So this Christmas, we decided to roast turkey for the family (admittedly after randomly seeing a butterball at the local grocery a week before Dec 25).
The main dilemma
Ingredients
1 whole turkey (5kg for 8 people)
2 slabs butter
2 pcs lemons (or lime)
olive oil
bay leaves
bacon
sage
rosemary
celery
garlic
onion
tomatoes (or tomato paste)
chicken cubes
salt, pepper
Optional
apple cider (drink, not vinegar)
crushed walnuts
Equipment
deep baking tray
meat thermometer
meat injector (syringe)
Pre-day prep (2-3 days)
Make sure the turkey is fully thawed. Let it sit for an hour in room temperature to let the chill out
Brine (optional), may be done 1 to 3 days prior
Optionally, you may brine the turkey in:
salt and water
Additional
brown sugar
apple cider
garlic
whole peppercorns
lemon slices
orange slices
rosemary and bay leaves
Marinade (optional)
Optionally, you may marinate your turkey in:
olive oil
soy sauce
lemon juice
orange juice
herbs, garlic and seasonings
Steps
Preheat the oven
Prepare butter
Mix olive oil unto the melted butter to prevent the butter from burning later
Mix in crushed garlic, chopped parsley
Prepare the bird
Cut off the turkey wings
Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper
Stuff with 2 halves of onions, and the remaining lemons and bay leaves
Carefully, stuff some of the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey.
Loosen the skin using your fingers but avoid breaking the skin
Apply the rest of the butter outside the skin, massaging especially the inner crevices
Heat the turkey inside the oven at 220-degree, 10 minutes.
Remove the turkey to baste and cover with bacon.
Turn down the oven to 180 and continue baking. Bake for~2.5 hours (or .5 hrs per kilo), basting every 20 minutes.
After removing from the oven, remove the stuffing inside the turkey.
Let the meat relax for more 2.5 hours to let the juices be reabsorbed
NOTE: The turkey does not need to be piping hot as long as the gravy is
Prepare the gravy
Low heat the turkey juices
Chop the bacon from the turkey
Chop the lemons and onions from inside the turkey
Heat the bacon, lemons, and onions a pan. Add rosemary and chopped tomatoes to flavor
To get the turkey flavor, break off the wings of the turkey, as well as the ass part
Mix in juices. You may use a potato masher to get the most juices
Sources
Preppy Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay
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