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Thanksgiving Special! Brining & Roasting your Turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As voted by you I made this episode all about Thanksgiving! I'll talk about what I'm thankful for, what else I'll be making on Thanksgiving day, and the featured recipe this week is a turkey brine that my bird is currently sitting in right now for this Thursday's big meal. I also take you through my roasting technique and another that doesn't use oven bags- and finally, I talk about making a gravy out of the delicious pan drippings. Thank you all so much for listening, and thank you for coming on this journey with me. Please have a safe and happy holiday!
Featured Recipe Timecodes
24:37 - Intro
25:30 - Step One (Brining)
30:23 - Step Two (The Night Before)
31:30 - Step Three (Roasting Day)
36:44 - Step Four (After the Oven)
Featured Recipe for this Episode
1 gallon of water
4 16-oz. cans of beer (I went with a lager)
1 sprig fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh sage, roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 large or 3 small sweet onions, quartered
1/2 cup garlic cloves
1 large or 2 small cinnamon sticks
1/2 T whole cloves
3 T black peppercorns
3/4 c salt
Peel from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1-1/2 T fresh ginger, roughly chopped
6-8 bay leaves
Add all ingredients except for the lemon juice to a large stockpot.
Bring to a boil on high heat and boil for 8-10 minutes.
Strain the stockpot through a colander into a large bowl.
Add lemon juice and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate the brine.
Once your brine is refrigerated (I let it go overnight), place your turkey in a stockpot or container large enough to fit the entire bird and (gently) pour the brine in over the bird.
Return to refrigerator.
IF YOUR BIRD IS FRESH-
You'll want to brine for maybe a day. It's already thawed so the salt and flavors will have no problem penetrating the meat.
IF YOUR BIRD IS FROZEN-
Brine it for 3 days. The bird will thaw and the salty brine will penetrate the meat and flavor it as it thaws.
The Turkey!
1/2 cup of herbed butter
A turkey!
Dressing or aromatics for stuffing as desired
The night before you are prepping to roast, remove the bird from the brine.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Rub half of your herbed butter into the meat of the breast between the breast and the skin.
Rub the other half of your herbed butter over the skin of the breast itself.
Refrigerate the turkey uncovered overnight.
On roasting day, remove the turkey from the fridge.
If you are stuffing it with either a dressing or aromatics, prepare and stuff the bird now. Generally speaking, a stuffed bird takes an additional 30 minutes in the oven.
IF YOU USE AN OVEN BAG-
Preheat your oven to 350°.
Add 1 T of cornstarch to an oven bag and spray the interior with cooking spray.
Place the bird inside of the bag and place that into a roasting pan on an elevated rack.
Cut a few 1-inch slits in the top of the bag.
Roast the bird in the bag for approximately 8-10 minutes/lb if not stuffed, 9-12 minutes/lb if stuffed. (minutes per pound will be higher if the bird is smaller and lower if the bird is larger as well because of sustained heat over time).
IF YOU DON'T USE AN OVEN BAG-
Preheat your oven to 325°.
Place the bird into a roasting pan on an elevated rack.
Roast for approx 18-20 minutes per pound if stuffed, 16-18 minutes per pound if not.
Start checking the temperature about 30 to 60 minutes before the turkey should be finished.
Insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (unstuffed) and the stuffing (if stuffed) to check temperature. You want it to be 165° internally to make sure it's safe. Make sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bone for an accurate reading.
Remove the turkey from the oven. If stuffed, remove the stuffing to a separate oven-safe dish. If you want to make sure the stuffing got cooked all the way through, pop it back into the oven.
Transfer your bird to a large platter and tent with foil. Rest the bird for 20-30 minutes before carving.
About halfway through the bird's resting cycle, pour all of the juices left in your roasting pan into a saucepan (also check the platter where your bird is resting because you'll find some there).
Feel free to add anything else you might like here- maybe some extra onion or garlic or something of the like. Bring to a boil and reduce it for a bit, adding seasoning to flavor- for me, gravy is never the same twice and depending on what your drippings taste like you need to add things in variation while it's in the pot. If the drippings won't make enough gravy, add some water & turkey better than bouillon (1 c to 1 t ratio) and increase the volume (your total volume here should be approx 4-1/2 cups).
Strain out the gravy to remove anything you added or that came over from the roasting pan. Return it to the saucepan.
Add 2 T of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of cold water and stir it together until the cornstarch is mixed in.
Add your slurry to the pan drippings. It will immediately begin to thicken up.
Cook for a few minutes and season until it reaches the desired taste/thickness.
Important Links
Main Link: https://www.nikoliskitchen.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nikolis-kitchen/id1539797549
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nikoliskitchen
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/u/4/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL25pa29saXNraXRjaGVuL2ZlZWQueG1s
Spotify:
Discord: https://discord.gg/qjYfvEC3KZ
Feed URL: https://feed.podbean.com/nikoliskitchen/feed.xml
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nikoliskitchen
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nikoliskitchen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikoliskitchen
Reserved Seating Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nikoliskitchen
Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/nikolis-kitchen
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/nikolis-kitchen
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/nikolis-kitchen-1544850
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theredraylives
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/nikoliskitchen
Credits
"Inspiration," "Starlight Memories," and "Snowfall" by Lucas King. Find this and more amazing music by Lucas and subscribe to him on YouTube by visiting https://www.youtube.com/user/LucasKingPiano!
"Daybreak," and "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!
View all episodes
By Nicholas Haskins
4.7
2323 ratings
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As voted by you I made this episode all about Thanksgiving! I'll talk about what I'm thankful for, what else I'll be making on Thanksgiving day, and the featured recipe this week is a turkey brine that my bird is currently sitting in right now for this Thursday's big meal. I also take you through my roasting technique and another that doesn't use oven bags- and finally, I talk about making a gravy out of the delicious pan drippings. Thank you all so much for listening, and thank you for coming on this journey with me. Please have a safe and happy holiday!
Featured Recipe Timecodes
24:37 - Intro
25:30 - Step One (Brining)
30:23 - Step Two (The Night Before)
31:30 - Step Three (Roasting Day)
36:44 - Step Four (After the Oven)
Featured Recipe for this Episode
1 gallon of water
4 16-oz. cans of beer (I went with a lager)
1 sprig fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh sage, roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 large or 3 small sweet onions, quartered
1/2 cup garlic cloves
1 large or 2 small cinnamon sticks
1/2 T whole cloves
3 T black peppercorns
3/4 c salt
Peel from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1-1/2 T fresh ginger, roughly chopped
6-8 bay leaves
Add all ingredients except for the lemon juice to a large stockpot.
Bring to a boil on high heat and boil for 8-10 minutes.
Strain the stockpot through a colander into a large bowl.
Add lemon juice and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate the brine.
Once your brine is refrigerated (I let it go overnight), place your turkey in a stockpot or container large enough to fit the entire bird and (gently) pour the brine in over the bird.
Return to refrigerator.
IF YOUR BIRD IS FRESH-
You'll want to brine for maybe a day. It's already thawed so the salt and flavors will have no problem penetrating the meat.
IF YOUR BIRD IS FROZEN-
Brine it for 3 days. The bird will thaw and the salty brine will penetrate the meat and flavor it as it thaws.
The Turkey!
1/2 cup of herbed butter
A turkey!
Dressing or aromatics for stuffing as desired
The night before you are prepping to roast, remove the bird from the brine.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Rub half of your herbed butter into the meat of the breast between the breast and the skin.
Rub the other half of your herbed butter over the skin of the breast itself.
Refrigerate the turkey uncovered overnight.
On roasting day, remove the turkey from the fridge.
If you are stuffing it with either a dressing or aromatics, prepare and stuff the bird now. Generally speaking, a stuffed bird takes an additional 30 minutes in the oven.
IF YOU USE AN OVEN BAG-
Preheat your oven to 350°.
Add 1 T of cornstarch to an oven bag and spray the interior with cooking spray.
Place the bird inside of the bag and place that into a roasting pan on an elevated rack.
Cut a few 1-inch slits in the top of the bag.
Roast the bird in the bag for approximately 8-10 minutes/lb if not stuffed, 9-12 minutes/lb if stuffed. (minutes per pound will be higher if the bird is smaller and lower if the bird is larger as well because of sustained heat over time).
IF YOU DON'T USE AN OVEN BAG-
Preheat your oven to 325°.
Place the bird into a roasting pan on an elevated rack.
Roast for approx 18-20 minutes per pound if stuffed, 16-18 minutes per pound if not.
Start checking the temperature about 30 to 60 minutes before the turkey should be finished.
Insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (unstuffed) and the stuffing (if stuffed) to check temperature. You want it to be 165° internally to make sure it's safe. Make sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bone for an accurate reading.
Remove the turkey from the oven. If stuffed, remove the stuffing to a separate oven-safe dish. If you want to make sure the stuffing got cooked all the way through, pop it back into the oven.
Transfer your bird to a large platter and tent with foil. Rest the bird for 20-30 minutes before carving.
About halfway through the bird's resting cycle, pour all of the juices left in your roasting pan into a saucepan (also check the platter where your bird is resting because you'll find some there).
Feel free to add anything else you might like here- maybe some extra onion or garlic or something of the like. Bring to a boil and reduce it for a bit, adding seasoning to flavor- for me, gravy is never the same twice and depending on what your drippings taste like you need to add things in variation while it's in the pot. If the drippings won't make enough gravy, add some water & turkey better than bouillon (1 c to 1 t ratio) and increase the volume (your total volume here should be approx 4-1/2 cups).
Strain out the gravy to remove anything you added or that came over from the roasting pan. Return it to the saucepan.
Add 2 T of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of cold water and stir it together until the cornstarch is mixed in.
Add your slurry to the pan drippings. It will immediately begin to thicken up.
Cook for a few minutes and season until it reaches the desired taste/thickness.
Important Links
Main Link: https://www.nikoliskitchen.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nikolis-kitchen/id1539797549
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nikoliskitchen
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/u/4/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL25pa29saXNraXRjaGVuL2ZlZWQueG1s
Spotify:
Discord: https://discord.gg/qjYfvEC3KZ
Feed URL: https://feed.podbean.com/nikoliskitchen/feed.xml
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nikoliskitchen
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nikoliskitchen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikoliskitchen
Reserved Seating Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nikoliskitchen
Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/nikolis-kitchen
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/nikolis-kitchen
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/nikolis-kitchen-1544850
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theredraylives
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/nikoliskitchen
Credits
"Inspiration," "Starlight Memories," and "Snowfall" by Lucas King. Find this and more amazing music by Lucas and subscribe to him on YouTube by visiting https://www.youtube.com/user/LucasKingPiano!
"Daybreak," and "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!