Turkey Sucess!!

I had a really good Thanksgiving this year, and I hope you did the same.  I was reminded how fortunate I am after spending time with my extended family and good friends.

Now, on to the business at hand, Operation  Turkey was a success, here’s a pic of the finished product:

 

 

 It turned out good!! I’m more than surprised, even the baby liked it. 

 

 

I wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be, and I’m looking forward to baking another one… One day…

So, just in case you are wondering what I did to turn out such a lovely bird, here goes:

 

First, I got a nice 12-14 lbs free range turkey and washed it off under running water

(Why, I dont know, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.)

 

 

 

Then, while the bird was chilaxing and drying off, I got my brine mixture ready.  I decided to brine because I’d heard this was the best way to prevent a dryed out turkey.  Since this was my first time doing this, I didn’t want to take any chances. 

 

 

 

Here she is, soaking in the brine solution.  I added lots of fresh herbs to my solution in an effort to impart some flavor, as well as moisture, during the soak.

 

 

 

 

After a 12 hour soak, I took her out, rinsed off the brine solution, then rubbed her down with a proprietary blend of secret herbs and spices– I’m willing to divulge my secrets for a  nice bottle of wine

 

 

I let her sit in the fridge and marinate over night, then I popped her in a nicely warmed oven at 400 degrees and let her cook until the internal temp reached the right number.

Then, ta da !  Freshly cooked turkey.

Tags: cooking