Roast Heritage Turkey with Bacon-Herb and Cider Gravy

Bon Appétit | November 2008

by Nancy Oakes and Pamela Mazzola

Bacon, dijon, and herb butter:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces applewood-smoked bacon slices, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or coarse
• kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

Cider gravy base:

• Neck reserved from 18- to 19-pound heritage turkey
• 1/4 cup fat reserved from turkey cavities
• 1 whole turkey leg (thigh and drumstick)
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery
• 2 cups coarsely chopped onions
• 6 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 8 cups chicken stock or low-salt chicken broth
• 4 whole sage leaves

Turkey:

• 1 18- to 19-pound heritage turkey, neck and 1/4 cup fat from cavities reserved for cider gravy base
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 cups coarsely chopped onions
• 2 cups coarsely chopped celery
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh fennel bulbs
• 2 cups coarsely chopped peeled carrots
• 2 cups coarsely chopped unpeeled apples
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preparation

For bacon, dijon, and herb butter:
Blend all ingredients in processor until bacon is finely chopped. Transfer to sheet of plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap as aid, roll butter mixture into 2-inch-diameter log; chill until firm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

For cider gravy base:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine turkey neck, 1/4 cup turkey fat, and turkey leg in heavy large ovenproof pot. Place in oven; roast uncovered until turkey parts are deep, dark brown, turning once, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain, reserving fat from pot. Reserve 1/4 cup fat for gravy; return 1 tablespoon fat to pot. Return turkey parts to pot; stir in celery, onions, thyme sprigs, and peppercorns. Return pot to oven; roast uncovered 10 minutes. Add apple cider and vinegar; roast 10 minutes longer. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Add 8 cups stock and sage to pot; cook in oven uncovered 1 1/2 hours. Strain gravy base through fine strainer; discard solids in strainer (there will be about 5 cups gravy base). DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

For turkey:
Cut bacon butter into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat, then slide hand between skin and thigh meat. Carefully slide butter slices between skin and leg, thigh, and breast meat to cover (there will be a generous amount of butter mixture). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper over turkey, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in main cavity of turkey. Place turkey on rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap or foil; chill at least 1 day. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Set rack at lowest position in oven; preheat to 350°F. Mix onions, celery, fennel, carrots, apples, oil, and bay leaves in large roasting pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place turkey atop vegetable mixture. Tuck wings under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place turkey in oven; roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 170°F, basting with pan drippings every 30 minutes and tenting loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 4 hours total. Transfer turkey to platter (internal temperature of turkey will increase 5 to 10 degrees).

Pour vegetable mixture and pan drippings into large strainer set over large bowl; press on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids in strainer. Spoon off fat from pan drippings; discard (there will be a large amount of fat in pan drippings). Reserve degreased pan drippings for gravy (about 1 cup). Remove fat from surface of gravy base; reserve 1/4 cup fat. Rewarm cider gravy base.

Melt reserved 1/4 cup fat in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; stir 3 minutes. Gradually add warm cider gravy base and degreased pan drippings. Simmer until smooth, thickened, and reduced to 51/2 cups, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper.

Serve turkey with gravy.

What to drink: In 1962, ten friends who believed European vines could thrive in Washington State founded the Associated Vintners. They began making wines in the garage of one of their members, who became Columbia Winery’s first winemaker. Today, the Seattle-area winery produces everything from Merlot to Gewürztraminer. With the turkey, we like Columbia’s 2003 Syrah from Red Willow Vineyard ($30). The strawberry and bright fruit flavors plus a spicy white pepper finish mean this wine can stand up to the turkey—and all the trimmings.

Turkey guide: Make the perfect meal

10:47 AM CST on Monday, November 3, 2008

By KIM PIERCE / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

It's turkey time. You either just bought the bird, or you're on the way to the store. But what will you do after that? It depends on the turkey. Is it a plain, fresh bird? A Butterball or Honeysuckle? Did you buy an injected turkey?

And does it really make any difference when you get ready to cook these different birds?

Yes, says Anne Legg, an area cooking teacher who has run both Sur La Table's and Central Market Plano's cooking schools. Here's what she says you need to know to make the most of the turkey destined for your table.

For naked birds, brining is best

A plain, inexpensive turkey that has had no water or juices added will turn out juicier if you brine it, Ms. Legg says.

Shirley Corriher explains why in Cookwise (Morrow, $30): "Brining is a way to increase the amount of liquid inside the meat cells," she writes.

"When meat is soaked in a salt or sugar solution, some of the liquid will go through the cell walls into the cells."

Brining also lets you control the amount of salt you add, Ms. Legg says, which can be important to some guests.

Ms. Legg gets right down to business using a clean, mop-size pail to brine. But you can also use an oversize plastic zip-top bag – in fact, anything that will hold the turkey and the brining liquid and fit into the refrigerator.

Whole Foods Market sells a disposable, 2-gallon brining bag made just for turkey from Turkey Perfect, as well as a ready-to-use herb brining mix. Ziploc makes Big Bags that are large enough to hold a turkey; we found them with the closet organizers at Wal-Mart.

Ms. Legg suggests brining overnight. She keeps it simple with a solution of salt, sugar and water.

"Occasionally, I'll use thyme, sage, fresh herbs," she says. "I'll bruise them and toss them in whole [into the brining liquid]."

Brining the bird: Remove the giblets from the cavity, if there are any; reserve and refrigerate for other use. Dissolve 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup sugar in every gallon of water you plan to use. Place the bird in the brining solution to cover in a container.

If you use a plastic zip-top bag, make sure to press the air out. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain and discard the liquid. Then place the turkey, uncovered, on a rack in the refrigerator and allow to air dry before final preparation for the oven.

Juicy birds in a hurry

If you've managed to pick up a Butterball, Honeysuckle or similar turkey, no brining is necessary.

"Basically, most commercial birds, packed in tight plastic overwraps, are injected or brined," Ms. Legg says, " 'with up to 30 percent water added,' as most of the labels will state. This liquid is a mixture of water, salt, flavorings and preservatives.

"The effect is similar to brining a bird at home," she says, "in that it adds juiciness to the meat, especially the breast, which tends to be dry." The roasting method for both types of birds is the same.

Buy an instant-read thermometer

If you buy a commercial bird, throw away or disregard the pop-up timer, Ms. Legg insists, because it pops out when the bone reaches 180 F, she says, which overcooks the breast meat.

"I cook to 160 F," she says, using an instant-read thermometer. It's about a $12 investment, she adds, and they are widely available.

An easy method for roasting a turkey

Here's Ms. Legg's method for perfect turkey every time. (Remember to remove the giblets from the cavity of the commercially packaged turkey.)

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place the rack low enough for the bird to fit without touching the top or sides of the oven. Once the turkey has air-dried, massage it all over with room-temperature butter. Cut up 2 onions and place them in the cavity with some fresh herbs, such as thyme and sage. Tie the legs together, tuck the wings under, and place on a rack in a pan in the oven. Roast approximately 15 minutes per pound.

Although some cooks baste the turkey as it cooks, Ms. Legg does not. "I don't mess with it," she says. "The only thing I'll do is tent it loosely with foil if the skin is starting to brown too much."

Test for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Stick it deep into the breast, but don't touch the bone.

When it reads 160 F, remove the bird from the oven. Present it on a platter at the table. Then, Ms. Legg says, take it back to the kitchen to carve. If you don't present it at the table, allow it to rest 30 minutes after you take it out of the oven before carving.

The breast meat will be perfect, Ms. Legg says, but the thigh meat may be more medium-rare. If that's the case, she suggests microwaving that meat about 5 minutes while you slice the breast. "By the time you're done, you can carve the dark meat as well."

Variation: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (America's Test Kitchen, $34.95) suggests this: Preheat oven to 425 F.

Start with placing the bird breast-side-down on the rack. After an hour, reduce heat to 325 F, remove the turkey and carefully turn it over, so it's breast-side up: "Tip the juices from the cavity of the turkey into the pan. With a clean kitchen towel or potholder in each hand, firmly grasp the turkey at each end and flip it over, placing it breast-side up on the rack."

Return to the oven to finish roasting 1 to 2 1/2 hours longer (depending on size). It's done when the thigh meat registers 175 F on an instant-read thermometer. Make sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bone.

Injected for deep frying

And what if you have an injected turkey?

"Injection is really useful for a fried bird to keep it from popping and foaming," Ms. Legg says. Injecting, like brining, makes for a juicy turkey. But because the liquid is injected deep into the tissues, it adds less water to the skin, which reduces splattering when the bird is lowered into the hot oil.

Ms. Legg doesn't recommend injected turkey for other cooking methods, such as roasting or grilling, because the holes you make for injecting will allow the juices to leak out.

Kim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writer.

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