slow roasted turkey
I have used this fashion of roasting turkeys for many years. It consistently produces fall off the bone moist turkey every time AND it is hard to over cook or burn it. ;]
Preplanning the feast. Start a few days ahead of when you plan to have your turkey / meal. How big is your turkey? For this discussion we will say that it weighs 20 pounds and is still in the deep freeze. Do you have a roasting pan that will comfortably hold the turkey? Assemble everything that you need for the meal. Write down everything that you are missing and go buy it.
A day or 2 before the meal bake whatever pies you want. The day before make the bread, I would suggest Ezekiel bread. 21 hours before you plan on sitting down for the meal take the turkey out of the freezer. Dice 2 or 3 large onions and make a bed in the roaster pan for the turkey. Release the turkey from the wrapping while it is still frozen and put it on the bed of onions. Coat the turkey with olive oil apply seasonings which will follow. Add 1 cup of water to the pan. Cover & place into the oven. Set your oven to 200 degrees F [no preheating required] set an alarm for 20 hours from starting the oven. Here is the hard part…. Leave it alone, no peaking!
By taking the bird straight from the freezer and cooking it this way germs do not have time to multiply as the turkey spends very little time in the danger zone of 40 – 140 degrees F.
At the end of the 20 hours [1 hour per pound at 200 degrees F] remove the cover and turn the heat up to 350 degrees to brown your turkey. Carve and serve.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE RUB
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage (crumbled between your fingers)
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
+++
One year the stores had whole turkeys 20 pounds for $5.00— that year we put up [canned] 150 pounds of turkey [after skinning and deboning] .
What are your recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals?