How To Roast A Turkey

We currently celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of every November.  This date was set way back in 1939 by Franklin D. Roosevelt.  However, this date wasn’t approved by congress until 1941.  The original celebration of Thanksgiving was the last Thursday of November.  This date was set by Abraham Lincoln but was changed by President Roosevelt because it didn’t give businesses time to recover and prepare for Christmas.  I understand that business is important but why do all major Holiday’s represent nothing more than shopping.  The true meaning of Thanksgiving has been forgotten and brushed under the rug.  Businesses now jump from Halloween to Christmas to promote and capitalize on the all mighty dollar.  Thanksgiving isn’t about the dollar, it’s about food, family, and friends.

The confusion in the kitchen as mom, grandma’s, aunt’s, and relatives bustled around preparing Thanksgiving dinner still lingers in the recesses of my mind.  The aromas of roasting herbs, turkey, baking breads and pies permeated through the house tantalizing all who would give in to their bewitching flavors. These wonderful smells were foreshadowing what tasty treats were going to be savored later in the day.  This week I’m talking roasted turkey.

Wild turkey was part of the original celebration dinners of thanks.  Early Pilgrims and friendly Native American’s would gather together and enjoy the bounty of the harvests.   These harvests included waterfowl, deer, elk, wheat, corn, pumpkins, and of course wild turkey.  The turkey has endured the test of time and emerged as the celebrated symbol of Thanksgiving.

How do you roast a turkey? Believe me when I say it’s easy, rewarding, and delicious.  First of all, you want to pick a turkey that’s right for you.  How big of a bird should you buy?  Count the number of guests and plan on at least a pound of turkey per person.  For example, if you have 10 people coming to dinner, buy a turkey that’s at least 10 pounds.  (If you want and enjoy left over’s, buy a larger turkey.)  A frozen turkey that weighs approximately 10 pounds will take about three days to thaw in the refrigerator.  Never thaw your turkey out on the counter.  Rinsing off your turkey in the sink to “clean” off the bacteria is an old wise tale.  This process will not remove any harmful bacteria. Instead, you risk splashing raw turkey juice around the kitchen sink and counters.  The only thing that kills harmful bacteria is cooking your turkey to the appropriate safe temperatures.  If you choose to rinse your turkey, be careful not to splash water and raw turkey juice on dish towels and around your kitchen.  Remove the neck and giblets.  The giblets are generally found in the neck or cavity of the bird.  Be sure to check both the neck crevasse and the bird cavity for the giblets.  Once the giblets have been removed, rinse off the bird (if you choose) and dry the turkey with paper towels both inside and outside.

For my turkey, I like to combine herbs and citrus flavors. Simply combine fresh herbs, salt, pepper, butter, and orange zest together.  Set aside until ready to use.  This type of butter mixture is called a compound butter.  Stores charge a lot of money for this and now you know how to make it easily at home.  Place the turkey in a roasting pan.  Separate the skin of the turkey from the breast and insert thin orange slices and fresh herbs.  This will help to flavor the breast meat.  Take some of the butter and slather it in between the skin and the breast too.  Cut the orange into pieces and place them into the cavity of the bird along with a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Spread the remaining compound butter all over the bird.  Insert an oven safe thermometer into the thicket part of the thigh without touching the bone.  Roast your turkey until the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degree’s.  If you notice your turkey is browning to fast, simple place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the turkey.  This is called tenting the turkey.  This will help prevent over browning of the turkey before it is fully cooked.   If you are stuffing your turkey, the internal temperature of the stuffing must be at least 165 degree’s.  For this reason commercial thermometers that come with a turkey generally don’t pop up until the breast meat reaches 180-185 degree’s.  Do not rely on these thermometers!  With Thanksgiving right around the corner, get a good oven safe or instant read thermometer and learn how to use it!

Rosemary, Thyme and Orange Roasted Turkey

Recipe Courtesy Chef Bryan Woolley

1 whole turkey

2 sticks butter, room temperature

6-8 sprigs of fresh rosemary

6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 large orange

Zest of one orange

Salt and pepper

1. Remove the leaves from 4 sprigs of the rosemary and thyme and add it to the butter.
2. Add the orange zest to the butter as well and mix to combine.  Set aside until ready to use.
3. Cut 4 thin orange slices from the orange and set aside.
4. Cut the remaining orange into small pieces and stuff into the cavity of the bird with one sprig of rosemary and thyme.
5. Place orange slices in between the skin and the breast meat as well as the remaining herb sprigs.
6. Slather a good portion of the butter in between the skin and the breast meat.
7.  Spread the remaining compound butter over the turkey.
8. Place in a 350 degree oven and roast until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches a temperature of at least 165 degree’s.