Sometimes I feel like a terrible blogger. Well, maybe not blogger. Instagrammer. I documented nothing on Thanksgiving, even though I took pictures. Sometimes I really do wonder what the point of Instagram is....I look at it multiple times a day and it's really just a guilty pleasure. I'm not sure why I don't post more. I'll chock this up to thing #246 I'm trying to figure out about myself.
Scott came home from 5 weeks away the day before Thanksgiving. It was drizzling freezing rain for most of Thanksgiving so we didn't go anywhere. We took the dogs for two walks. It was 20 degrees out. He opened some birthday presents (it was his birthday too, so thank goodness he made it home). I ate a lot of pecan pie. We watched the entire season of Homeland, thus far (#PeterQuinn4ever). I made Scott watch Love Actually (Hugh Grant at his finest).
Scott always makes a turkey and this year, not knowing what time his flight would get in, I decided to take on the task myself. I bought a 2.2 pound turkey breast because we waste a lot of turkey every year. This is really because I'll eat a few pieces but I don't really like turkey. I'd probably prefer ham. Or beef.
Scott did make it home in time to take over turkey prep and he was disappointed there was no dark meat; if I had known that was what he liked most about turkeys, I definitely would've bought a bigger bird. Maybe for Christmas.
This is the recipe he used and I was very skeptical. I was planning on the Creole Butter and the turkey bag, because we do that every year, but he had this other combination of stuff he wanted to inject. It worked out really well in the end, it smelled amazing, and I don't even mind cooking turkeys now that we have an oven with a perfect turkey button. It does the legwork for you.
Leg work. Turkey leg. Ha ha.
We use turkey bags, and the perfect turkey button has a probe that goes into the thickest part of the turkey and that measures the temperature. There's no guesswork and even I can cook a turkey now. I did not stuff it or inject it, but I did cook it. Perfectly.
Scott's Holiday Turkey
Turkey, size of your choice (this was a small turkey, but you can use the same method with larger birds)
Turkey bag with plastic tie
Vegetables of your choice: roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
2 T. sherry + 2 T. soy sauce +2 T. red wine vinegar (mixed together in a small bowl)
1 T. flour
Open up the turkey bag and put 1 T. of flour inside. Close the bag and shake it up to coat the sides. Place it in a roasting pan and then place the turkey in the bag. Put vegetables into the cavity and/or around the turkey.
With your flavor injector, inject the bird with the sherry/soy sauce/vinegar mixture (this is the part I was skeptical about). Pick 3-4 different spots.
Then, inject the turkey with the Creole Butter. There are instructions on the bottle. It's one ounce of marinade per pound.
Let the turkey rest for about half an hour before you bake it, and then again after it's done.
(I'm no expert on turkey-cooking. These are my layman's directions. I just wanted to impart the knowledge about the injectables we use.)
Basically, Scott has taught me: 1. Use a turkey bag. No need to baste then. 2. Use a flavor injector. You'll notice the difference.
I love this. If I'm being 100% honest, I'm not crazy about turkey, but I ALWAYS make one on thanksgiving because I absolutely love the way the house smells. It's the quintessential essence of Thanksgiving to me. I might have to try this out at Christmas though--I might actually enjoy eating it then :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks really good! Everyone in my family is crazy about turkey but I prefer all of the sides like stuffing and mashed potatoes over the actual turkey.
ReplyDeleteMy Scott cooks our turkey, too. He tends to brine it with orange juice. Once, he woke me up with the turkey in a Home Depot bucket, asking me if it was big enough. I think he's insane.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of a turkey bag. Interesting.
Sounds like a wise way to cook a turkey! And such a fancy oven you have! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the turkey bags, they are a huge asset and make the turkey perfect every time.
ReplyDeleteTurkey is the one thing I refuse to do when it's just the two of us. I have a feeling I'll get roped into it next year...this is the 2nd year in a row Isaiah has said "maybe we could just cook a SMALL one...???" I haven't seen any small ones at the store though. I'm all about the sides, anyway...
ReplyDeleteA perfect turkey button? WHAT! Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI always make a 14-15 lb turkey for just the two of us. We eat leftovers, I make soup from the carcass, and I end up slicing and freezing some of the meat.
A perfect turkey button, that's new haha!!
ReplyDeleteI've never made a turkey but I've been informed I will be when I eventually get a house.