21^st Century Turkey

Brining and parting down the bird ahead of time make for a most succulent meal

Okay, okay, how many years are we going to stuff a bird, stick it in the oven all day only to wind up with dry meat again. There's a better way to cook a turkey and perhaps this is the year to give it a shot.

But, you might wonder, why does the standard procedure typically dry the meat out in the first place? There are three reasons.

The first is the overall time in the oven. To get the thicker parts of the bird to cook through, more time is needed and so thinner areas suffer, leaching out all their moisture by getting overcooked. By parting down the bird, you can lay each piece out on a roasting rack to insure they all cook evenly.

Secondly, stuffing the cavity of the bird means you'll lose a lot of moisture into the stuffing, leaving the meat around it dry.

Finally, the meat needs a catalyst to keep the moisture in. Say hello to brining a turkey. The salt draws moisture to the surface of the turkey, and increases the water-holding capacity of the meat so your turkey will stay juicier, even after roasting. Salt is absorbed into the muscle fibers, resulting in a tender, juicy bird with a delicious flavor base of herbs and aromatics!

The process goes like this.

How to order your turkey

Order your turkey from the butcher ahead of the big day and ask that he or she take down the bird in advance, so you don't have to. Butchers are pros at this, most of the rest of us are not. Arrange to pick it up two days before you plan to eat it. If they ask if you'd like the back, you can say yes and use it to make some nice homemade turkey stock for use in your stuffing.

Brining the bird

Now it's time to brine the turkey. You have two options:

Wet Brine

The advantage of a wet brine is that it results in the juiciest possible bird, but the drawback is that the skin may not be as crisp. Wet brining also allows for additional flavor infusions, like cider and maple syrup. You can brine the bird over a 12-24 hour period by placing all the parts in a small ice chest and adding ice to the mixture, or simply put all the parts in a stock pot and place it back in the fridge.

Dry Brine

There is no water in dry brining, which produces a richer, more pure turkey flavor, as the juices have not been diluted. A dry brine enhances the turkey's tenderness and creates a thin, crispy skin that gets golden brown during the roasting process.

For a quick and easy guide to dry brining your bird, you can find a recipe and video here. We recommend mixing and matching seasoning for delicious combinations like garlic and herb, or citrus zest and peppercorns.

For a fool proof shortcut, a 365 Everyday Value® Organic Brine & Seasoning Kit provides step-by-step instructions, brine ingredients, herb turkey rub and a brining bag all in one recyclable container.

If you decide to make your own brine, spend some time looking at the various recipes online, then concoct your own.

Now it's time to cook the bird. This is how we do it in our Queen Anne Test Kitchen. It's adapted from a recipe by Tom Douglas that appeared some years ago.

Roast Turkey with Wine and Herbs (cut prior to cooking)

Serves 10-12, Time: 2-2.5 hours

• 1 turkey, 12-14 lbs, cut up by the butcher, (ask butcher to cut turkey into 7 pieces, leaving breast whole and bone out thighs and breast)
• ¼ cup extra light olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced fresh sage
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups white wine, divided
• 1/3 cup Marsala
• 3 tbsp Sun Fresh Freezerves strawberry jam, or red currant jelly if the latter is not available

1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl, coat turkey with oil, 2 tsp of each herb and pepper. Turn to coat. Pour 1 cup of white wine into a roasting pan. Add legs and wings. Roast 15 minutes, skin side down.

2. Turn legs and wings over; add thighs and breast to pan, skin side up. Pour in remaining wine. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast and thighs reads 160° and juices run clear.

3. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Tent with foil (any slight pinkness will fade as meat sits).

4. Strain pan juices into a saucepan, add Marsala, jam or jelly, and remaining herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes; season with salt. Spoon off fat. Pour juices into individual pitchers for serving if you like.

5. Carve thighs and breast meat into chunks or slices and arrange on a platter with legs and wings. Garnish with olive sprigs if desired.

Of course, you need a nice stuffing to go along with it. Rather than give you a specific recipe, we're going to tell you the elements as prescribed by our friends at PCC. Basically, you call the shots on the actual recipe.

Stuffing Elements

The Base - This is your carb. You could use most types of bread here, but if you're looking for a carb with a low glycemic load (the best kind for you, there's nothing better than using whole brown rice, or whole long grain types).

Fruits - Use a mix of dried and whole fruits. In the Northwest you can't go wrong with some dried cherries mixed together with local apples currently on shelves.

Liquid - While many just use water, you can make a simple chicken or vegetable stock ahead of the holidays which will provide a far more savory flavor than plain old water.

Crunch - Pecans, pine nuts and roasted almonds make for a terrific addition of crunch and goodness.

Seasonings - There's no end to the herbs when you're doing a holiday feast and stuffing is also a great place to add sage, thyme. Just be sure the herbs you pick complement the fruits and nuts you incorporated.

Photo courtesy of teaspooncomm.com (wild rice, dried cherries, pecans)

The best way to bring this all together is by cooking it in a medium to large size rice cooker. It won't hurt to add a little bit of ghee (not butter) to take it over the top with your tastebuds.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Seattle DINING!

TM/November 16