Turkey Cooking Tips

BRINING

To brine, or not to brine…your Bronze Orlopp turkey will be juicy and flavourful either way, but if you want to take the extra time to brine your turkey here is how we do it:

2 cups quality kosher salt
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 lemon
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
3 cloves of garlic
8 L of water
1 cooler/bucket large enough to fully submerge your turkey

Dissolve salt and sugar over stovetop in 4 cups of hot water. Cool this solution and add the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining water, into your cooler/bucket and submerge the turkey. Add additional water if required to fully submerge the bird.

Brine your turkey for 6-12 hours.

Remove turkey from brining solution and RINSE it well to prepare for roasting.

ROASTING

Set your oven to 325F. Find your MEAT THERMOMETER.

Put half an onion, half a lemon, rosemary (or herbs of your choice) into the turkey cavity.

Rub butter (or oil if you are interested in a Paleo diet version) all over the exterior of the turkey. Apply pepper to the skin.

Use a meat thermometer.
Plan for your turkey to cook faster than a commercially raised turkey. Our Bronze Orlopp turkeys have eaten diets containing lots of fresh vegetation, spent time in the sunshine and exercised quite a bit by expressing their natural behaviours. These factors all contribute to the flavour, juiciness and cooking time difference with our turkeys.

Your turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees. Last year, our 18 lb Thanksgiving turkey cooked in a little over 3 hours (~ 10 mins/lb). Every bird and every oven is a bit different. Did we mention to USE A MEAT THERMOMETER?

Other suggestions:
Prepare your stuffing outside of your turkey.
Roast your turkey uncovered.
Don’t risk personal injury flipping a turkey (especially a large one) during the roasting process.

Turkey Cooking resources:

If you like video tutorials, here is Gordon Ramsay preparing a Christmas turkey in a slightly more intimate way by using a butter mixture under the skin of the bird: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5PFXhdfVT8

Shannon Hayes, author of The Grassfed Gourmet & Long Way on a Little has some good tips at:
http://www.shannonhayes.org/pastured-turkey-cooking-tips-2/