The Turkey Thread

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

For those of you planning to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving this year, how do you intend the prepare it? I think I’ve tried just about every traditional method, with the exception of deep frying the bird. Some of the best birds have been smoked or grilled, which also has the benefit of leaving an oven free for other things.

My wife is pushing back on this at the moment, but I am seriously considering the sous vide preparation as demonstrated by Grant Achatz:

2

We’ll be doing turkey parts. The 2 half breasts will be cooked in the oven (forget exactly how but we just had one last week and it was delish, nice and moist). The four legs will be confit’d in duck fat.

3

I used this technique last year (the salt pork and cheesecloth - I don’t use the rest of the recipe or abide by their temp recos), and this yielded the most beautiful turkey I ever cooked, which tasted really good (for a turkey) and was moist.

http://www.cookscountrytv.com/recipes/print/detail.asp?docid=17260

4

I just let others do the work. You had to know it was coming.

5

I plan on cold smoking one for a couple hours followed by a light tempura batter and then deep frying the rest of the way. It’s an experiment which is why i will also smoke 2 more birds for good measure.

6

Going to do 2 – one deep fried and the other – now that I’ve seen that Grant Achatz video – sous vide. Yum.

7

How long does Grant Achatz sous vide the turkey parts?

8

Richard,
170-175 for 2.5-3.5 hours.

9

I did a sous vide turkey (sort of like GA) last year for my immediate family

I’m going to do one this year too. I’m hoping I get to bring one
to the big multi-family gathering on T-day…

10

Pecan-smoked on the BGE.

11

I am making this one this year - Boudin-Stuffed Turkey Breast | Saveur" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anybody tried this before?

12

Spatch-cocked, rubbed and smoked over pecan shells this year.

13

In Pepitoria Sauce, Juan always fixes it…savory almond sauce. Yummy!

14

just placed my order at the farm for a 12-16 pound bird. Also probably getting breasts and the leg and will let the rotisserie do the rest of the work

15

Hmmm…sounds nice. Can you share the recipe?

16

I will ask him to send me the recipe [cry.gif]. He was supposed to come home tomorrow from Spain, but he is at a critical time in the winery and is getting a new filter for the whites so he won’t be here for Thanksgiving. Then he has commitments and tasting scheduled through the 10th of Dec. so Nolita and I will be preparing and having Thanksgiving with just a couple of family members. Really bites!

17

Too bad to be apart then! But it won’t be long.

BTW, we just had another bottle of the “Viji” '09. That is one impressive wine, I like it more each time. It even goes with boeuf bourgignon (please don’t ask [wink.gif]).

18

Deconstructed. The whole breast will be roasted on top of some stuffing; leg/thighs roasted separately (I like the confit idea mentioned earlier). We have been brining the bird, but this year we’re using the salt treatment I read about somewhere (NY Times?).

19

One of our local magazines, one that purports to be at least partially about fine food and wine, has published the obligatory turkey roasting directions for the year. They say to cook until the internal temperature in the thigh is 180 degrees.

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20

Wow.