Epic Duck Fat Roasted Turkey Recipes

EPIC DUCK FAT ROASTED TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• For the brine, mix 1 gallon of water with the salt, brown sugar, orange juice, fresh sage, and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a simmer, take off of the heat and pour into another bowl to let cool. Stirring for a few minutes at a time will help speed up the cooling process. Add the ice while it's still a bit warm so that it will melt and help cool the mixture down.
• While the brine is cooling, prep the turkey. Remove any organs from the cavity and check the neck cavity too! You can make the most excellent gravy from the giblets and the neck bone, so don't throw those away.
• Pour the brine in a large stockpot or food-safe storage container with a lid, making sure the brine is at room temp or cooler so as not to cook the bird. Submerge the turkey in the brine with the legs facing up so that the cavity fills up with the brine which helps to weigh it down. You might need to place something on top of the turkey to weigh it down (like a small bowl). Make sure you can cover it with a lid. Place the stockpot in the fridge and let brine for 8-12 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and pour out all the liquid inside the bird. RINSE under cold water briefly to remove excess salt. Dry the entire turkey really well with paper towels.
• Truss the turkey with butcher's twine. This step is essential for helping the turkey to cook evenly and it helps to easily flip the turkey over without damaging the bird. Plus the presentation of the bird is more beautiful this way. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan with a rack. Glide your hands under the turkey breast skin to separate the skin from the breasts. Place the turkey in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight uncovered to help the skin dry out to allow it to crisp.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Before baking the turkey, fill the cavity with a quartered onion, an orange cut in half, some fresh sage, and crushed black pepper. Rub some duck fat under the turkey breast skin that you separated and place two fresh sage leaves under the skin as well.
• Rub the entire bird with duck fat and season it with fresh cracked pepper and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon with your fingers as to not dump too much on the surface. DO NOT season with salt, as the brine has sufficiently seasoned the turkey already.
• Add a half-inch worth of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. Add the one cup of white wine as well.
• Place the rack on the second to the last rack on the bottom.
• Start baking the turkey BREAST SIDE DOWN first. Bake for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake breast side down for one hour.
• Take the roasting pan out of the oven and with a wooden spoon and a pair of thongs inserted in the neck and cavity, gently flip the bird over to breast side up. Insert a thermometer into the turkey breast, making sure to avoid touching bone (the temp won't be accurate).
• Place back in the oven and bake until the breast meat reaches 155 degrees. Remove the thermometer so it doesn't burn. At this point, squeeze a fresh orange over the surface of the skin. Turn the BROILER on and keep the door OPEN to crisp the skin. Don't walk away as you don't want anything to burn. Turn the roasting pan a half turn after a few minutes to ensure even browning. This should take 5-10 minutes TOPS.
• Once the skin has browned, remove the turkey from the oven and check the temperature again. If it has reached 161-165 degrees, the turkey is done (it will continue to bake while it's resting). If the temperature hasn't reached 161-165 degrees yet, turn the oven back to 350 degrees and finish baking for a few minutes. I don't recommend waiting until the turkey has reached 161 degrees before you start broiling, as it might over cook the turkey.
• DO NOT EVER start carving a turkey the minute it comes out of the oven as the juices will start running OUT of the bird. Instead, let the bird rest for 30-45 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb into the meat.

COUNTDOWN #6 ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY, MY WAY

Steps:

• Separate the turkey legs from the breast, keeping the backbone intact and the legs still attached in the center. Cut the remaining backbone piece from the breast and save (use it in the roasting pan when you cook the turkey). Peel the carrots and onions and roughly chop. Roughly chop the celery. Cut the apples in quarters and remove the cores. Place 1/3 of the vegetables and apples in a container large enough to accommodate the turkey with the vegetables and apples. Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub the cider vinegar into the turkey. Place the breast into the container and top with 1/3 of the vegetables and apples. Add the legs and top with the remaining vegetables and apples. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking so the turkey can come to room temperature. Place the vegetables and apples into the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the legs, skin side up, on top of the vegetables, being sure there is room to add the breast later. Put the legs in the oven to cook first, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• While the legs are cooking, make the Herb Compound Duck Fat. Place the cold duck fat in the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Add all the chopped herbs and lemon zest. Add the salt and pepper and mix for 1 minute until herbs are evenly dispersed. Place the duck fat-herb mixture in a thick line along the long side of an 18-inch long piece of plastic wrap. Roll into a tube, twist the ends until tight, and then place in the refrigerator to set but not get hard, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Slide your hand underneath the skin on top of the turkey breast to separate the skin from the breast. Cut one of the ends off the duck fat tube. Squeeze half of the mixture under the skin on top of one of the breasts and the remaining onto the other breast.
• After the legs have cooked, place the thyme and rosemary in the roasting pan. Place the breast on top of the herbs. Roast until both the legs and breast reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 2 hours and 30 minutes longer. Once you remove the bird from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting it. Now dig in and have a great day.

GRANDMA'S ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Pierce duck skin all over with a fork. Mix remaining ingredients; rub over outside of duck. Place duck on rack in a shallow roasting pan; add 1 inch of water., Roast duck, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180°, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy. Serve with duck.

DUCK-FAT TURKEY BREASTS WITH GREEN ONION PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat turkey breast dry with paper towels and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat. Add the duck fat to the skillet. When the fat shimmers, add the turkey breast, skin-side down, and cook until dark golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat and remove the turkey from pan. Carefully stir the butter into the pan juices. Arrange the thyme branches in the skillet to make a bed for the turkey. Place the turkey, seared-side-up, on the thyme and sprinkle the garlic around the sides. Baste the turkey, and transfer the pan to the oven.
• Roast, basting every 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast without touching bone registers 155°F, about 1 hour. Baste once more and transfer the turkey to a platter. Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• While the turkey roasts, prepare the puree. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock over medium-high, add the green onions, and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the scallions to a blender, reserving the cooking liquid. Blend on high until very smooth, about 5 minutes, adding a splash of cooking liquid if necessary to help the blender puree the scallions. Add the cream cheese and blend for 2 minutes more. Season with salt to taste. Slice the turkey breast across the grain and serve with the green-onion puree.