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Turkey Recipes

How to Brine a Turkey

Considering brining your Thanksgiving turkey this year? If so you must watch this video brought to us from Chow.com. The delicious Top Chef Master Michael Chiarello explains in simple terms how to do it correctly and common mistakes to avoid.

Why brine? It allows flavor and seasoning to penetrate the inside of the turkey as well as the outside, and will produce a very juicy and evenly cooked bird.

Key tips from the video:

Avoid over salting, it will lead to a stringy and dry bird.
Be sure your container is large enough for the entire turkey.
Do not over brine the turkey.
Start with fresh water.
Use pure Kosher salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaf, and any other desired flavorings or spices. Bring these items to a boil the day before, let cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Use two smaller turkeys rather than one large one, to yield twice as many parts and be more tender.
Before brining the turkey, remove from plastic, rinse it in water, and remove the bag of giblets.
The perfect brining container? An ice chest or cooler. Put the turkey in, add ice on top, pour the brine in. Michael suggests putting the cooler in the garage, and brining for 12 hours overnight.
In the morning, remove from the brine, pat dry, and let the turkey get to room temperature for about an hour.
No roasting rack? No problem. Simply put the turkey on top of whole vegetables such as celery and carrots.

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaXaLiHzlaE[/pro-player]
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Thank you Chef!

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Thanksgiving recipe roundup!

Here is Savory Tv’s plethora of Thanksgiving recipe ideas, neatly bundled into one post!

First off we approach the turkey. Our favorite this year is the roasted turkey recipe posted here from our friends at Ifoods Tv. Second runner up in our book is a tie! Chef Scott with his special brining and roasting techniques here are a great option for 4 or more guests, or a couple who love leftovers! For an intimate Thanksgiving dinner for two we love this recipe and video by Chef Keith Snow, which roasts a turkey breast instead of an entire turkey.

For side dishes, in addition to green vegetables, warm bread, cranberry chutney and the garlic mashed potatoes video found here, we recommend another favorite from Chef Keith Snow, an easy but delicious sweet potato recipe. His technique involves dressing the sweet potatoes with a herb infused butter, maple syrup, and peanuts.

If you prefer to mull over several other tasty options, this post from Clay and Zach of The Bitten Word is so fun to browse, and it discusses the recommendations and recipes posted in the top food magazines this year.

Have you made a huge mistake on the big day? Having gravy or stuffing dilemmas? Have no fear as chef Rocco DiSpirito comes to your rescue with Turkey 911, his guide to fixing common Thanksgiving day cooking mishaps.

So, whether you are lucky enough to be with friends and family, or home alone and unable to travel on Thanksgiving, please take a deep breath, relax, give thanks, enjoy, and have a wonderful holiday.

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We can’t wait! A very special turkey recipe from Chef Niall Harbison

Our friend Chef Niall Harbison from Ifoods Tv has a perfect moist roasted turkey recipe, just in time for the holidays! Niall’s recipe includes a delicious stuffing, made with cognac, port, chestnuts, and apples, and he shows us his technique for roasting a 6 lb turkey with vegetables. He finishes the turkey with a savory dressing made from homemade stock. We have been lusting for it just from viewing the video, and with Niall’s culinary expertise this recipe is guaranteed to be a winner! The recipe can be viewed here, and the stock recipe for the gravy is here.

Watch Roast Turkey in Educational & How-To | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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How to roast a turkey with Chef Scott Cutaneo

You can do it, really you can, and it’s not that difficult. If you never cooked a turkey in the past, or perhaps had a subpar turkey experience, this year is different. Chef Scott from Le Petit Chateau guides you through the basics in this easy to follow video recipe for roasting the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.

First, brine the turkey. Why brine? Because it adds moisture and flavor to your turkey. Wikipedia has a great explanation of the chemistry here. Mix 2 cups of salt mixed with 2 gallons of hot or boiling water (or an appropriate ratio, 1 cup of salt per gallon of water), making sure the salt is completely dissolved. Let the salt water mixture cool and soak your turkey in the mixture using a large soup stock pot or a large roasting pan, making sure the entire bird is covered. Let the turkey soak for 1 hour per pound of turkey, in the refrigerator. You will to do this the night before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day: Before you are ready to roast, discard the salt water, rinse and dry the turkey. If you wish to try a fancier version of brining, chef Scott has a special version using sugar and bourbon found in this video.

The rest is easy.

You will need, in addition to the brined turkey: onions, carrots, thyme, oil, butter, salt, pepper, and trussing string.

Into your roasting pan, add onions, and carrots, celery, and tyme, place the turkey on top of the veggies and herbs, twine the turkey per chef Scott’s instructions, brush it with an oil and butter mixture, add salt, pepper, and 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pan. Cook as directed for the weight of your bird, basting every hour or so. Check the temperature on the back of the breast with a simple meat thermometer, Scott chooses 155 as the perfect temperature before pulling it out of the oven, as the meat will continue to cook even after it is out of the oven. If you are a directions follower, simply follow the directions per pound for your bird. Dinner is served, take a bow, and relax!