The Best Bird

Let’s start with our turkey. If you get a frozen one it will take a while to thaw it out. (NOTE: DO NOT USE HOT WATER OR ANY FORM OF HEAT TO THAW WITH, AS THIS CAN LEAD TO BACTERIAL SPREAD) I prefer to place it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. DO NOT UNWRAP until it has thawed. The time it takes will depend on the size of your bird.

Remove from wrapper, then remove the giblets from the front and rear of the bird. That will be a neck, gizzard, heart, and liver. Place those a saucepan, cover with plenty of water, add salt, pepper, and a 1/4 teaspoon of ground sage and boil until tender. Set aside to cool.
Now wash your turkey and pat dry, then sit on a platter and rub with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now take a heaping tablespoon of rubbed sage, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and mix. Now place about 1/4 of it in the craw cavity and 3/4 inside the bird and rub around.
Now make a cross of heavy duty aluminum foil make sure that it will be long enough cover the entire turkey. Wrap, seal, and place on a cookie sheet. Keep in the fridge until ready to bake. When baking use 350 degree F oven, and bake for 20 minutes per pound. (IT WILL BE DONE!!)

Be very careful, for it will be very hot. Now place it over the edge of your sink so you can drain all of the juices into a sauce pan to use for gravy. Now wrap it back up in the aluminum foil, and cover with a bath towel.

Remove all the giblets from the broth and add the juices. What I would do is to heat the liquid and make a slurry with some corn starch and cold water. As soon as they boil, add a little cornstarch at a time and bring to a boil after you add the starch. You want turkey gravy about as thick as heavy cream. When finished, salt and pepper to taste. If you want to make some giblet gravy pull the meat off the neck, gizzard, heart and liver and fine chop, then take what gravy you want to be giblet and add the giblets.

What I always want is to have my house smelling like turkey and pie. I have two ovens, one regular size and one small. I put an apple pie in 50 minutes before our guest arrive. I want my turkey out one hour before they get here.

Remember: 20 minutes per pound and one hour to let it rest

If you are having a noontime meal, you will need to be up by 5 to get it out by noon. I don’t do that. I have mine at 6 p.m., so I have all day to get it done.