# The Best Thanksgiving Ever!



## nytxn (Jun 21, 2005)

It's a little early, but this will give you something to check into before November rolls around again...


This is a recipe a friend of mine shared with me. I believe it's a Wolfgang Puck recipe for Turkey. 

I have to be blatantly honest with you... it's the absolute best turkey you'll ever eat. 

It was my first time making a turkey, and it was the best I've ever tasted...


And now... without further adieu...

~~~



As promised here is the Thanksgiving Turkey to end all Thanksgiving Turkey recipies.

*Brined Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy *
** 

This is the best Turkey recipe I’ve ever come across. It’s a Wolfgang Puck recipe and I tried it last year. In fact I made it twice. It is OUTSTANDING. Everyone that tried it said it was the best turkey they ever had. And they were all Louisiana people who get fried turkey and know what good turkey tastes like. 

I would make the brine and the turkey stock the day before. This is important because you need to brine the turkey for 24 hours for the best effect. Also you want the stock prepared so you can whip up the gravy. 


*DAY 1*

*Brine: *
1 gallon water 
1/2 ounce ground cloves 
1/2 ounce ground ginger 
4 ounces cracked black peppercorns 
12 bay leaves 
1 pound kosher salt 
24 ounces honey 
24 ounces maple syrup 
1 (12 - 14 pound) whole fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed and reserved for stock 

In a large stockpot, bring the water, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves and salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and stir in the honey and maple syrup until well blended. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature. 
Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold tap water. Reserve the neck and specialty meats for pan gravy. Set the turkey in the brine, making sure that the turkey is fully immersed in the brine. Place a weight on top of the turkey to make sure it is always covered with brine. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

*Turkey** Stock (Can be made ahead up to 4 days. Keep refrigerated: *
Giblets and neck from 1 turkey 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 cup port wine 
1 cup roughly chopped onions 
1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots 
1/2 cup roughly chopped celery 
2 sprigs rosemary 
5 peppercorns 
Water, to cover 

Heat a saucepan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat. Add the neck and giblets and cook until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the port. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the port is almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes. 
Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary and peppercorns. Cover with cold water by 4-inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water, if necessary. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock and discard. 
Strain the stock. 

*DAY 2*

*Roasting:*

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees F*. 

1 cup cubed carrots 
1 cup cubed celery 
1 cup cubed onions 

In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions. 
Remove turkey from brine. 

1 stick butter, *room temperature* 
2 teaspoons chopped garlic 
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves 
2 apples, quartered and cored 
1 onion, peeled and quartered 
2 rosemary sprigs 
3 sprigs sage 
Olive oil, for drizzling 



Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Be careful not to rip the skin. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey. 


Place the turkey over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin.

Now this next part is VITAL! So don’t mess it up. *Go buy yourself a good digital thermometer*. It will have a long probe with a wire on it so you can stick it in the turkey and read the meter outside the oven. Roast *the turkey to exactly 165 degrees F in the breast*, It should take about 2 1/2 hours but *don’t go by the clock*. If the skin gets too dark during roasting, tent with foil. 


When the bird gets to 165 take it out of the oven, Transfer to a platter and tent it with foil and allow it to rest. *DO NOT CUT THE BIRD UNTIL IT RESTS FOR A GOOD 10 TO 15 MINUTES*. IF you cut it too soon all the juices will run out and you will have dry turkey like last year. 










*While the turkey is roasting, prepare the pan gravy.* 

1/2 cup white wine 
1/2 cup Madeira wine 
4 cups turkey stock, *recipe at the top. *
1 sprig thyme 
2 sprigs parsley 
Beurre manie (2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces flour until it forms a soft dough) 
Salt and pepper 

Tilt the pan and skim as much fat as possible off the juice with a spoon. Set the pan on 2 burners set on medium heat. Deglaze roasting pan with white wine and Madeira. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Reduce until only a quarter remains. Add the turkey stock, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into a saucepan. Bring back to a boil, skim and lower to a simmer. Whisk in the beurre manie until well incorporated and continue to cook until gravy has thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. 


*Note*: For those of you who wont use wine, just use some of the turkey stock. That will be fine. For those of you who will use the wine and Madeira, *go get a real bottle*. Don’t use that cooking wine stuff. It will ruin the gravy. And remember all the alcohol will cook out so you won’t have any issues with that. Trust me this is awesome stuff. 

*Happy Thanksgiving!*


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## texasgirl (Jun 21, 2005)

Sounds good Txn {notice I didn't put NY? hehe Your a texan now, no going back}
Idon't know if I can get my hubby away from the fried turkey, cause it sure is goooood.
I'll try 2 this year, one like this and the fried, that'll work.


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## jpmcgrew (Jun 21, 2005)

I made a brined with Maple Syrup Turkey last year and it was good but I hafto say this sounds absolutly fantastic.


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## HanArt (Jun 21, 2005)

Don't care for brining, but your gravy sounds awesome!

Don't forget sides of chipotle sweet potato gratin and cranberry Jezebel.


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## nytxn (Jun 21, 2005)

This puppy is awesome.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jun 25, 2005)

Great technique!  The most important thing you can do to insure a perfect turkey, is to cook it to between 160 and 165 degrees Farenheight.  Any more than that will dry out the meat.

Brining a bird refers to soaking in a salt water solution.  What you did was marinate the bird in a non-acidic marinade, which is fantastic for infusing the flavors you want into the meat.  Some people prefer more savory flavors, while others, obviously like yourself, prefer a touch of sweetness in the end product.

I come out with tender, exceptionally juicy birds, which all of my family, and co-workders clamor for by brining, then smoking over indirect heat in my barbecue.  Again, the secret to the texture and moisture content are careful temperature control of the cooked meat.

You have done well grasshopper.  Now experiment with flavorings and become the turkey/poultry pro and realize your full potential  

Seeeeeeya;   Goodweed of the North


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## Raine (Jun 25, 2005)

We don't care for brining either.  Most frozen turkeys come packed in a solution (brine).  Smoked or fried is absolutely the best way to eat them.

We just never found brining to be much value added for all the time and trouble.  Seems to also chane the texture of the meat. And we just don't have the room to be brining 10-30 turkeys at once.

Lots of people like it.







Our turkeys


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## HanArt (Jun 25, 2005)

Rainee, wow! Almost makes me hungry for turkey!

I've brined turkey, chicken, and pork and haven't been impressed with any of them. It does change the texture of the meat and makes it way too salty, IMO.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jun 26, 2005)

I'm not sure how I did it, but I missed the "1 lb. of Kosher Salt" in the original posting.  The turkey was indeed brined.

I like to brine, but with a less salty solution, which means my brined food goes into the fridge to prevent bacterial growth.  The texture of the end result comes our very juicy as the salt tends to pull additional moisture into the meat through osmotic pressure (I think).  I always grill or barbecue after brining.  This allows the additional moisture to escape, while leaving in enough to insure extra juicy meat.

I don't brine often as it takes up time and valuable space.  Again, cooking to the proper temperature is far more important to you success.  Oh, and Rainee, those are some fine looking birds.  Makes me think I'm gonna have to get into the woods and collect some branches this week, fire up the Webber, and follow your example.  Maybe I'll try some tag-alder for the wood.  I hear it has a great flavor.  And I love great flavor.  

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## nytxn (Jun 26, 2005)

I can assure you folks, the turkey was neither too salty nor was it strange in texture.


I'm tellin' ya, it was the best trurkey I've ever eaten, and I've eaten my share of turkey, including fried...


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## HanArt (Jun 26, 2005)

A lot of people like brined meat ... it's just not something I care for.

I went back and took a look at your recipe. Are those amounts correct? The usual ratio is 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water. And why so much sugar (honey & maple syrup)? Sorry, but that made me gag.


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## nytxn (Jun 26, 2005)

HanArt said:
			
		

> A lot of people like brined meat ... it's just not something I care for.
> 
> I went back and took a look at your recipe. Are those amounts correct? The usual ratio is 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water. And why so much sugar (honey & maple syrup)? Sorry, but that made me gag.




Talk to Wolfgang Puck to see if the measurements are 'correct'. It's his recipe.


It didn't make me gag, nor did it make any of the folks that ate it gag.


Don't like the looks of it? Don't make it. It's pretty simple. No one's forcing you to...


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## SierraCook (Jun 26, 2005)

Thanks for posting your recipe, nytxn.  It is great that you made a turkey.  I have never cooked one before because I have not been brave enough.  Kudos to you!!  

SC


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## HanArt (Jun 26, 2005)

nytxn said:
			
		

> Don't like the looks of it? Don't make it. It's pretty simple. No one's forcing you to...


 
Just sharing an observation ... 64 oz. of water, 48 oz. of honey & maple syrup, and 2 pounds of salt sounds extremely sweet and salty ... I don't care who came up with the recipe.


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## nytxn (Jun 27, 2005)

It's not two pounds of salt. It's one.


> 1 pound kosher salt


 
Kosher salt is 'less salty' than table salt. 


I didn't post this to have an argument....  


lol  

Take your complaints to Wolfgang.


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## Andy M. (Jun 27, 2005)

nytxn said:
			
		

> ...Kosher salt is 'less salty' than table salt...


 
Actually, a pound of kosher salt is exactly as salty as a pound of table salt - not more salty or less salty.

Only when measuring salt by volume (tablespoon, cup, etc.) can you expect a difference in saltiness. That's because the coarser grains of the kosher salt don't pack together as tightly as the fine grains of table salt. As a result, there are more air spaces between the grains in a tablespoon or cup of coarse grained kosher salt than there are in an equal volume of table salt. Since air is less salty than salt...


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## Constance (Jun 27, 2005)

We love brined and roasted turkey. You wash the turkey off and pat it dry before you roast it...it doesn't taste salty at all. The salt seals in the meat juices. 

Here's the recipe we use...it's very similar to yours, nytxn.

Honey Brined Smoked Turkey
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars

1 gallon hot water
1 pound kosher salt
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 pound honey
1 (7-pound) bag of ice
1 (15 to 20-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
Vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey

Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the
salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice
and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with
cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird
thoroughly with the vegetable oil.

Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.

Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke
bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and
gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the
top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas
flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer
into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160
degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with
aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood
chips with second cup.

Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with
aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.


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## nytxn (Jun 27, 2005)

I guess I won't be posting any more recipes. 


I didn't realize that when you posted a recipe you got jumped on. lol


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## Andy M. (Jun 27, 2005)

I think you should continue to post recipes you like and want to share.  

You shouldn't be put off by other people wanting to discuss differences in your recipes in comparison to theirs or even with some disagreement.  This is a discussion group.  We discuss stuff.  

So please continue to participate.


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## Raine (Jun 27, 2005)

Yep, keep posting recipes.  Just remember, people will disagree from time to time.

Not all recipes are good( no matter what chef they came from) and everyone will not like all recipes no matter how good they may or may not be.

Not all recipes are right/correct and need to be tweaked sometimes.

We learn all sorts of things here, but not without discussion.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jun 27, 2005)

I'm certainly glad you posted the original recipe.  That their is disagreement is natural.  Whether you are right or wrong is not important.  The recipe is out for all to see.

I'm not selling anything here, but rather am explaining a principle, so please bear with me.  I write cookbooks as one of my hobbies.  Teh recipes and techniques in them are proven before putting in the books.  But in every recipe, I encourage the reader to use my version as a way to learn the technique, and as a starting point.  They might like other herbs, spices, or flavorings that I don't.  They might not like the ones I like.  Every person has differing tastes, all of them valid.

I new a lady who "tenderized her steaks with baking soda.  I thought they tasted terrible.  She loved them.  For her, the technique she used was valid.  For me, it wasn't.

I also knew a lady who made pancakes by proofing sour-dough into a huge batch, and using only that to make her pancakes.  She loved them.  The rest of us thought they were terrible.  Her family wouldn't eat her pancakes and said they hated pancakes.  Then they tried mine and begged her to use that recipe.  I sincerely hope she still makes her recipe as she really loved the flavor.  It was certainly unique, and a valid recipe for her.

The point is, we are all different, and what I enjoy might be something you detest and vice-versa.  Your recipe looks good to me.  I'd be willing to give it a go.

Remember, the only people who never make mistakes are those who do nothing.  And if we all did nothing, who would there be to create amazing things?

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Constance (Jun 27, 2005)

nytxn...don't feel bad. The people who criticized your recipe didn't know what they were talking about. One taste of your turkey, and they'd be sold. 
I also brine my boneless pork loins, and that is the ONLY way I have ever come up with one that is truly tender and juicy. 
One of my dear friends, who is an excellent cook, does her bonesless rib roast in a 1" layer of rock salt, and it isn't salty tasting either...the salt just seals in the juices.

I dare one of you all to try nytxn's recipe or mine, and I promise, you won't be sorry!


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## Andy M. (Jun 27, 2005)

I don't think anyone ever said it was a bad recipe or that it wouldn't taste good. There were just some questions about the amount of salt in the brine. It is a higher salt concentration than normal. That's not to say it would make a bad turkey. It may be balanced by the sweet ingredients.

I know I've had good results with a few of Wolfgang Puck's recipes and wouldn't hesitate to try another.


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## middie (Jun 27, 2005)

ny please keep posting. if someone disagrees so be it but please don't stop posting recipes because of it.


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## HanArt (Jun 27, 2005)

Constance, there were no criticisms ... just observations and opinions. 

I know that many people love brined meats. I'm not one of 'em. Have tried it and found it too salty and I use much less salt than the recipe shared. Maybe it's all about what you're used to.


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## Constance (Jun 28, 2005)

HanArt, I realize that. Some of us are just more sensitive than others. 
I am puzzled as to why your brined meat tasted salty...it shouldn't. Maybe it's because you didn't use _enough_  salt. The whole idea is that the salt seals the meat juices in.
Did you wash the meat off and pat it dry before you cooked it?


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## nytxn (Jun 28, 2005)

Ok... I'm over it. I was in a rotten mood yesterday.

Sorry for wearing my emotions on my sleeve, and getting offended.



Now... where were we?

Oh yeah... this recipe kicks some fried turkey butt.

I love fried turkey, by the way, but this one was better than any fried turkey I've had, IMO.


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## HanArt (Jun 28, 2005)

Constance said:
			
		

> I am puzzled as to why your brined meat tasted salty...it shouldn't. Maybe it's because you didn't use _enough_ salt. The whole idea is that the salt seals the meat juices in.
> Did you wash the meat off and pat it dry before you cooked it?


 
I'm a little surprised that you can't taste the salt in brined meat. I think that may suggest you have a higher tolerance for salty flavors.

Yes, every time I've brined, the meat was rinsed and dried prior to cooking.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html

[font=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]_"Some people find that flavor brined meat is just too salty for their tastes. Will a flavor brine still work if you cut the amount of salt in half? Not according to the November/December 2002 issue of __Cook's Illustrated__ magazine._[/font]

[font=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]_Cook's brined shrimp, pork chops, and whole chicken in a full-strength solution and a half-strength solution for 1 hour per pound. After cooking and tasting, they found that the meats brined at half-strength were a lot less salty than those brined at full-strength, but the improvement in moisture content was marginal, at best. In fact, for shrimp and chicken, Cook's felt that there was no point in flavor brining at half-strength at all._[/font]

[font=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]
_If you are very sensitive to salt, we recommend that you skip brining, says Cook's."_[/font]


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## Constance (Jun 28, 2005)

Evidentally I do, Hanart. 
By the way, the recipe we use for pork is the one from the Cook's Illustrated Grilling Book.


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## luvs (Jul 4, 2005)

i want to try this! the maple syrup sounds like a lovely addition.
too bad i'm not in charge of the turkey on Thanksgiving.
do you think if i cut the brine recipe down to a quarter of the amount and used a turkey breast it'd turn out good? i can't make a whole turkey since it's only me and sometimes the fiance i'm cooking for.


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## tnr42 (Jul 15, 2005)

_nytcxn, this recipe recipe sounds great! I've saved it to use this Thanksgiving. thanks_


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## nytxn (Jul 15, 2005)

tnr42 said:
			
		

> _nytcxn, this recipe recipe sounds great! I've saved it to use this Thanksgiving. thanks_


 
None of our guests were disappointed, and neither was my wife (who is always sweetly honest with me when I really blow a recipe).


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