For home cooks all over the country, the most important meal of the year is just three weeks away.  Sure, Mom, Dad, or Grandma can occasionally burn a pizza, undercook some vegetables, or even hammer that fish in the oven from time to time and all will be quickly forgotten – but screw up the Thanksgiving Day turkey?  The family will talk about and remember that indiscretion for years to come.

That’s a lot of pressure on the host, and no one wants to mess it up, but where to begin?  Well, there are plenty of videos, blogs, and magazine articles – all brimming with recipes and tips on how to achieve poultry nirvana and present a Thanksgiving centerpiece that will inspire applause, tears of joy, or be worthy of a Norman Rockwell painting.  The Butterball Turkey Hotline (1-800-288-8372 – you’re welcome) does brisk business each and every year, as thousands of would–be “Julia Childs” or “Gordon Ramseys” roll up their sleeves and get into their kitchens (many for the only time of the year).

Let’s face it, you can just thaw out the carcass, slap some oil or butter on it (along with some salt and pepper), toss it in a hot oven and see what happens a few hours later (when that plastic thermometer pops), but I can almost guarantee you a last minute call for take-out if that route is pursued.  Here are some things to think about over the next few weeks.

To Brine or Not to Brine

Brining is when you submerge the turkey in a mixture of water, salt, sugar, and other spices for twenty-four hours or more, which tenderizes the bird and allows whatever spices you selected for the brine mixture to deeply penetrate the muscle tissue, imparting extra flavor to the meat.  It’s become my “go to” method for pre-preparation, and although you have to start fooling around with your turkey at the beginning of the week (I’ll start the brining process on Monday of Thanksgiving week this year), believe me – it’s worth the extra effort.

Ditch the Plastic “Pop-Up” Thermometer

How many times have you heard “oh, there’s a thermometer already installed in the turkey – I’ll just wait until it pops to tell me when it’s ready”.  Wrong.  The plastic thermometers already pre-installed into the breast of your store-bought turkey are unreliable and downright criminal.  If you wait until it pops, you’ll have an overdone and dry main course that will leave your guests scrambling for the gravy boat.  Do yourself a favor and pull out this sinful piece of plastic junk while prepping your bird and instead invest in a good instant-read, digital thermometer that you can insert deep into the breast before you start cooking.  No matter what the size of your turkey, remember it’s all about the temperature, NOT the time.  Your bird should register 165 degrees in the thickest part of the breast and between 170-175 in the thighs when it’s ready, so actually, you should be pulling your bird when that thermometer hits 155 (in anticipation for residual cooking time).

Spatchcocking

No, this isn’t some weird, sex thing you request while visiting Amsterdam (although who knows?  It may be).  Spatchcocking is a technique in which you take the time to cut the backbone out of the turkey to allow it to be pressed flat so that it can be cooked on a sheet pan.  Think of it as “butterflying” the bird (if you’re uncomfortable with the proper term).  This provides some distinct advantages.  It increases the surface area of cooking for the bird (decreasing cooking time), allows for even cooking across the entire carcass, and it gets the skin up on top of the turkey, allowing it all to become golden-brown and crispy (instead of having those soggy, rubbery bits on the underside).  Another advantage?  A spatchcocked bird will cook in about half the time as a regular turkey (really).  I did a fifteen pounder last year on my grill in about 90 minutes.  This method also makes the bird infinitely easier to carve on the back end.

Should I Stuff It?

This is always a source of contention – and comes down to two “stuffing camps”.  Some people absolutely love the “soft” stuffing that has been done inside a bird, while others prefer the “crispy” stuffing that has been done in the oven (personally, I do mine in a crock pot on the side to save on oven and stovetop space).  This is really a matter of preference, although if you do decide to stuff your turkey (with a bread stuffing or other things, like citrus or vegetables to add in some flavor), filling up the bird’s cavity will increase your overall cooking time, so be aware of the change and allow for it in your meal planning.

Let It Rest!

Not only does letting a bird time to rest after pulling it from the oven account for residual cooking time (your turkey’s internal temp will actually rise about ten degrees – AFTER you pull it), but it also allows those sought-after juices to redistribute back into the meat (instead of spilling out all over your cutting board).  Do yourself a favor.  After you remove your bird from the oven – walk away from it for at least twenty minutes.  Don’t look at it, don’t touch it, and resist the urge to cut that beautiful, crispy piece of skin off for a quick snack.  You’ve got plenty of other things to get ready.  Go do that for now.  I’m serious.  Get away from it.  It will be fine (unless you have a large, unsupervised dog roaming the kitchen).  

There are plenty of other techniques you can try to achieve the perfect bird for your Thanksgiving Day table.  Check out YouTube for multiple examples.  Chef John from “Food Wishes” has a great step-by-step video for a boneless whole turkey (if you’ve got the patience – check it out here). For sheer artistry, watch as master chef Jacques Pepin takes you through the steps of how to de-bone a chicken (which could also be used for a turkey).  Even while talking, he does it in about five minutes (and could probably zip through one in about two minutes – check it out here).  Amazing. 

Bottom line?  Sure it’s a big responsibility to produce a winning bird, but it can be achieved with a little planning and some patience.  I hope you find success in this year’s holiday meal!