My Best Turkey Advice
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Photo by Sarah Plfug
I have been hosting Thanksgiving dinner for 20 years, and I have tried literally everything when it comes to cooking turkey. I’ve brined it, deep-fried it, marinated it, injected it, buttered it, dry-rubbed it, butterflied it, smoked it, and stuffed it. I’ve tried Kosher turkeys, organic turkeys, free-range turkeys, and self-basting turkeys.
A few years ago, I even bought an oil-less outdoor propane turkey fryer called “The Big Easy,” which freed up my oven and actually made a wonderfully crisp-skinned and juicy turkey. (If you want to spend $160 on a large piece of equipment that will likely sit in storage collecting cobwebs 364 days a year, I highly recommend it!)
From all this fussing with turkeys, I’ve come to realize that my turkey will never be perfect.
Let’s face it: turkeys, on their own, just aren’t very good. That’s what gravy and cranberry sauce are for.
As Mary Risley from Tante Marie’s Cooking School humorously points out in the video below (which you should definitely watch, especially if you have any turkey-cooking anxiety), “I have never had an outstanding turkey.”
(Heads up: This video contains some foul language.)
Short of purchasing a special turkey cooker (this is the one I have), it is near impossible to cook a turkey perfectly: the white meat always cooks before the dark meat is done, and the skin on the bottom is never crisp (unless you flip the hot, sputtering bird mid-way through cooking…ummm, no thank you).
So is it really worth it to go to great lengths — brining in big coolers for days in the garage, risking life and limb deep-frying in the driveway, pre-icing the breast of the turkey so it cooks more slowly (I swear, there’s a very respectable cooking magazine that wants you to do this) — to make that be-all-and-end-all turkey?
It’s up to you, but I’m not interested in babysitting my turkey for three days to get only marginally better results at the end.
My advice to you on Thanksgiving is to keep it simple. Make an easy roast turkey recipe (I’m a fan of dry-brined turkey), with an over-the-top delicious gravy, a rich stuffing, and some cranberry sauce to go with it. (Or, if you really don’t want to stress, go ahead and buy your turkey already roasted!) Serve lots of wine (you’ll find this food and wine pairing guide handy for the holidays) and focus your time and creativity on the side dishes and desserts because that’s what everyone really looks forward to anyway.
Wishing you a happy and stress-free Thanksgiving! ❤️
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The video was really funny, but I have to disagree with her contention that there is no such thing as a good tasting turkey. I have used a variant of the the Gourmet Magazine recipe for turkey ever since I married at age 20 and that was 50 years ago! The essentials are soaking a piece of cheesecloth in butter, draping it over the turkey and basting every 20 minutes. If I am feeling really energetic, I put herb butter under the skin of the turkey before roasting and draping the cheesecloth. The drippings are perfect for making the gravy. The turkey is perfectly brown and picture perfect and tastes great. It is not cardboard! lol!
Hey Jenn
Up here in the great white north (Vancouver BC) we have our Thanksgiving
in October .As with Christmas and Easter I get a 18-20 lb bird ,have the butcher
cut it up : one breast ,two thighs ,two legs .Wings and back of turkey, and a dozen chicken wings are used for gravy which I make a few days earlier, I buy two more large thighs and do a overnight salt only brine . The beauty of cooking big bird this way is it cooks very fast and you can remove individual pieces as they are done so reduce chance of bresat overcooking waiting for dark meat. Love your recipes .
Thank you, Jenn! My feelings exactly. If you were choosing, would you recommend your dry brined turkey (cooked ahead of time as you mentioned) or the high heat method (also cooked ahead of time)?
I so appreciate your recipes and comments as well as your readers’ reviews. You are my go-to for recipes. I give your cookbook for hostess and house warming gifts. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for you! Phyllis
Hi Phyllis, They’re both good made ahead of time, but I’d go with the dry brined – less chance of smoking up your kitchen! Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️
I’ve made viewing the Mary Risley an annual event. Hilarious.😂
Jenn have you ever tried cooking your turkey on a Weber Kettle braai? Here in South Africa we generally get small ( about 4 Kgs) turkeys imported from Brazil and have great success stuffing, seasoning,oiling and cooking on indirect fire for 1 1/2 hours. Juicy and crisp and delicious!
I can’t say that I have!
Finally, the best cooking video ever! and a great song video to boot! Happy Holidays Jenn!
Love ya!
What are your thoughts on roasting the turkey low and slow, say 200*?
Thank you!
Hi Janey, I’ve tried a lot of methods for cooking turkey but that’s one I’ve never done. I poked around online and see that there are some recipes using that method, but can’t weigh in myself. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Jenn, your fryer is on sale and I am considering purchasing it to free up oven space. Do you like it? Do you use it each year?
I do like it, and it makes a very good turkey, but it sits in storage for the rest of the year. You can definitely make other stuff in it, as another reader mentioned, but since I store it in the basement (it’s big!), it’s a to-do to get it out.
I agree, turkey is over rated and can turn into a lot of work. One note on the”Big Easy”. I’ve had one for at least ten years and love it .It’s actually great for chicken,ribs,beef,vegetables, etc.
I have found it to be one of the best tools for cooking turkey.It now comes with a grill plate for steaks.fish,pork,etc. …no I am not a salesmen ,but a big fan of your cooking/recipes and cook books.
I always start my turkey breast-down and roast it that way for the first 1-1.5 hours depending on the size of the bird. I then turn it over and finish it breast-up. I use a pair of oven mitts, which then get thrown in the wash. I never have dry breast meat.
I’ve heard that doing this actually works. I’ve not been inclined to do it yet, but I just might try it this year.