The real problem with going somewhere for Thanksgiving — even relatives — is that you do not end up with any leftovers. No turkey stock. No turkey sandwiches. No turkey soup. No turkey pot pie. No turkey salad. No turkey à la king. No turkey casserole. No turkey tetrazini. To remedy that, today Gretchen and I are going to have our own Thanksgiving.
We are going to roast<span style="font-size: smaller; vertical-align: super;">†</span> a 15.93 pound <a href="http://www.butterball.com/en/index.jsp" title="Butterball - Home">Butterball®</a>. It has been thawing in the refrigerator since Tuesday. We will be roasting it in a 325°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes per pound — 2 hours and 40 minutes to 3 hours and 10 minutes — allocating up to 4 hours to account for the possibility that the bird is not completely thawed to begin with. Regardless of the time, we will let it cook until an instant read thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, reads 180°F. We are going to dress, not stuff, the bird, so we will prepare the dressing while the turkey cooks, putting it into the oven with the turkey during the last 45 minutes. At that point, we can also tent the bird in foil to prevent the breast from drying out while it finishes. We are planning on having supper at around 5 o’clock, so we will start around 1 o’clock. Since we are not going to stuff the bird, we are going to put some chopped onions, carrots, and celery, along with a little parsley, sage, and thyme into the cavity to perfume the meat and flavor the juices.
<ins datetime="2003-11-29T19:38:00-05:00">Well, we cooked the turkey until it read 180°F — after 3 hours and 15 minutes — and it was still bleeding. <img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/m/h/mhl100/images/angry.png" height="18" width="18" alt="Angry" /> We put it back in for an hour and it was done. From now on, always poke the bird to see if the juices run clear before taking it out of the oven.</ins>
ROASTED WHITE TURKEY**
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 3 oz. (84g)
Serving Per Container varied
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 50 Calories 140
% Daily Value*
9% Total Fat 6g
10% Saturated Fat 2g
20% Cholesterol 60mg
9% Sodium 210mg
0% Total Carbohydrate 0g
44% Protein 22g
Iron 2%
Not a Significant Source of Dietary Fiber, Sugars, Vitamin A, Vitamin C or Calcium.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
** Without Neck or Giblets
ROASTED DARK TURKEY**
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 3 oz. (84g)
Serving Per Container varied
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 90 Calories 170
% Daily Value*
15% Total Fat 10g
15% Saturated Fat 3g
30% Cholesterol 90mg
6% Sodium 140mg
0% Total Carbohydrate 0g
42% Protein 21g
Iron 6%
Not a Significant Source of Dietary Fiber, Sugars, Vitamin A, Vitamin C or Calcium.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
** Without Neck or Giblets
<span style="font-size: smaller; vertical-align: super;">†</span> — Roasting: Traditionally roasting means cooking by exposure to radiant heat on a spit before an open fire. Very few people have <em>actually</em> roasted since the invention of the oven. Nowadays, we mean cooking using dry heat in an oven when we say roasting. To make sure that we get the dry heat, we need to make sure that the meat is resting on a rack to keep it out of the juices so that the heat can circulate completely around the meat.