This is it, a foolproof turkey recipe! Two perfect years in a row! I will probably never cook a turkey any other way again! Once you find perfection should you really strive for perfect perfection? Is there such a thing?
And, here is the great part. It is the easiest turkey recipe I have ever used! No brining, no butter, no oil, no seasoning, no herbs, no lemon, no garlic bulbs, no basting, no injecting, no frying, and no bag. The only negative thing I can say about this recipe is that I did not come up with it. The good people at Cook’s Illustrated did that part.
If you have never picked up a Cook’s publication I highly suggest buying a copy. For so long I would not purchase their periodicals because they are very wordy, and their photos are black and white not to mention sparse. These traits turned me off for a long time, until last year when my gracious mother-in-law got me a year’s subscription. What they accomplish in their magazine is nothing short of miraculous! They basically spend all the money and do all of the experimentation for you. They think of a food then they perfect the recipe for it. Then they write it all down about how they did it and why so that you can experience all of their frustration and triumph with them. And they are really good at it! The perfect oven fried onion rings, the perfect chocolate chip cookie, the perfect cold pasta salad are just three of the recipes (besides the turkey) that I have tried and loved! Anyway, this recipe came from last year’s fall special Entertaining issue of Cook’s Illustrated. If you look for the magazine it has a stuffed tenderloin roast on the cover.
OK, this is all you need and do:
-1 turkey (I used a 20 lb. turkey so my cooking time reflects this)
-1 lb. salt pork
-4 c. water
-cheese cloth
-tin foil
-roasting pan
Preheat oven to 350°. Oven rack needs to be on the very bottom support. Soak one sheet of cheese cloth in bowl of water. Place thawed rinsed turkey on rack in roasting pan, breast side up, wings tucked under. Arrange one layer of salt pork slices over entire breast and legs. Lay water soaked cheesecloth over salt pork. Pour remaining water in bottom of roasting pan. Place a layer of aluminum foil atop the cheesecloth. Situate turkey in oven. Roast for 4-5 hours (until breast meat is ~140°). Remove foil and all salt pork. Place turkey back in oven at 425° to brown. This will take ~40-60 minutes. When you remove they turkey from the oven to rest you want the temperature of the thickest part of the breast to be ~165° and the thickest part of the thigh to be~185°. Let turkey rest for 30 to 60 minutes. Carve and eat!!! YUM!!!
The salt pork actually seasons the meat perfectly. No need for anything else except maybe a little cranberry sauce.
Now, I know that trial and error are part of the joy of cooking, but the magazine also gives me many creative ways of cooking things that I had never thought of before. It also helps me to understand why some of the stuff I try cooking fails time after time. Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful and rich Thanksgiving!
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