# Help me Prepare a Turkey for Christmas



## josiane.ferice (Dec 4, 2008)

Week before Thanksgiving

1. Take out Frozen turkey on Monday Night around 12:00 AM
2. Tuesday Evening around 5 PM wash turkey with cold water and place (submerge) it in a bucket of cold water with two cup of melted brown sugar and 2 cup of salt and two lime juice
3. Wednesday at 6:30 PM remove turkey from water
It was smelly, so I threw it away.

The thanksgiving week –
1. Monday - Take out frozen turkey around 12:00 AM and place it the sink
2. Tuesday Evening around 6:00 PM – wash turkey with cold water and limes
3. Season it with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic and place it in refrigerator
4. Thursday at 3:00 AM – remove it from refrigerator and let it seat for 30 minutes while pre-heat oven
5. At 3:30 AM – place turkey in oven and cook for 2 hours cover
6. then, I removed the cover and brush it with butter and cook for 1 ½ hour again
7. it did not taste like it had any seasoning and/or salt


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## pdswife (Dec 4, 2008)

Well... you could stuff the inside of your turkey with stuffing or with just onions and celery and garlic.

Or if you have an injector...melt some butter add garlic and spices and inject into your turkey.  That flavors the meat really well.

Don't forget to season the inside of the bird too...not just the outside!

More ideas will be coming soon.  This is a very helpful site.
Welcome!


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## josiane.ferice (Dec 4, 2008)

pdswife,
Thank you so much. I did not season the inside. I seasoned the outside, and stuff it with stuffing. The instruction said that "use 3/4 cup of stuffing for every pound", but I had a 14 pounds turkey and the bag of stuffing that I had was too much to stuff it. It only took 3 1/2 cups.  I saw places where it said "Do not over stuff it".


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## Adillo303 (Dec 4, 2008)

Here is what I did, It was well reviewed by the diners.

I started with a fresh turkey, so no defrosting. That is up to you.
15# Turkey

14 Hours before the turkey is to go in the oven, Rinse the bird out. 
reserve the giblets

Submerge in a brine that consists of:

1 Gallon cold water
1 Gallon of fresh apple cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
10 whole cloves crushed
1 Tbst ground nutmeg
2 1/2 to 3 cups Kosher Salt

Brine for 1 hour per pound

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Remove the bird from the brine and rinse.

Put 2 or 3 sprigs of sage, rosemary and Thyme (All fresh) in the botom of the bird.
Fill the rest of the cavity and the neck with a mixture of equal parts of Orange wedges, lemon wedges, one chopped onion and apple wedges. I used one Orange, two lemons, one apple and one medium onion. Eight wedges per fruit. 

Put the bird in the roaster pan and inserrt in the oven. Watch closely, only half an hour at 500. Put a double tent of aluminum foil over the breasts and the top of the bird reduce to 350. Cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours total time (Including time at 500). Meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to read 161 degrees.

BEFORE THE BIRD GOES IN THE OVEN

Simmer the gibblets for 45 min to an hour in chicken stock. Take them out remove all meat and puree the gibblets and most of the stock. Use this in your stuffing, which gets cooked at 350 with the bird caserole style.

This all worked well for me.

AC


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## anni (Dec 5, 2008)

josiane.ferice said:


> Week before Thanksgiving
> 
> 1. Take out Frozen turkey on Monday Night around 12:00 AM
> 2. Tuesday Evening around 5 PM wash turkey with cold water and place (submerge) it in a bucket of cold water with two cup of melted brown sugar and 2 cup of salt and two lime juice
> ...


 
I'm wondering how you are thawing your turkey?  When you say the sink, do you mean in cold water that you change every 30 minutes to an hour?  Or do you mean you just leave it out?  Sorry if I'm not understanding.


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## josiane.ferice (Dec 5, 2008)

The first time, I did not change the water at all. I let it sit in the water for more than 12 hours. That's the reason why I had to throw it away. The second time I did not thaw it. I took it out the freezer and place on the sink to defrost.


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## texasgirl (Dec 6, 2008)

I always put my frozen turkey in the frig, 3 days ahead to thaw slowly. If, when I uncover it and it is still froze a little in the center, I will run cold cold water in it to remove the ice and get the innards out.
I don't do much to mine if I am baking. I rub butter all over, put some globs under the skin of the breast and legs and then on the inside of the chest cavity. Put it in a roaster and slow cook if on 250 all night, getting up every few hours to baste it.

There are articles and people that say this is not safe, but, my mom, grandmother, great grandmother, etc.... did this for years and no one ever got sick and neither did anyone that I have cooked turkey for.

the other way I cook it, or dh cooks it, FRY IT BABY!! hehe Absolutely YUMMY with cajun run and cajun butter injection.


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## anni (Dec 6, 2008)

josiane.ferice said:


> The first time, I did not change the water at all. I let it sit in the water for more than 12 hours. That's the reason why I had to throw it away. The second time I did not thaw it. I took it out the freezer and place on the sink to defrost.


 
These are the USDA guidelines.  Hope they help you in the future. 

*What is the safest way to thaw a frozen turkey?
*The USDA recommends three ways to defrost turkeys: in the refrigerator, in cold water and in the microwave. Never defrost turkey on the counter or in other locations. 

It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. Allow about 1 day for every 5 pounds of turkey to thaw in the refrigerator.
Turkey may be defrosted in cold water in its airtight packaging or in a leak-proof bag. Submerge the bird or cut-up parts in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Turkey defrosted in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed.


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## GB (Dec 6, 2008)

texasgirl said:


> my mom, grandmother, great grandmother, etc.... did this for years and no one ever got sick and neither did anyone that I have cooked turkey for.


Not to pick on you TG (you know I love you ), but lots of people say the above statement about doing it this way and no one ever got sick, but there is really no way to know that. Food poisoning can be as minor as a headache or minor diarrhea and can come on up to 3 days after eating the bad food. Putting that point aside, the only way to know if someone has food poisoning is by a blood test. 

If you went to a friends house for dinner on Sat night and then Tue morning you has a bout of diarrhea or a little headache or something would you think "maybe this is from my dinner over the weekend" let alone call your friend that cooked for you and tell then you were just in the bathroom?

My only point here is that just because there is an appearance of no one ever getting sick from these practices does not mean that is really accurate.  

Also, there is no such thing as a 24 hour flu. Just about anytime someone says they have the 24 hour flu it is most likely a minor case of food poisoning.

The FDA rules that anni posted above are the best ways to defrost a turkey, although personally I would not use the microwave method. I do not like the end results. It is safe to do, but you generally end up with overcooked meat.


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## anni (Dec 6, 2008)

I would never thaw turkey in a microwave either.  I think the USDA added that statement this year because they used to say it was unsafe.  I see that they say you must cook it immediately, but like you, I don't like the end result of any meat thawed in the microwave.


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## josiane.ferice (Dec 6, 2008)

I am a little confused. I though thawing was supposed to give it flavor


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## GB (Dec 6, 2008)

Thawing has nothing to do with flavor. Thawing is only bringing it from a frozen state to a non frozen state. Are you thinking of brining maybe? That is where you soak the bird in a salt water solution and you can also add other flavorings as well.


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## texasgirl (Dec 6, 2008)

GB said:


> Not to pick on you TG (you know I love you ), but lots of people say the above statement about doing it this way and no one ever got sick, but there is really no way to know that. Food poisoning can be as minor as a headache or minor diarrhea and can come on up to 3 days after eating the bad food. Putting that point aside, the only way to know if someone has food poisoning is by a blood test.
> 
> If you went to a friends house for dinner on Sat night and then Tue morning you has a bout of diarrhea or a little headache or something would you think "maybe this is from my dinner over the weekend" let alone call your friend that cooked for you and tell then you were just in the bathroom?
> 
> ...



ok ok, hand spanked. I didn't think about that. Ok, so, I have not killed anyone yet, then


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## GB (Dec 6, 2008)

LOL I love ya TG


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## texasgirl (Dec 6, 2008)

GB said:


> LOL I love ya TG



Mutual!! what would we do without ya??


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## GB (Dec 6, 2008)

There are too many ways to answer that question


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## Mama (Dec 6, 2008)

I don't do a whole lot to mine.  I rub it with canola or vegetable oil, season it with seasoning salt and put it in a baking bag with celery and onions and bake it.  I love those baking bags!  You don't have to baste the bird, brine the bird or look over the bird.  It comes out moist and juicy everytime!


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