Traditional Slow Roast Turkey Recipes

TRADITIONAL ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
• Combine the broth, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice and ginger in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate the brine.
• The night before you'd like to eat: Truss the legs of the turkey with kitchen twine if desired. Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey, with innards removed, breast-side down in the brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover and refrigerate or place everything in a cooler. Turn the bird once halfway through brining.
• Day of roasting: Heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
• Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the bird with canola oil. Roast the bird on the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
• While the bird is cooking, fold and shape a double thickness of aluminum foil into a closely fitting breastplate.
• After 30 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and cook until the temperature reaches 155 degrees F. Use the breastplate at any point during cooking should the bird become too brown.
• Rest the bird, covered lightly with aluminum foil, for 15 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve.

SLOW-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.While oven is heating, wash turkey in cold water, removing giblets, neck, tail and any pinfeathers.
• Rub oil over all sides of turkey.and place turkey in uncovered roasting pan in oven.
• Bake for 1 hours at 300 degrees to kill bacteria. Then lower oven heat to 180 degrees (desired internal temperature). Bake for remaining 20 hours.
• If wings or thighs begin to brown too fast, wrap them with foil. About 2 hours before time to serve the turkey, check for doneness. If necessary, raise the oven heat to 350 degrees to finish cooking or browning.

WORLD'S SIMPLEST THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity; ditch the liver and save the rest of the giblets for gravy. Dry the turkey with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill the turkey with aromatics like chopped onions, carrots, apples and herbs, then place breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10- to 12-pound turkey; add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds). Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 425 degrees F. Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Let rest while you make the gravy.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the onion and a large sprig of bay in the cavity between the legs. Now pack half the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it towards the breast. Secure the neck skin in position with skewers and tie the turkey legs together at the top of the drumsticks to give a neat shape.
• Weigh the turkey and calculate cooking time at 20 mins per kilo, plus 90 mins. (You may need to use your bathroom scales.)
• Put a large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin, then put the turkey on top. Smear the breast with the butter, grate over half the nutmeg and season well. Cover the breast with bacon, pour over the wine, then loosely bring up the foil and seal well to make a parcel.
• Roast in the oven, then 90 mins before the end of cooking, open the foil, discard the bacon, and drain off excess fat from the tin. Leaving the foil open, return the turkey to the oven to brown, basting with the juices several times. Then 30 mins before the end of cooking, place pigs-in-blankets and stuffing of your choice around the turkey, or cook in a separate lightly oiled tin.
• To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear. If they are pinkish, cook for 15 mins more, then test again.
• Transfer the turkey, stuffings and pigs-in-blankets to a platter, cover with foil, then a couple of tea towels and allow to rest for up to 30 mins before carving. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat, ensuring that the turkey will be juicy. Garnish with sprigs of bay.

A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
• Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
• Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

TRADITIONAL SLOW-ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. If turkey isn't self basting or otherwise pre-salted, and if you haven't brined it, consider dry brining the night before. You can dry brine for up to 24 hours but just overnight will improve the taste. If you don't brine, just use the spice mixture. About 10 tablespoons will be enough for about a 24 pound turkey. Rub the turkey inside and out with the spice mixture. Put the aromatics in the turkey cavity. Place the turkey in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until time to cook. 2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Plan to cook for about 16 minutes per pound (per 1/2 kg). Always check the internal temperature much earlier than you expect the turkey to be done. 3. Place one onion and all the lemon, and the parsley into the turkey cavity. 4. Brush or spray the turkey all over with oil. Place one onion, both carrots and both celery stalks in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey breast up on the rack in the roasting pan. 5.Roast the turkey at 325 degree F. (163 degree celsius) oven for about two-thirds of the anticipated cooking time. The turkey should be a light golden brown. 5. Crease aluminum foil then open it up to make a "tent" to place over the breast, not in contact with the breast any more than necessary. Watch the turkey's temperature. It can rise quickly near the end of the cooking time. Check oven safe meat thermometer, beginning earlier than you expect the turkey to be done. Continue cooking until the internal temp of the breast measured half way down is 160 degrees. Check the temperature of the thighs. If they have not reached 155 degrees, cut them from the body and return them to the oven to finish cooking. (Watch the temperature of the thighs closely if you have returned them to the oven.) 6. Cover the turkey loosely with tented aluminum foil. Let rest at least 20 minutes. While resting, the internal temperature will rise 10 degrees to the new USDA recommended internal temp of 165.

SPECIAL ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Add water, giblets and neck to pan. Combine 1-1/4 cups broth, 3/4 cup orange juice and 2 tablespoons soy sauce; pour over turkey. Combine bouillon, onion and garlic powder; sprinkle over turkey. Bake, uncovered, 3-1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes. When turkey begins to brown, cover lightly with foil. Remove giblets and neck when tender; set aside for gravy. Combine remaining broth, orange juice and soy sauce. Remove foil from turkey; pour broth mixture over turkey. Bake 30 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175° , For gravy, remove meat from neck and discard the bones. Chop giblets and neck meat; set aside. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups pan juices, broth, orange juice and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Stir in thyme, sugar and pepper. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Whisk into broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in reserved giblets and neck meat. Carve turkey; serve with gravy.