/3 - 1/2 pound (150 - 250 g) per person.

Cooking a Turkey on a Natural Gas Barbecue

This information was prepared for cooks everywhere who would love more oven space.  The natural gas barbecue can easily be used as an oven to roast the holiday turkey giving you the convenience of having a second oven.  Best of all, a barbecued turkey will look wonderful with a crisp golden skin and it will taste as good as it looks.

       Cooking a Turkey on a Natural Gas Barbecue

Cranberries

Store fresh cranberries in refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze, without prewashing, in their plastic bag for up to 1 year.  Cranberries are easy to use.  Simply sort and rinse in cold water before using.  Do not thaw frozen cranberries before rinsing.  Add whole or chopped to recipes.  One 340 g package equals about 3 cups (750 mL).  Basic Cranberry Sauce

• Cranberry Horseradish Sauce

• Cranberry Sauce with Raspberry Vinegar

• Honey Cranberry Sauce

• Quick Ginger Almond Cranberry Sauce

• Triple Cranberry Sauce

Remove wrapping from turkey.  Remove giblets and neck from cavities; reserve for making stock or gravy, or discard.  Wash turkey in cold salted water; pat turkey dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle large cavity with salt and pepper.  If desired, place a celery stalk, a few lettuce leaves, quartered onions and poultry seasoning in cavity.  Skewer neck skin to back.  Secure legs by tucking under skin band or tying together with butcher cord.  Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Rub skin with oil or butter, if desired.  Cover with a loose tent of foil.  Roast following the guidelines in the Roasting Timetable.  Remove foil during last hour of cooking and baste with pan drippings.

When cooking half a turkey, season cavity as for whole turkey.  Place, cut side down, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Rub skin thoroughly with oil or melted butter, if desired.  Cover with a loose tent of foil.  Roast following the guidelines in the Roasting Timetable.  Remove foil during last hour of cooking and baste with pan drippings.

Place turkey breast on a rack in a shallow pan.  Drizzle with oil or melted butter.  Cover with a loose tent of foil.  Roast following the temperature and time in the Roasting Timetable.  Remove foil during last 30-40 minutes of cooking time and baste frequently with butter or pan drippings.

Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Drizzle with oil or melted butter.  Roast following the temperature and time in the Roasting Timetable.  Remove foil during last 30-40 minutes of cooking time and baste with pan drippings.

Turkey meat should be removed from the carcass as soon as possible, within 24 hours.  Refrigerate meat and use within 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  The turkey carcass may be used for making soup within 24 hours or frozen for up to 1 month.

Home made turkey stock may be stored 2 - 3 days in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 2 months.

Fresh whole turkey should be placed on a tray and stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator.  If the label indicates a best-before date, the turkey must be cooked before this date.  If there is not a best-before date on the wrapping, the turkey must be cooked within 2 days of purchase.  The freezing of fresh whole turkey is not recommended as there is a concern for both food safety and quality.

Keep frozen in original wrapping.  A whole turkey may be kept frozen in a chest or upright freezer with temperatures below -18°C (0°F) up to 1 year.

Test for Doneness

• Turkey should be completely cooked.  Start checking for doneness of turkey about 30 minutes before the end of estimated cooking time.  Using a meat thermometer is the most accurate method to judge when turkey is done.  Insert thermometer into the middle of thick thigh muscle parallel to bone and next to body or into thickest muscle of breast.  Be sure thermometer does not touch bone.

• Remove turkey from oven when a meat thermometer inserted into thigh registers 175°F (80°C).  Transfer turkey to a platter and cover loosely with foil.  Let stand for 15 - 30 minutes to allow juices to set before carving.  The internal temperature of the turkey will continue to rise several degrees during standing.  The final reading on a meat thermometer should be 180 -185°F (82 - 85°C) in the thigh and 170 - 175°F (77 - 80°C) in the breast.

The times shown in the Roasting Timetable are approximate.  Many factors can affect the length of cooking time.

• The cooking time will be increased if the turkey is not completely thawed.

• The turkey may be unevenly cooked or undercooked if the roasting pan is too deep or too small and does not allow for adequate circulation.

• The oven temperature may not be accurate.

• Overcrowding the oven or placing too large a turkey for the oven size will interfere with heat circulation.

• The shape of the turkey; eg. a long skinny turkey will cook faster than a short fat one.

Do not thaw turkey at room temperature.
To thaw turkey safely, use one of the following methods.

Leave turkey in original wrapping.  Place on a tray in refrigerator.  Allow a minimum of 5 hours/lb (10 hours/kg) for thawing.

Leave turkey in original wrapping.  Place in a large container filled with cold water.  As turkey will float, cover top surface with a damp tea towel.  Change water frequently to ensure it remains cold.  Do not leave turkey in cold water overnight.  If necessary to continue thawing overnight, remove from cold water and place turkey on a tray; refrigerate.  Allow a minimum of 1 hour/lb (2 hours/kg) for thawing.

Do not refreeze thawed raw turkey.

• When making turkey gravy, allow about 1/4 cup (50 mL) per serving.

• When turkey is cooked, remove to heated platter and keep warm by covering with heavy foil.  Pour drippings from roasting pan into bowl, leaving all brown particles in the pan.  Let fat rise to top of drippings; remove fat.  Measure the amount of fat needed for gravy back in the roasting pan.  Place roasting pan over low heat.  Blend flour and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly browned and bubbly.  Add liquid gradually, stirring until smooth.   Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened.  Scrape bottom of pan to remove browned meat bits while cooking.  Simmer gently for 5 - 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Leftover gravy may be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to one month.

Proportions for Gravy

For the liquid in turkey gravy, use water, giblet stock, chicken stock or canned chicken broth.

Giblet stock:  Place giblets (except liver) and neck into saucepan with 1 quart (1 L) water, 3/4 tsp (3 mL) salt, 1 medium chopped onion, 2 sprigs parsley and a few celery leaves.  Simmer for 2 hours or until tender.  Remove giblets; strain and reserve stock.  Giblet stock may be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Turkey Safety

All equipment and utensils used for thawing, storing, preparing and serving of turkey must be clean.

• Wash hands thoroughly with hot soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling and preparing raw turkey.

• Discard all wrappings that have been used to store raw turkey.

• Cutting boards used for preparing raw turkey must be in good condition.  Cracks and crevices can harbour bacteria.

• Thoroughly wash all equipment and work surfaces with hot soapy water after preparing raw turkey.  Cutting boards should be scrubbed with a stiff brush.  Follow by rinsing all equipment and work surfaces with a solution of 1 tbsp (15 mL) chlorine bleach per quart (litre) of water.  Air-dry to prevent recontamination of equipment.

• Launder dishcloths and towels with hot water, detergent and chlorine bleach after handling raw turkey.

• Use a clean plate for serving cooked turkey.