Thu, Nov 27, 2008
Thanksgiving 08
Posted to Technology category
I'm trying Altn Brown's recipe (more or less) for roasted brined turkey. So I started yesterday.
BrineIn about a quart of water,
heat the following to a full boil3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
- Tb black peppercorns
1/2 Tb allspice berries- Tb candied ginger
cool to room temp
then refrigerate
When I was ready to brine the turkey, late yesterday evening, I rinsed the turkey thoroughly (and removed and reserved the neck and giblet bag) and carefully slid it into a 2.5 gallon ziplock bag in my 12 quart stock pot. It just barely fit into the bag, and stuck out a little above the top of the pot. If the turkey was any bigger I would have needed to use a canning kettle, invest in a custom turkey brining bag, and chill it somewhere other than the fridge. As it was, I removed one half-shelf from the fridge and the pot fit in there nicely (those split shelves are really handy in situations like this).
I added 2 quarts of vegetable broth, the chilled brine-spice mixture and about another quart of water, which is all the bag would hold. A little squirted out when I zipped the bag shut: there was just one small bubble of air in the bag.
Early in the morning, I put the neck in a saucepan of water an began simmering it to make broth.
I rough chopped 3 stalks of celery and half a medium-large onion and added them to a hot skillet with a couple of tablespoons of extra-light olive oil and 1/2 pound of breakfast sausage, broken into chunks. When the celery and onion were starting to soften I added the organ meats, cut up small.
While the sausage/giblet mixture was cooking down I experimented with goat cheese stuffed celery. I used Chevrie, which is not quite the right replacement for a recipe originally designed for cream cheese or Neuchatel. It turned too drippy when the Worchestershire sauce and sliced green olives were added: I need to try a stiffer cheese next time. But my breakfast was a couple of stalks of stuffed celery and a sandwich of the olive/cheese misture between two slices of toast, so my Thanksgiving custom has been upheld despite the new dietary restrictions.
When the sausage giblet mixture was thoroughly cooked, I stirred in some fresh ground black pepper and poultry seasoning and ran it through the food grinder attachment of my Kitchenaid into a bowl of torn up bread -- about half a loaf of 100% whole wheat (no malt!). I wiped out the skillet with a slice of the bread and ran that through the grinder at after the meat and veggies, followed by a slice or two of just bread. That's the best way to make sure all of the good stuff is out of the grinder.
I poured the broth from the turkey neck into the stuffing bowl and began tasting. Added salt, more pepper, and more poultry seasoning, and a dash of ground allspice to tie it to the flavor of the brined turkey, and a little plain water to get the texture right. If I were cooking the stuffing inside the turkey I would have made it last night, so I would be putting cold stuffing into a cold bird, but I am following Alton's advice and cooking it separately as a dressing.
I will put Alton's aromatics inside the bird.
Aromatics
- cinnamon stick
- red apple sliced
1/2 onion, sliced- cup water
heat on high in microwave 5 minutes
Then add to the cavity with 4 sprigs of rosemary and some sage. Rub outside of turkey with oil and roast on rack in a shallow pan in 475 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, insert probe thermometer into deepest past of breast and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil. Set thermometer alarm for 161 degrees and return turkey to 325 degree oven. Should take about 2 to 2.5 hours roasting time. After an hour, put the casserole dish of sausage-giblet dressing in the oven too.
Other stuff I will be eating: sauteed carrots, roasted potatoes, squash, boiled onions. Mulled cider.