Let’s be honest, Thanksgiving is America’s favorite holiday because it’s the only day that’s all about the food. We’ve waited the entire year for that big, golden bird with all the trimmings. This is the day where foods that dare not meet during other months, now, happily rub shoulders with one another to form glorious food-collages on our plates.
If you’re the person who’ll be preparing this year’s dinner – kudos! I’ve got a few pro tips that’ll make this the easiest (and best-tasting) Thanksgiving dinner ever.
In this blog post, we’ll start with the turkey. First, let’s decide which type of turkey you’ll buy. This is really all about preference. If you’re interested in purchasing a local bird, here’s a good list of places in Chicago where you can pre-order your bird. There are several turkey variations available such as “natural”, “kosher” and “heritage” all of which can be a little confusing, but Saveur has laid out the differences for us.
Now that we’ve selected our turkey, let’s get cooking. The first mistake that many make with the turkey begins with the cook’s picturesque vision of a whole bird cooked to perfection and served on a platter all ready to carve. If you have that vision, dump it.
For the best turkey that you’ve ever had, I want you to deconstruct your turkey into two parts: leg/thigh quarters and breasts. Why? Well, we all know that white meat cooks faster than dark meat, so by breaking down your turkey, you’re allowing for a more even cooking process. It’s called the cut-up-and-cook approach and in addition to a juicier turkey, you’ll also get a richer tasting gravy with this method.
Here’s a video on how to deconstruct your turkey at home with just a few simple cuts. Make sure that you have a good, sharp knife. And if you feel uncomfortable breaking it down yourself, just ask your butcher to do it for you. (Note: I recommend keeping the leg and thigh quarter together and this video separates them. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your preference.). Once you’ve deconstructed your turkey, follow my Thanksgiving turkey recipe below.
Thanksgiving Turkey
1 Turkey, broken down into two parts, leg/thigh quarters and breasts, on separate sheet trays
4T Dried Herbs de Provence
Salt and Pepper
1 Shallot, small dice
1 C White Wine
3 C Turkey Stock
2T Butter
1⁄2 Cup Cranberry Puree
Preparation:
• Season turkey with salt, pepper and dried herbs
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In large sauté pan, medium-high heat, add olive oil
• Place turkey skin side down, sear until golden brown ~4-5 min
• Add 1-2T of butter to pan and swirl around
• Flip over, and sear the other side until golden brown
• Remove turkey from pan and place on sheet trays, then in the oven
• Cook until turkey reaches internal temp of 165 degrees.
• 1 hr for white meat, 1.5 hrs for dark meat quarters
• Turn the heat down to medium-low
• Add extra fat if needed to pan, then add shallot
• Sauté until tender, ~2-3 min
• Take a sip of the wine, then add the rest to the pan to deglaze
• Scrape bottom of pan to make sure all the bits come up off the bottom
• Let wine reduce 2-3 min, then add stock. Lets reduce for 10 min
• Add cranberry and butter. Swirl pan, possibly whisk to break up cranberry
• Season to taste with salt and pepper
Turkey Stock
4 Carrots, rough chop
5 Celery Stalks, rough chop
4 Fresh Rosemary sprigs
Salt and Pepper
Turkey carcass
1 Lg Stock Pot
Preparation:
• In large stock pot, add carrots, rosemary and celery along with turkey carcass
• Fill stock pot with water just short of the top
• Bring to boil, then down to a simmer for 2 hrs.
• Strain stock to remove all impurities
• Return stock pot to burner and reduce until desired color and flavor
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
Once the turkey is done, go ahead and grab that beautiful platter of yours and arrange the turkey for presentation. Trust me, once you and your guests take a bite of this bird, they’ll be singing your praises.
In my next blog post I’ll share a few side dishes that I like to add to my Thanksgiving spread. Don’t forget to ping me @chefaramreed on Facebook and Twitter with any Thanksgiving cooking questions.
Cheers!
Chef Aram