How do you cook your turkey?

[Sharkfin]

I'm just curious what you guys out there do. I've been brining my bird for 12 hr's for about 5 years now. It tastes great, and the meat is moist & tender.

[SEEGERMANY]

Oven bake in a browning bag.

[Spivonious]

This year will be my first, so I'll let you know.

My mom always just put it in the oven and basted it halfway through. Usually came out tasting good.

[dg]

We've been brining for the past few years, since we started having it at our house. It always turns out great, especially if it's a fresh bird rather than frozen. We usually use the Alton Brown recipe from the Food Network site, iirc. Deep fried is awesome, too, but we haven't done that at our place.

[Jason1212]

High heat for 45 minutes then normal heat for the duration. I also cover the breast with foil to keep it from overcooking. I have brined in the past, but it didnt do what I wanted. Now I rub salt and pepper all over and then spray with oil. I have fried in the past but given all that I have going on I dont like messing with it.

[Shawn Lutz]

I've done in the oven and cajun fried both with great results but prefer cajun fried. I like how fast you can fry a turkey but not the massive amouts of oil it takes and the mess it makes

[SEEGERMANY]

Yessir, frying is messy. Besides, who can afford peanut oil?

[åron]

Oven baked, breast side down, on a rack to lift the bird off of the drippings. Perhaps it's not the best for presentation, but it makes perfect breast meat juiciness and tenderness.

[LouSiffer]

Yup, I am a dark meat person, but, if you want super moist white meat, cook the bird upside down. Most people look at you like you are nuts when you tell them this.-Lou

[horns666]

I don't...My wife does it!!!

Then she butters my balls!

Happy Thanksgivin'!!!

[hgsmith]

smokin it on the "Green Egg"

[Endrik]

There's many ways to do it.

You can do it in a HUGE pot, brown all the sides in the olive oil and butter mixture then cook in medium heat adding a good amount of red wine and a little bit of butter. All that liquid will be an awesome sauce later.

Or you can make an extra wine sauce... very simple... take a little casserole... max the heat, put in some red wine... boil it until most of it's gone... you have a delicious juice there with no alcohol and add a little bit of butter so the it would be thick and nice.

When using an oven... put a little bit of butter on the tray... then some red wine... put the turkey on it and cook. Then start pouring some chicken stock on the turkey. I'd personally to it after every 10 minutes. But you can also use 15 or 20 minute intervals. Over some time you can add a little bit of red wine on the tray. At some point the chicken stock, the wine and the juices of the turkey are mixed on the tray... super delicious juice. Then use that to wet the turkey.
The turkey will be super tender and juicy.

If you want to stuff the turkey and make a really fantastic dish then you can do a mixture of foie gras, diced chicken breast and liver parts, little bit of bread crumbs, various herbs, chopped black truffles, olive oil, cognac, heavy cream, shallot onion, salt, pepper, carrot, egg yolks, a little bit of milk and porcini mushrooms.

[SouthPlatteDemon]

http://www.swansonmeals.ca/products/hungry_man_turkey.htm

Doesn't take long and tastes okay.

[Joe_Steeler]

Wife is doing the brine seasoning method this year.
To be honest I HATE fucking turkey, not the country but the bird. Never liked it and probably never will.
I'll eat ham and some of the fixings, but if somebody tells me tomorrow an alien craft came to earth and took ALL turkeys I will not shed a tear.

[Ben...]

We just baste it every hour or so and make a basic stuffing.

On a side note: You know your forum's awesome when it has a thread dedicated to turkey cooking.