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My Turkey

OldHusker

Red Shirt
5 Year Member
Thought I would put my turkey recipe up since it ended up a family favorite this year,


1... 20lb turkey (edit: I used an "enhanced" turkey with an 8% solution, no need to brine this bird, unless you just want to)

2. 4-5 days to thaw in frig.

3. Rinse and take out giblets ect from cavity. pat dry with paper towels.

4. two sticks of butter softened and mixed with Thyme, Basil, Rosemary..(poultry seasoning will work as well) Rub under skin and outer skin all over turkey.

5. one orange quartered, 2 small apples halved, one onion quartered and 1/3 celery stock cut with leaves, insert into turkey cavity.

5. Use a roasting pan with a rack and put turkey onto rack.

6. Add 2 16oz cans of chicken broth to pan.

7. Add 2 apples quartered, 1 orange quartered, 1 medium onion quartered, and the remaining celery cut and put into pan.

8. Cover with tin foil without the foil touching the bird. You want the tin foil to seal the pan, it doesn't have to be tightly sealed.

9. Cook at 325 for 3-1/2 hours.

10. remove the tin foil and cook for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours... this is when you want the bird to brown. Check the bird often and loosely put tinfoil on top
of the bird after it has browned, so that the rest of the bird can catch up to the browning process. Check bird with instant thermometer to make sure the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Best place to check temp is in the thigh.

11. use pan broth to make gravy.


This will make the moistest bird you have ever had.
 
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Thought I would put my turkey recipe up since it ended up a family favorite this year,


1... 20lb turkey

2. 4-5 days to thaw in frig.

3. Rinse and take out giblets ect from cavity. pat dry with paper towels.

4. two sticks of butter softened and mixed with Thyme, Basil, Rosemary..(poultry seasoning will work as well) Rub under skin and outer skin all over turkey.

5. one orange quartered, 2 small apples halved, one onion quartered and 1/3 celery stock cut with leaves, insert into turkey cavity.

5. Use a roasting pan with a rack and put turkey onto rack.

6. Add 2 16oz cans of chicken broth to pan.

7. Add 2 apples quartered, 1 orange quartered, 1 medium onion quartered, and the remaining celery cut and put into pan.

8. Cover with tin foil without the foil touching the bird. You want the tin foil to seal the pan, it doesn't have to be tightly sealed.

9. Cook at 325 for 3-1/2 hours.

10. remove the tin foil and cook for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours... this is when you want the bird to brown. Check the bird often and loosely put tinfoil on top
of the bird after it has browned, so that the rest of the bird can catch up to the browning process. Check bird with instant thermometer to make sure the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Best place to check temp is in the thigh.

11. use pan broth to make gravy.


This will make the moistest bird you have ever had.

That sounds delicious.

Not to argue the bolded but have you ever brined your bird prior to roasting/smoking? Takes the moistness to a whole other level. I brined a 12 pounder in a 1 cup salt/1 gallon of water solution with some aromatics floated in there and then smoked it and I have never had such a moist bird. Try it out some time, you can use it with pork as well.
 
That sounds delicious.

Not to argue the bolded but have you ever brined your bird prior to roasting/smoking? Takes the moistness to a whole other level. I brined a 12 pounder in a 1 cup salt/1 gallon of water solution with some aromatics floated in there and then smoked it and I have never had such a moist bird. Try it out some time, you can use it with pork as well.

I should have noted that I used an "enhanced" bird with an 8% solution. So there was no need to brine before roasting. if you want a more flavorful bird you can inject your favorite seasonings just prior to cooking. Wet brining your own bird is great, but it's also a major PITA. An "enhanced" bird will come out just as juicy as brined bird when roasting and make your turkey day a lot simpler.
 
I should have noted that I used an "enhanced" bird with an 8% solution. So there was no need to brine before roasting. if you want a more flavorful bird you can inject your favorite seasonings just prior to cooking. Wet brining your own bird is great, but it's also a major PITA. An "enhanced" bird will come out just as juicy as brined bird when roasting and make your turkey day a lot simpler.

Understood. I've roasted several of those in the past and they were delicious. One thing I have never done is the injection method so I will have to try that next year.

On the brining front, I just use a large cooler and dump a bunch of ice in with the brine and bird and call it a night. Or just drink beer and stare at it...
 



Understood. I've roasted several of those in the past and they were delicious. One thing I have never done is the injection method so I will have to try that next year.

On the brining front, I just use a large cooler and dump a bunch of ice in with the brine and bird and call it a night. Or just drink beer and stare at it...

yeah, Some will brine their birds for several days!! No way would I spend the time doing that, an over niter is just fine. I thought about trying a dry brine on my next wild turkey this spring. I'll let ya know how that works out.
 
yeah, Some will brine their birds for several days!! No way would I spend the time doing that, an over niter is just fine. I thought about trying a dry brine on my next wild turkey this spring. I'll let ya know how that works out.

Please tell me more about the wild turkey. What is the difference in flavor? How many pounds does an average one yield, after its been dressed?

I used to hunt a lot. Mainly pheasant but its been many years and circumstances haven't allowed me to do much of it for quite a while. I think that's going to change. We have an absolute ton of turkey out this way, I see them everywhere and I have the urge to shoot one, every time I do. I've heard that they are quite a challenge to hunt so that alone intrigues me. One of my neighbors has offered a standing invitation to go out with him so I think I'll take him up on that next Spring. This will require the purchase of another gun, I sure hope I don't lose this one in a lake like all the others.
 
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Please tell me more about the wild turkey. What is the difference in flavor? How many pounds does an average one yield, after its been dressed?

I used to hunt a lot. Mainly pheasant but its been many years and circumstances haven't allowed me to do much of it for quite a while. I think that's going to change. We have an absolute ton of turkey out this way, I see them everywhere and I have the urge to shoot one, every time I do. I've heard that they are quite a challenge to hunt so that alone intrigues me. One of my neighbors has offered a standing invitation to go out with him so I think I'll take him up on that next Spring. This will require the purchase of another gun, I sure hope I don't lose this one in a lake like all the others.

King,
There's a big difference between a wild bird and a domesticated one. The wild birds have a totally different lifestyle and diet. The wild birds meat is darker, gamier tasting and leaner than a domesticated bird. I initially found the meat of the wild bird very tasty yet much tougher and stringier. But that was before I learned the brining process. the wild bird is much better when brined. I have never fried a bird, but several have told me a deep fried wild turkey is the best ever. You don't need to buy a special gun to hunt a turkey with unless you plan on doing a lot of turkey hunting. Any shotgun using 4 shot will work just fine. if your neighbor knows his turkey hunting, then I'm sure he will put you on a bird. You will need total camo, even a camo face vail, for turkeys have a keen eye. If you end up hunting an area that's heavily hunted, the birds are much tougher to bring in for the kill. If the birds are plentiful, you have a greater chance at success. If you want to call your own bird up, I would suggest for a beginner using a turkey push button yelper. These push button yelpers are great for even the most experienced hunter. I have used 2 push button yelpers(one in each hand) and a mouth reed at the same to to emulate 3 birds at once. I did this to try and bring in a tough to get old bird.. Yes, it worked, and it worked on several other occasions as well.

Take your friend up on his offer and go out and enjoy a great time of turkey hunting. There is nothing more exciting than to call in a wild turkey and watch him strut into your firing range.

OH
 
King,
There's a big difference between a wild bird and a domesticated one. The wild birds have a totally different lifestyle and diet. The wild birds meat is darker, gamier tasting and leaner than a domesticated bird. I initially found the meat of the wild bird very tasty yet much tougher and stringier. But that was before I learned the brining process. the wild bird is much better when brined. I have never fried a bird, but several have told me a deep fried wild turkey is the best ever. You don't need to buy a special gun to hunt a turkey with unless you plan on doing a lot of turkey hunting. Any shotgun using 4 shot will work just fine. if your neighbor knows his turkey hunting, then I'm sure he will put you on a bird. You will need total camo, even a camo face vail, for turkeys have a keen eye. If you end up hunting an area that's heavily hunted, the birds are much tougher to bring in for the kill. If the birds are plentiful, you have a greater chance at success. If you want to call your own bird up, I would suggest for a beginner using a turkey push button yelper. These push button yelpers are great for even the most experienced hunter. I have used 2 push button yelpers(one in each hand) and a mouth reed at the same to to emulate 3 birds at once. I did this to try and bring in a tough to get old bird.. Yes, it worked, and it worked on several other occasions as well.

Take your friend up on his offer and go out and enjoy a great time of turkey hunting. There is nothing more exciting than to call in a wild turkey and watch him strut into your firing range.

OH

Thank you for the great information, OH. I think I'll have my neighbor over for a few beers this weekend and discuss this further.


Oh, and I really just wanted a reason to buy another gun. ;) I own several shottties but none of them are of the hunting variety.
 




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