Thanksgiving Turkey

 Ingredients

Turkey 
Turkey (about a pound for each person) 
4 carrots
Celery
Onion
Parsnip
Turnup 
2-3 tbsp of Butter

Basting
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) Butter
1 750-ml bottle of a nice dry white wine

Cheese cloth

Unstuffed Turkey times

8-10 pounds    325°   2hrs 45 min to 3 hrs

12-14 pounds    325°   3hrs to 3 hrs 45 min

14-18 pounds   325°  3hrs 45 min to 4 hrs 15 min

18-20 pounds   325°  4hrs 15 min to 4 hrs 30 min

20-24 pounds    325°   4hrs 30 min to 5 hrs

Directions

I do 20-24 pounds because I like leftovers. 

Thaw turkey. Take out the pop up thermometer if it comes with one. Rinse with cool water and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hrs at room temperature. 

Place rack on lowest level of the oven with temp of 450°. 

Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters. Immerse the cheesecloth in your butter/wine mixture and let it soak uptake liquids. Let it sit. 

I added some Lemon Thyme and Basil 🌿 from my garden as well. 

Prep Turkey
Place turkey breast side up on parchment paper for easy cleanup. Fold the wingtips under the turkey so they brown nicely but not to much. Tie legs and tail together with kitchen string loosely. (Do with a bow to easily untie later.) Fold neck flap under and secure with toothpicks.

Place veggies in the bottom of the pan and place pan rack.  Place turkey in pan/roaster on rack. Rub turkey with butter and rub. I have used this rub here. 

Squeeze the cheesecloth to just damp so you are not dripping then lay across your turkey. Baste with the liquid mixture and place in oven.

Bake Turkey

Bake for 30 minutes. Then baste again and bring the temp down to 350°. Basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices. If the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy. Turn your turkey every hr to let it brown evenly. 

An hr before you turkey is done, carefully remove the cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so it evenly bakes. Baste turkey with  juices. Be careful with skin as it browns, it gets fragile. Do not forget to baste after 30 min as well. Cover the parts that are getting to dark with foil so not to get burnt.

Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into the bone. The temperature should reach 180°. Your turkey should be golden brown at this point. 

When fully cooked through let it set for 30 minutes. After transfer to your serving platter so that the juices do not run. At this point the juices should have gone back into the turkey. This is why you let the bird set. 

Keep the pan juices for your gravy.

Side Dishes

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Thank you for reading

Bon Appetit 😋 

This is a Martha Stewart Recipe

Green Bean Casserole

I don’t know how to have Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. Do you? I found out a couple years ago that I like French style green beans instead of just regular. Why? Well, because I found out it all marries a lot better when they are opened like this. Trust me, try it. 

Ingredients

About 30 oz of Green Beans

1 10.5 oz can of Cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of French fried onions 🧅 

1/2 cup of milk 🥛 

Fresh ground pepper to taste 👅 

Directions

Set oven for 350°

Start with your onions. I find mixing everything in a bowl first not only keeps it cleaner but also makes it so the sides of your finished dish does not burn.

 

Then comes the can of goodness

Poor in your milk

Mix it in with half your French fried onions

Bake for 25 minutes uncovered. Then remove from oven and top with additional French fried onions. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until onions have browned.

Cinnamon and Orange Cranberry Sauce

 Ingredients

12 oz Cranberries

1 Orange of zest

1/2 cup of Orange juice

1/2 cup of water

1 Cinnamon stick

3/4 cup of Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Instructions

Combine sugar, orange juice and water in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Add cranberries, salt, cinnamon stick and zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently. Continue cooking, for about 10 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have popped. Let cool for at least 30 minutes to thicken up. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Canning

Ladle the Cranberry sauce into hot sterilized half pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with a damp towel to make sure they are clean. Put on sterilized lids and then bands. Make sure the band are only put on finger tight. Just were it begins to resist.

Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 5 min. (adjust for your altitude). Make sure the water is 1 to 2 inches above the cans. The timer does not start until the water returns to boiling. Remove the cans when time is up and put on a thick towel or rack to cool. Do not do anything with the bands until it has cooled. Check for the seal. If it has not sealed properly then store in the refrigerator and eat within the next few days. The ones that have sealed store them without the bands on. Do not stack.