FOOD & DRINK

Your turkey questions answered

We hosted a live chat last week on Austin360.com with Texas Culinary Academy instructor Stephen Cash, who gave us a lot of tips on how to make this year's turkey the best yet. Here are excerpts. - Addie Broyles

Doesn't all that turkey basting let the heat out of the oven?

Ovens are built with a lot of insulation. Otherwise, they would waste a lot of energy. The amount of heat you release from an oven when you open it is negligible compared to the amount of heat held in by the insulation.

I have an electric smoker and am thinking of smoking the turkey this year. Any tips?

Heat is heat; the turkey doesn't know if it's electric or gas. If it makes the job easier, go for it. Remember, smoking is just roasting with smoke. The same rules apply. Brine the bird and cook it at the right temp for the right amount of time.

At what temperature do you roast said turkey?

Time and temp are always the key. Rules of thumb: 10 to 12 pound bird, 350 degrees. 18 to 20 pound bird, 315 degrees. Free yourself from the tyranny of the clock; judge the doneness of the bird by taking an internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. Again, weight determines the right temperature. 10 to 12 pounds, you want the inside of the turkey to be 155 to 160 degrees. 18 to 20 pounds, 150 to 155 degrees. If you insist on cooking by the clock, my 12 pound bird took about an hour and 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I would expect an 18 to 20 pound bird at 315 degrees to take around twice that. But thermometers really are the way to go. Here's another tip: If you're roasting your turkey and parts of it start to get too dark, put a piece of foil over it to help keep it from burning.

How do you brine the bird?

For a brine, combine one cup of salt and two cups of sugar with a gallon of boiling water. The hot water helps the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Then add a gallon of ice or ice water to cool the brine so you can add the turkey. Put the turkey and brine in the fridge to brine for about 12 hours. It may sound strange to include sugar, but it helps keep the meat moist and adds to the natural flavor of the turkey. It also makes for a beautiful bird.

Kosher salt or table salt?

The iodized table salt does have a taste, so it's probably best to stick with kosher salt for brining. And don't fret with herbs in the brine. If you're just brining overnight, it's not likely that the herbs will actually penetrate the meat.

What are your thoughts on cooking the dressing inside the bird? My father preferred that dressing, but a lot of people are hesitant because of health concerns. Your take?

Stuffing in the bird can have some safety issues with incomplete cooking. Remember that turkeys carry salmonella. When you stuff a bird, the juices get in the stuffing. In order for it to be safe, the stuffing has to be cooked to 165 degrees. By that time, the bird itself is WAY overcooked. Better to cook them separately.

Can you trust those pop-up thermometers built in most turkeys?

The turkey thermometer manufacturers are more concerned with not getting sued than cooking a perfect turkey. They have a lot of safety margin built in and will therefore always result in a dry, overcooked turkey.

I just found out I'll be roasting a turkey next week, but have never attempted it before. Any advice for a rookie?

Keep it simple. 1) Take it out of the fridge 1 hour before you are going to put it in the oven. 2) Preheat the oven completely. 3) Rub oil on the bird, then sprinkle salt on it. Don't worry about pepper, but put more salt than you think you need, and put it inside the bird as well as outside. 4) Use a thermometer. Good luck!

Frozen or fresh turkey. Which is really best and how do you advise thawing a rock-hard one?

Fresh is always better because freezing changes the texture of the meat. (It's the fault of the ice crystals that expand when freezing.) As for the rock-solid frozen ones, put it in the fridge at least 48 hours before you want to serve. If it's bigger than 10 or so pounds, give yourself some more time.

I've heard you can roast the turkey with the breast side down, which is supposed to keep them moist and tender. Is this true?

If you roast the bird breast down, you won't get crispy skin. The breast already cooks fast enough being on the outside, which can dry it out. If you put the breast side in contact with the pan, it will cook even faster.

What about a few pats of butter under the skin of the breast? Would that help to make it moist, or would it just overly brown the skin?

Butter melts at 88 degrees, which means that after half an hour in the oven, the butter will be all melted and gone. Basting the bird will keep it even more moist. If you're getting overly browned skin, lower the temperature.

Honestly, the most important thing is just simply time and temperature management. Brining is just a seasoning method. It's good because it seasons the meat throughout.