I'm already starting to get excited about my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I know we're a couple months away, but let's talk about how to make sure the star of the show, the turkey, comes out like a rock star. Recently, I was discussing how to's with a couple of friends of mine and realized they didn't really know how to cook the bird. They were saying that they've always been disappointed at how the breast meat came out so dry and flavorless. Also, that they were shifting their meals more towards hams and roasts because turkey was so "bland". You can imagine my chagrin at the thought of friends of mine abandoning this fantastic bird on what I consider the best eating holiday of them all. I said, "Ladies, let's talk turkey!"
Fundamentally, we are dealing with two very different large muscle groups, light meat and dark meat, which is why the turkey presents such a challenge to the average cook. Most people cook the bird as a whole in the oven for hours and hours (and hours, and hours). This is needed to cook that stubborn dark meat. Unfortunately, the white meat is cooked to death by doing this and your guests now have to eat something akin to saw dust or desert sand. Bring on the gravy, the only way to choke it down. By the way, I am no fan of stuffing the bird with stuffing. I think it's either a great way to give everyone food poisoning (undercooking the center) or, since you make sure the center of the dressing reaches 155°F, a charcoal briquet of a bird. Cook the stuffing (now called dressing) separately outside the bird. You'll get a much tastier result and no trips to the ER for stomach pumping. Always something to avoid with the relatives.
The solution, each type of meat needs to be cooked in a different manner and for different lengths of time in order to achieve the best results. The "secret" to having tremendous results is quite simple: break down the bird into two parts, the breast and wings (white meat) and the thighs and legs (dark meat). Then cook each with a separate technique to ensure each comes out moist and delicious. The white meat of a turkey (and other birds) is lean, no fat, so introducing a brine to these parts and letting them sit overnight (in the frig) is essential to infusing flavor and allowing the meat to stay moist during the cooking. Also, because of this leanness, these parts of the bird need to be cooked at a higher temperature for a shorter length of time than the dark meat. The dark meat of a turkey and most other fowl is where the fat is. Fat equals flavor and lends itself best to long, slow cooking methods. Braising these parts allow the flavors to develop and more importantly the muscle fibers to breakdown, giving the meat a melt in your mouth delicious result.
I realize this idea may take away from that image of your beautifully browned whole bird coming to the table to the "oohs and ahhs" of your family and guests and the ceremonious slicing of the bird. But, who are we fooling? Are you looking to be on a set of a TV show or serving the best damn bird they've ever had? And, by preparing the bird this way, you actually have your chance of getting those "oohs and ahhs"! By the way, cutting the bird up and cooking it using two different methods makes serving a snap. And, if you wish, you can still have the pomp and circumstance over the breast meat if you really want to.
What follows are two different preparations, one for each part of the bird. The white meat requires the oven, the dark is braised on the range top. No need for two ovens, although you can just as easily braise in the oven if you choose. Also, the dark meat can be made a day or two ahead and just reheated the day of your meal. I found doing this ahead of time really adds to the flavor, more time to marry, and makes the day of that much easier.
The White Meat:
The key to the brine is to keep the liquid, salt and sugar ratios the same. Everything else can be switched up, changed, have fun with it. 3 qt. water, 1/2 C. Orange juice, 1/2 C. salt, 1/3 C. sugar, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds,1 onion sliced, 1 carrot, peeled, cut on a diagonal, 1/2 fennel bulb sliced, 8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, 8 sprigs thyme, 2 bay leaves. In a pot put the water, OJ, salt and sugar. Heat and cook until everything is dissolved. Remove from heat and add all the other ingredients, put a cup of ice into the mixture and cool in a cold water bath. Once brine is cool, add breasts and place in the refrigerator, loosely covered, overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 450° F. Remove breasts from brine and pat dry. Gently loosen skin from turkey breasts and rub butter under skin and all over outside of breasts; season with salt and pepper. Scatter sliced onion, celery, carrot, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and garlic over a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange turkey breasts, skin side up, on top. Roast turkey breasts for 30 minutes, until skin is crisp and has started to turn golden brown. Reduce oven to 300°F, loosely tent breasts with foil and continue to cook until done. (20 minutes per lb. or internal temp reaches 155°F.) Transfer turkey breasts to a platter and let rest at least 15 minutes before carving.
The Dark Meat:
2 skin-on turkey drumsticks (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 skin-on, bone-in turkey thighs (about 2 pounds)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large leeks, whites and pale greens, chopped
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/2 cup chopped leaves
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs sage
6 cups chicken stock
8 small carrots, tops trimmed, carrots halved lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Season turkey with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Working in batches, cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 15–20 minutes per batch; transfer to a large plate.
Add onion, leeks, celery, and garlic to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5–8 minutes. Add wine, parsley, and thyme and sage sprigs; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half, 8–10 minutes.
Return turkey to pot and add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer until meat is tender and cooked through and liquid is reduced by half, 2 1/2–3 hours. Add carrots and cook, uncovered, until carrots are soft and meat is falling off the bone, 35–45 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Transfer turkey and carrots to a platter. Strain sauce; serve alongside. Top with chives and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.
So, there you have it. Two different types of meat on the same bird, two different cooking techniques, reaching one result- everyone comes running back for more and your praises getting sung.
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