How to do that turkey justice this Thanksgiving

It’s that time of year in the US when we are called upon to give thanks for the many things in our lives. It’s Thanksgiving, the biggest food holiday of the year. It inaugurates the holiday season; Christmas is just around the corner. Aside from Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower, the one thing on almost every American’s mind is that iconic and noble bird that Benjamin Franklin wanted as our national symbol: The turkey.

(Unless you’re vegan/vegetarian, then Tofurky might come to mind, instead. I’ve tried it. Won’t touch the stuff. It’s gross.)

Roast the Turkey… Simple, right?

Some households will try frying their turkeys. But, it can be fraught with danger, if not done safely. I’ve heard of a story or two where people have been burned from the hot oil that spatters to house fires leaving the cook and guests without a roof over their heads. I’ve had wild turkey fried and it was great. No one got burned nor did our hosts lose their home. Nevertheless, the absolute most common way to prepare this bird is roasting. Depending on its weight and the method, it can take a few hours. Once the bird is out of the oven and rested it’s time to carve and serve. It’ll be the most succulent and juicy, right?

I don’t know about your experiences, but for the most part of my childhood and into my young adulthood, turkey has never been my favorite. Why? It’s because each and every Thanksgiving or any other occasion it is served, it was dry. I would go for the thighs and legs thinking that those portions would be better. Nope! Much to my disappointment, no they were not. I always stayed away from the breast especially because it’s notorious for being the driest part of the bird.

But, hey! That’s why gravy is important, right?

No amount of gravy can make this bird’s flesh any juicier. But, there’s time-tested method to keep it from ending up drier than the Sahara and that’s basting… Or, is it?

“Everyone Knows that Basting Keeps it Moist…”

So, they say… Basting is supposed to keep the bird moist. That’s why basters also go fast at the local super market during this time of year. What’s more simple than loading up a gigantic pipet (like in the image) or ladling up a huge serving spoon and bathing the bird with the juices that had run out of the bird during its time in the oven. As the “logic” goes, do this from time to time until the pop-up timer tells you it’s done and what will result is a edible, delectable turkey that everyone will fawn over, consume and enjoy.

Basting might be “tried and true”, but it makes little sense. As the bird cooks in the dry heat of the oven, its skin become more and more impermeable. In other words, no liquids can pass in or out. What you’re basting the bird with, the juices that run out, is what you want to keep in! You can baste until the cows come home, but you can never get those juices to go back in. It won’t reach the flesh underneath. Don’t try the injection basting method, either; you just give more pathways for the moisture to run out! If anything, basting the bird only serves to keep the skin moist. But, who wants that?  In addition, having to open the over door will add to the cooking time. The heat escapes and the temperature dips. The oven has to heat up to the desired temperature once again. Do this often enough and soon dinner becomes a late night affair.

I’m not an advocate for basting and have never basted any of the turkeys I’ve roasted… EVER!

So, how do you prevent the moisture from seeping out to begin with? You load the turkey up with moisture before you even begin. “How is that done”, you say? Brining.

Brining is the Way to Go

Even with my childhood horrors with dry turkey, I’ve enjoyed turkey breast as a lunch meat. It’s always been moist. No doubt about that. But, why? Many brine their turkeys and it appears as a “salt solution” in their ingredient listing.

In the past decade, I’ve seen more and more cooks swear by brining their turkeys. The first indications of this trend was an episode of  Alton Brown’s show on The Food Network, “Good Eats”.  When I saw the episode “Romancing the Bird”, I knew that this was the solution to a dry turkey.

Alton has a good way of activating that analytical side of my brain when it comes to cooking. Some viewers might think it’s a little too “nerdy” to know the science behind the process, but I’m always curious finding out the what, how and why. Much about the science of brining just made sense.

Watching this segment of the episode convinced me:

Brining Secrets

In summary, basting… 1)Does nothing for flavor or texture and 2)opening the oven door slows cooking down as I mentioned.

• A brine is a solution of salt and water that encourages osmosis. Osmosis is a process where the cell walls allow moisture to move from one area of lower concentration to an area of higher concentration to establish equilibrium. In short, the water moves in and out and carries the seasoning into the bird.

The recipe can be found here if you don’t want to watch the episode or the clip: Good Eats Roast Turkey.

Here’s another video with Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and Aarón Sánchez How to Bring a Turkey.

Videos and recipes abound on YouTube with recipes to brine your turkey! Choose one and you will never baste your turkey again.

Brining is so versatile that aside from turkey, there are also a few recipes to brine other cuts of meat, such as pork chops.

Anne Burrel Brines her Chops!

But, before I go into my experiences with brining, I want to digress and share a memory that comes to mind every Thanksgiving and every time I hear the work “turkey”. It’s rather a sore spot for me which is why I won’t soon forget. It fixes my resolve, however, to brine my turkey… Always.

Take the Turkey and Shove it!

About 10 years ago when I was living in the University District in Seattle, a friend’s boy friend had just recently moved in with me. I was assured that Mike was a good guy, but I had my suspicions that he wasn’t the brightest. I tried to have conversations about his day when we lived together, but I could never follow his train of thought. I only grew frustrated with each and every conversation because I always felt like the dumb one. He always seemed to get mad at me for trying to keep up by asking questions. In the end, I stopped caring.

It was before Thanksgiving and Mike’s parents gave him a turkey. I had watched the “Good Eats” episode on brining and suggested that Mike give that a shot. His response was blunt and tainted with condescension, “That’s not how you keep the turkey juicy! You baste it! That’s how my grandmother does it!”

They roasted the turkey and his grandmother should have done it instead. I didn’t have it, but my friend came back to say that it was dry and that Mike should have listened.

Mike should have listened, indeed! It was an “I told you so!” moment.

About a month later, the January of the next year, Mike up and left. All I got was a voice message saying that he couldn’t stay because his hours at work were cut. It was snowing in Seattle at the time and he called in too many times on account of it. Supposedly, the busses weren’t running which was a load of shit and his supervisor knew it. Later on I finally heard the real reason: My friend didn’t want to hear me complain about how the rent. He didn’t want to hear me “complain” about how Mike would have been short on rent. He succeeded; he didn’t hear about the rent. What he got an earful of, was something else, something that to this day, I’ve not forgotten.

I had enrolled into a competitive testing certificate program before the close of the University of Washington’s Winter quarter. I had worked hard on my resume and cover letter. I managed to get statements from my manager and others I had worked with to get into the program. I was lucky enough to get in. After Mike’s departure, however, I had to call much to my chagrin on the day that classes started to give up my seat explaining my situation. I had to use the money that would have gone to that program for rent since Mike left.

My “friend” heard about that instead. Although, he apologized, I have never truly accepted his apologies for vetting Mike to be my roommate and for urging Mike’s departure. It caused me to miss a great opportunity to improve my chances in my career. Had Mike just worked things out, I would have received that certification. I never was able to get into the program since. My suspicion is that it was because of how I had to give up my seat.

Thanks for the memories, Mike and M*****!

Go Forth and Brine

Years ago when I lived in a town house in Greenwood, I was happy that our oven and range was gas. One Thanksgiving, I decided to host a get-together with my friend Chris and a few of our friends. My plan: Brine the turkey before roasting it.

Alton Brown show how to truss a turkey

I watched Alton Brown’s Good East video over and over again. I also watched his video on how to truss a turkey (How to Truss a Turkey). It helps to cook the bird evenly, makes it so that it’s easier to handle and makes for good presentation.

The result?

I received praise for the turkey. There wasn’t even a complaint of it being dry. Granted, I did undercook it slightly when I didn’t position the instant-read thermometer in the thigh right. I just popped those pieces in the oven and they didn’t dry out either. The brine did very well! One thing the surprised me was how juicy the breast turned out. I’ve become a new fan of turkey breast because of it. I’ve repeated the feat at least two other Thanksgivings after – Nothing but compliments.

I skipped last year. This year, however, I’m going to do it again.

I will stress: Never baste again!

A Favor

Do yourself and your guests a favor: Spare yourself and them from a turkey drier than Death Valley!

That turkey’s life was taken from it given to you so that you and yours might have a grand feast. Give its short life justice by cooking it right this Thursday! Or, at any festive dinner…

Happy Thanksgiving!