Questions about "The Bird"

[Adillo303]

I plan on tackeling a 14 - 16 # fresh turkey for Thanksgiving. My daughter and I am co-cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Since we both like to cook it can be a lot of fun. DW may get involved, time will tell. Both my daughter (Paula) and I like ot cook. Our families have widely divergant tastes which can lead to interesting times.

Inyway. I ordered "The Bird" and should pick it up Sunday. I am considering injeccting the turkey to enhance flavor and moistness. My quwstions are:
1) Is this a dumb idea?
2) If you like it and have done it, what solution doid you use to inject?
3) If you have doen with and without, how do you feel about it.

On to the stuffing. If time permits, I want to make stuffing bread from scratch and use that as the base for the stuffing in the bird. So many questions here.

1) I saw Alton Brown cook his bird without stuffing, and add the stuffing afteer the cooking. Won't this deprive the stuffing of Turkey flavor?
2) Or, will the technique above make the bird dry out due to the stuffing absorbing the liquid?
3) I am thinking bread s&P, celery, onion, sausage and sage. What did I forget?
4) Any other additions, or corrections would be appreciated.

DC has come through for me for so many meals, I am really anxious to sww what Y'all have to say here.

Thank You all so much, in advance

AC (Andy C) (Yup! there's another Andy on the site)

 

[GB]

I will just answer two of your questions.

1. Injecting the bird is not a dumb idea. I have never done it myself, but there is no reason not to do it. Personally, I would rather brine a bird to get flavor and moisture in, but that can sometimes be difficult with such a large bird.

2. As for the stuffing, The reason Alton cooks his stuffing outside of the bird is for safety reasons. If you cook the stuffing inside the bird then the turkey will overcook by the time the stuffing inside reaches a safe temp. The turkey does not dry out because the stuffing is absorbing the liquid. It dries out because you have to leave it in the oven longer than you would if the cavity was empty (or at least empty of stuffing).

 

[Uncle Bob]

This can be interesting......

 

[homecook]

I will just answer two of your questions.



2. As for the stuffing, The reason Alton cooks his stuffing outside of the bird is for safety reasons. If you cook the stuffing inside the bird then the turkey will overcook by the time the stuffing inside reaches a safe temp. The turkey does not dry out because the stuffing is absorbing the liquid. It dries out because you have to leave it in the oven longer than you would if the cavity was empty (or at least empty of stuffing).

I have to disagree with this. I've been stuffing my turkeys for many, many years and my mother and grandmother before me and my turkey does not dry out. The breast meat is always juicy. I make up my stuffing the night before and don't stuff it until right before I put it in the oven. There is nothing in my stuffing to deem it unsafe. Putting the stuffing in the turkey does give it a better flavor than just putting it in a casserole. I always have some leftover that I just bake and it does lack the turkey flavor. My turkeys are usually 20 to 24 pounders.

Barb

 

[Andy M.]

I use this recipe for the turkey and make my own stuffing in a pan. It always produces a terrific turkey. Juicy and delicious.

You can add turkey flavor to the stuffing by using turkey broth when making the stuffing.

Injecting can add great flavors too. I wouldn't do both injecting and brining.

 

[Andy M.]

I have to disagree with this. I've been stuffing my turkeys for many, many years and my mother and grandmother before me and my turkey does not dry out. The breast meat is always juicy. I make up my stuffing the night before and don't stuff it until right before I put it in the oven. There is nothing in my stuffing to deem it unsafe. Putting the stuffing in the turkey does give it a better flavor than just putting it in a casserole. I always have some leftover that I just bake and it does lack the turkey flavor. My turkeys are usually 20 to 24 pounders.

Barb

Barb, do you roast the turkey untill the stuffing temperature reaches at least 165 F?

The issue is not that you put unsafe stuff into your stuffing. Juices from the turkey go into the stuffing as it cooks. If the stuffing does not reach a safe temperature, any bacteria present in the turkey will get into the stuffing with the juices and will not get hot enough to be killed off. That makes for a potentially dangerous situation. Putting cold stuffing from the fridge intl the turkey would make that situation worse because it will take longer to get the stuffing hot enough to be safe.

 

[homecook]

Barb, do you roast the turkey untill the stuffing temperature reaches at least 165 F?

The issue is not that you put unsafe stuff into your stuffing. Juices from the turkey go into the stuffing as it cooks. If the stuffing does not reach a safe temperature, any bacteria present in the turkey will get into the stuffing with the juices and will not get hot enough to be killed off. That makes for a potentially dangerous situation. Putting cold stuffing from the fridge intl the turkey would make that situation worse because it will take longer to get the stuffing hot enough to be safe.

Andy, yes I do cook it until it reaches 165F. I don't put cold stuffing in the turkey. I take the stuffing out and let it come to room temp before I stuff. I use a digital thermometer that stays in the turkey the whole time it's roasting. I'm pretty anal abut doing that to make sure the turkey is safely cooked.

Barb

 

[Andy M.]

Andy, yes I do cook it until it reaches 165F. I don't put cold stuffing in the turkey. I take the stuffing out and let it come to room temp before I stuff. I use a digital thermometer that stays in the turkey the whole time it's roasting. I'm pretty anal abut doing that to make sure the turkey is safely cooked.

Barb

Sounds like you have it figured out. That's great.

 

[Adillo303]

How you do this brining thing? I googled, I really did, I got a whole host of vastly different ways to do it. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You

AC

 

[Andy M.]

How you do this brining thing? I googled, I really did, I got a whole host of vastly different ways to do it. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You

AC

Click on the link in my first post. It's all there.

 

[GrillingFool]

I brine, using that link Andy gave.
My wife injects. She likes to mix a little butter and white wine
and give old Tom a needling.
Works out just fine. Probably because the injections are subtle....?

 

[ChefJune]

I'll stay out of this because I've never brined, and have never had a dry bird. I rub butter under and over the skin, AND cover the breast with a butter-soaked cheesecloth.

I don't put the dressing in the bird, and it isn't dry because it gets lots of moisture from the turkey stock it's made with.

 

[Luvs2Cook]

I Have always stuffed my turkeys, (& roast chickens) and have never had them dry out because of that. For my stuffing I saute the gizzards, onion, celery & seasonings and then add that mix to the stale bread, 1 egg and I add milk until it come to the consistency I like. As for the injecting, I have not injected my turkeys but do this w/ my roast chickens, hams and it really does make a difference.
For my rub: I softened butter and then add seasonings of : Thyme, sage, garlic powder, little rosemary and paprika and rub the turkey w/ that. Always turns out yummy.

 

[Constance]

Brining the turkey really does help keep it moist. I highly recommend it, and Alton Brown's method is what we use, too.

My family always cooked the dressing separately, and I prefer it that way because I like a nice, crisp crust on the outside, and moist, juicy dressing inside.

My husband injects the turkey when he deep fries it, sometimes with a cajun seasoning mix and sometimes with a simple herb mix.

 

[GB]

Stuffing a bird will not make it dry out. Cooking the bird and stuffing to a safe temp will make it dry out. homecook has a good technique she uses to make sure the bird does not dry out and the stuffing is cooked to a safe temp. If you just stuff the bird and cook it all together from cold then the turkey will be overcooked by the time the stuffing gets up to a safe temp.

 

[GB]

How you do this brining thing? I googled, I really did, I got a whole host of vastly different ways to do it. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You

AC

Brining basically (in the most basic way) is soaking the bird in a saltwater solution. The tough thing about doing this with a turkey is space. You need to make sure the water the turkey is soaking in is below 40 degrees. If you have a big enough and empty enough fridge then it is easy. Short of that you might need to use a big empty cooler with ice.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I plan on tackeling a 14 - 16 # fresh turkey for Thanksgiving. My daughter and I am co-cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Since we both like to cook it can be a lot of fun. DW may get involved, time will tell. Both my daughter (Paula) and I like ot cook. Our families have widely divergant tastes which can lead to interesting times.

Inyway. I ordered "The Bird" and should pick it up Sunday. I am considering injeccting the turkey to enhance flavor and moistness. My quwstions are:
1) Is this a dumb idea?
2) If you like it and have done it, what solution doid you use to inject?
3) If you have doen with and without, how do you feel about it.

On to the stuffing. If time permits, I want to make stuffing bread from scratch and use that as the base for the stuffing in the bird. So many questions here.

1) I saw Alton Brown cook his bird without stuffing, and add the stuffing afteer the cooking. Won't this deprive the stuffing of Turkey flavor?
2) Or, will the technique above make the bird dry out due to the stuffing absorbing the liquid?
3) I am thinking bread s&P, celery, onion, sausage and sage. What did I forget?
4) Any other additions, or corrections would be appreciated.

DC has come through for me for so many meals, I am really anxious to sww what Y'all have to say here.

Thank You all so much, in advance

AC (Andy C) (Yup! there's another Andy on the site)

The recipe that Andy uses, and the technique will give you a great turkey. But it's not the only one. In answer to your questions, injected turkeys come out great. The reason for injecting liquid into the bird is to enhance the meat flavor, as plain turkey meat is somewhat bland.

For the injecting liquid, I make a Turkey broth from the neck, livers, and giblets taken from the turkey. I add 1 sliced carrot and 1 sliced yellow onion to the pot and boil them and the turkey parts in about 3 cups of water for about an hour. Season the broth with salt, pepper, and sage to taste. Strain and reserve the meat for adding the the stuffing (optional). Let cool a it before using it to inject the bird.

Inject the bird in several places in both breasts, and in the thighs and drumsticks. Use the leftover broth to moisten the stuffing mixture. In this way, you still get the great turkey flavor in the stuffing/dressing whether you cook it in the bird or in a casserole dish.

For the bird, after injecting, let it sit for about 20 minutes to allow the liquid to distribute itself in the meat. While this is going on, preheat the oven to 450' F. Lightly salt the cavity and rub the skin with butter or oil and lightly salt the skin. Fill the cavity either with stuffing or sliced onion and celery. Place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, pushing the tip cose to the leg/body joint. Don't let it touch the bone.

Place the turkey on a rack and in a shallow roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 and leave it alone. Figure 13 minutes per pound to get you in the ballpark. Check the thermometer. Remove the turkey when the thermometer reads 155' F. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Check the temperature of the stuffing, if it's in the bird cavity. If it doesn't read 165' F. remove and place it into a microwave save dish. Nuke it for 5 minutes or so to bring it up to temperature.

This will give you great flavor both in the bird, and the stuffing. And the turkey will be supremely moist and tender. Don't carve the meat directly from the bird. Rather, remove the breasts whole from the carcass. Do the same with the legs, and wings. Slice the breast meat against the grain into slices and arrange on a platter along with the thighs, drumsticks, wings, and a bit of something green, like kale or parsley to add color. Serve.

I have tried a good number of techniques for cooking turkeys. I have found that the most important aspect of the process is to remove the turkey when the meat reaches 155' F. Let it sit and latent heat from the hotter outside will penetrate deep into the meat, bringing the final temp up to 165' after about 15 minutes or so. Any meat taken above 165 begins to become tough and dry. As stated before, the brining, or injecting is used to add extra flavor to the meat.

Have a great Thanksgiving Day.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed o fthe North

 

[*amy*]

I always prepare a turkey the old-fashioned way - no injections, brining, deep frying etc. I make my dressing on the side, because I like lots & lots of dressing. If you want a poultry taste, you can use poultry seasoning - depends on the recipe. My fave is oyster dressing. You could start a thread about fave stuffing/dressing recipes - re "what am I missing". Re injecting the turkey - I have seen liquid and solid injecters (from Ron Popeill ((sp)). You can inject butter/liquids, or solids like pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic etc. - depends on what kind of injecter you have. Guessing you just want a juicy bird. I usually buy a Butterball, & keep basting, basting, basting. Back to injecting the bird, recently ordered 3 turkey breasts injected with 3 different flavors from QVC - Cajun (but not spicy) one with butter & garlic & two other flavors. Will let you know how they turn out, & if the taste is any juicier. In short, I keep it simple - no injections etc., & always have a juicy/moist delicious bird.

 

[homecook]

The other thing I should probably mention. I don't use eggs in my stuffing so letting it sit out to get to room temp isn't a problem with raw eggs. It's just bread, sauted onions and celery, turkey broth and poultry seasoning. Simple but good.

Barb

 

[ChefJune]

The other thing I should probably mention. I don't use eggs in my stuffing so letting it sit out to get to room temp isn't a problem with raw eggs. It's just bread, sauted onions and celery, turkey broth and poultry seasoning. Simple but good.

Barb

If you are concerned about safety, bacteria can still grow in it sitting out. Just so you know. It's not only the eggs.