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4:24 pm
April 1, 2009
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Well, one week from today we will be enjoying all those wonderful aromas that fill the house on Thansgiving—"turkey day" is my favorite holiday, I love cooking that day more than any other.
I would like the readers to share how they roast their turkey. I have tried most all ways over the years– foiled, non foiled , tented, cooking bags and the electric turkey roaster oven, I love turkey cooked all ways, I have never deep fried one, but have had it. I dont think there is any bad way to cook a turkey, as long as it is cooked through.
Please share your favorite method.
Thank you.
4:46 pm
May 7, 2011
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I brine mine and then cook it prior to Thanksgiving. That way the mess is already cleaned up. I have used my gas grill as an extra oven (mainly to heat the bird). I have smoked a turkey in the summer and froze it and reheated it for Thanksgiving. A couple of years ago I had a local locker smoke one for me and then I just reheated it in a crockpot with broth.
One of the cooking shows on TV today (The Chew) was doing turkey.
Our son and daughter in law are hosting Thanksgiving this year so I am not doing a lot of cooking just making rolls and a couple of salads and the vegetable gravy.
9:07 pm
July 24, 2010
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Which ever way I roast–in cooking bag, covered roaster, open roaster, whatever— and whatever prep I do—brine, rub, butter and herbs under the skin–I always make sure to place the bird breast side down for cooking. Seems to make a world of difference in the moisture content of the breast
10:49 pm
February 22, 2010
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I roast mine in a cooking bag…I rub the cavity of the bird with salt and put in a stalk of celery and an onion cut in half. Then I put a cup or two of water inside the bird.
I have made a rub of butter and herbs and rubbed it underneath the skin of the breast…I liked it but my family wasn't impressed
.
I also roasted it breast side down and they were outraged that there was no golden skin to eat!
Oh well, it's only once a year that I indulge them …the rest of the year I cook how I want to
I always roast the turkey on Thanksgiving morning…just because it makes the house smell like …Thanksgiving…ahhhh…
2:45 am
January 31, 2011
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Hmmm, we usually cook 3 or 4 birds…2 on the grill ( indirect heat with a drip pan for such smoky good gravy ! ) and lightly stuffed …One with just onions, carrots, apples, and celery, the other with the stuffing …
Then another in the oven inside…because i want the house to be filled with the aroma, too !!! Stuffed, and buttered copiously
all 3/4 are brined in a salt brown sugar brine, for at least 24 hours…
Stuffing is…
3 stalks celery , egg, and an onion with 2 cups of chx broth pulverized in the blender.
Mix with a lb of good ground pork sausage ( raw ) and 6-8 cups toasted bread cubes …( depends on density of bread ) salt, pepper as you like it ( lots of pepper ) . learned that by following Joes mother around like a pest.
Iknow, I know, I shouldn't post recipes here…
I have never cooked one upside down. Makes sense, but seems sacriligious !!! and, a little obscene 
!
laur
5:56 am
July 24, 2010
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Laur–if you like moist white turkey meat–try it just one time with the breast side down. As far as the crisp skin, maybe one could flip the bird (okay, that sounds obscene!) so edit to say maybe you could turn the turkey over and roast just long enough to crisp up the skin. I've never tried this, so somebody let us know if it works.
7:08 am
February 8, 2009
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When the 'roast breast side down' first came out in mass media, the recommendation was to roast that way for half the cooking time, then flip breast side up for the remainder of the time. Wellll after ONE time struggling to flip a 20 lb. HOT bird I was DONE with that
I brine, then roast breast side down in my 18 quart Nesco electric roaster. BEST turkey meat ever. Frees up the oven for other things like the dressing and casseroles. No, there is no crispy skin, but I'll never go back.
One of my fav recipes BTW for turkey day is the Make Ahead Gravy I posted on FBR last year
http://chickensintheroad.com/f…..ead-gravy/
dede
9:08 am
March 3, 2011
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Our turkey tradition for the last 30+ years has been smoked turkey for Thanksgiving. The first times the smoking was done by a man known as Paprika Bill in his shop in Hawaii where we lived. After a few years Bill passed away and my dh took over the smoking. He always smokes two since there are two racks in the smoker. Having meal sized packages of smoked turkey in the freezer for the winter is a great time (and $) saver.
Over the years we've used quite a few brine recipes. I can't honestly say that it matters which one you use, so long as you do brine. Smoked turkeys don't really dry out but the brine still makes a huge difference in the moisture of the breast meat, in particular.
This year, as we did last year, we will join a group of friends and neighbors for the day since we no longer have any family nearby. There will be three turkeys – one roasted in the traditional manor, one cooked in a rotisserie oven and one of our smoked birds. I'llhave the best of both worlds from a "sniffing" standpoint. The aroma of the woodsmoke at home, and the smells wafting from the oven at George and Julie's. 
9:23 am
December 28, 2008
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After either trying at home or eating at a friend's house every one of these methods, we are back to the easiest way possible – place the cold bird (sometimes still semi-frozen) on a roasting rack in a roasting pan or a large cake pan, depending upon the size. We almost always place a cut onion, a stalk or two of celery, (maybe a carrot, if one is handy) and several twigs of lemon thyme from the garden into the cavity. Sometimes I even remember to rub it down with olive oil!
Then cover it for much of the cooking. When it starts to look like it will soon be done, take the foil or lid off and finish cooking. "Done" here means that the leg pretty much falls off when wiggled. Have never had that check fail – but of course always check the internal temp just to be sure.
Yes, we have observed subtle differances with the various methods. For this household, there is not enough improvement to warrant the extra work involved in doing anything other the the easist of ways.
Isn't that the joy of having a community like this? We each get to try how others do things, and decide for ourselves what works best for us. Makes me want to take a moment and thank everyone for that!
10:17 am
October 10, 2009
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We have roasted in an open pan, tented with foil, deep fried, roasted in a clay cooker and in a cast iron dutch oven or smoked. All have been delicious. My favorite, however, is in the dutch oven. Done outdoors, heated with charcoal below and on top. Succulent, moist, crispy skin, everything one wants in a good bird. The best part of the turkey though is sharing it with friends and/or family and giving thanks for our abundance. Have a very happy, blessed Thanksgiving.
11:11 am
February 10, 2009
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I just roast mine in an open roaster, stuffed with onions and celery and herbs, started open, tented with foil in the middle then opened up again at the end…
So agree with the whole sharing with loved ones. I've had simply delicious turkey at a table of people I didn't much care for (long story), but a dry as sawdust turkey shared with loved one's tastes better by far.
11:16 am
January 26, 2010
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I've always been a low-salt cook, so no brine here. I roast breast side down, covered with foil in a slow oven overnight or all day, depending on whether the big meal's at noon or evening — the reason for the slow roast is our holiday birds are always mature toms culled from our free-ranging heritage breeds flock. Baked at 200 degrees for however long it takes to bring the stuffing up to a safe temp, the meat finishes beautifully moist, falling-of-the-bone tender, and with a naturally rich flavor that owes more to the varied diet of the bird than what few herbs we rub on the skin during preparation. My stuffing recipe is similar to Laur's, minus the celery and with potatoes added . . . a version of an old family recipe from a cousin's husband's PA Dutch relatives. We do miss out on the golden roasted skin this way but it's a good trade-off that works fine for us.
11:45 am
February 10, 2009
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You know, laur's thing about pulverizing the onion in some broth in a blender or food processor is a really good one for those of us who have non-onion people to cook for. I really like that! I hate doing without the flavor, and my non-onion person is mostly all about texture so I can use powder, but prefer fresh…. THANKS everyone for all the great ideas and for sharing your traditions!!
I may have to get one of those big roasters. My kitchen is so dang small, but I can put it down on the workbench and let it cook away while I use the stove for all the other stuff. Seems like a great way to do things. (I love my crock pot, but it just don't cut it for some things!)
As far as the onion goes, I know it should have been simple common sense, but sometimes we don't see the forest for the trees!
12:03 pm
March 3, 2011
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Mamawolf….I don't know why I never thought to try the dutch??!!!! That's a great idea. We will have to give it a go with one of the turkeys I will buy in the next couple of days while they are on sale. We have 3 dutch ovens and the largest one will handily hold a good sized turkey. Thanks for the idea!
12:05 pm
January 26, 2010
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Buckeye Girl – I've been coveting one of those big roasters for a while now, resisting only because of storage space issues and the current de-stashing mode I'm in. It would take only the slightest bit of encouragement to tip me into the buying mood though.
1:28 pm
September 26, 2010
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I do a combination of a bunch of you. First and foremost I use one of the electric "Nesco" cookers, breast side down. Like Dede, I don't think I will ever go back. The cavity is stuffed with chunks of celery, onion, carrots and whole herbs. I think this gives the carcass a wonderful flavor when making soup.
LauraP, get the cooker! You won't be sorry. I literally used one up and got lucky finding a new one on clearance at Wal-mart for $8.00! The original reason I got one though was because the stove that came with my house died. Sgail got us a used one from his Boss pretty cheap, and we didn't notice until we tried to use it, but the oven was smaller than normal! Even my big cookie sheets wouldn't fit. So, necessity was the mother of my shopping! LOL If I had known how nicely it cooked turkeys I would have probably have gotten one earlier! Now, I have a new (gas) stove, but I love not having the oven all tied up with a turkey cooking while I am trying to get casseroles, vegetables and rolls finished up! And like Dede said, the meat is SO moist coming out of the roaster. I think because the bird sits in there without a lot of hot air around it to dry it out?
1:33 pm
October 30, 2009
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hmmm, several of you have mentioned electric roasters. The neighbor does her turkey in one (borrowed from the fire Hall…..being Chief's wife should have some perk!). Maybe this is the year to try a roaster and free up the oven?
2:35 pm
December 28, 2008
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Have never used the roaster ourselves, but know plenty who have. They are great! Sort of like a giant crock pot!! Our neighbor still uses it for lots of stuff, and we will be eating a turkey from it. Or maybe the ham will go into it.
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