It’s time to talk turkey. The options for cooking or buying pre-cooked turkeys are endless. Living in the south, it probably comes as no surprise that fried turkeys are a big hit. I love smoked turkeys for tenderness and flavor. Many people still like roast turkey.
Which cooking method makes the better turkey: grilling, deep frying, roasting, or smoking? Your cooking method is a matter of personal taste. Your choice, however, should depend on the palate of the majority of your guests. Below are some differences in the methods of cooking turkey.
Before cooking a turkey using any of these methods remove the neck and giblets, rinse the turkey well, and pluck any feather remnants. Cook your turkey breast side up. Always remove the pop-out thermometer. Pop-outs are not very reliable. A cooking thermometer should be used to make sure your turkey is done. A turkey is done when a thermometer inserted in the breast measures 1700, or the thigh measures 1800.
Roasted Turkey
Roasting turkey is a one of the easiest ways to cook your turkey. A turkey can be roasted in the oven on a roasting rack in a disposable pan covered with aluminum foil. The turkey should be cooked at 4500 for approximately 30 minutes, then 10-15 minutes per pound at 3500.
One great thing about roasting your turkey is that there are an assortment of bastes from which to choose. Depending on the variety you want to add to your feast you can baste the turkey in its own juices, fruits, beer, or wine.
One downside to roasting a turkey is that failure to baste the turkey approximately every 15 minutes will result in dry turkey. If the turkey is not basted, or the tent is not well sealed turkey juices will evaporate leaving turkey meat that sticks to the roof of your mouth.
Another thing to remember when roasting a turkey is to place it on a roasting rack. If the turkey rests in the bottom of the roasting pan it will fry in its own juices. It may also cook too quickly. There are recipes and pre-prepared injections for moisturizing turkeys. Don’t hesitate to use an injection. Flavor is preferable to dry turkey.
Roasted turkey seems to be the traditional favorite. It is easy to find basting recipes in cookbooks and on the internet. Roastin turkey is the best way to cook stuffing. Stuffing can be bought premixed or your favorite homemade dressing can be cooked inside the turkey.
Deep fried turkeys have become more and more popular. A fried turkey is usually crisp on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. Fried turkey is not greasy if cooked correctly. Frying is also the quickest way to cook a turkey. Frying a turkey, however, is a lot different than popping a turkey in the oven to roast.
Do not attempt to deep fry a turkey on your stove top. The temperatures are too high, the turkey is too big, and there is too much hot oil. Home stores, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s sell outdoor deep fryers that are ideal for frying turkeys. Outdoor deep fryers are also used to fry fish and make Cajun boils, so they are usually easy to find. The best time to buy a deep fryer is after the holidays when they are on sale. However, unless you know someone who owns a fryer you can use, you will need to buy a fryer. Attempting to fry a turkey inside is not recommended under any circumstances.
Before frying a turkey, clean it; bind the head and wings. Season it. Use rub on seasoning and/or flavor injections. The turkey should be thawed to room temperature before frying.
Use a turkey hook, approximately $40, or devise your own hook to submerge the turkey in hot oil. A large fish hook or bar hook with a solid chain or rope can be used to devise your own turkey hook. Hook the turkey in the rear. Lower it in the fryer head first.
Be sure to wear quality oven gloves. Heat will travel quickly up a chain or other metal device. One way to avoid touching the rope or chain is to suspend it from a solid piece of wood that is wider than the circumference of the deep fryer.
Peanut oil, though more expensive than vegetable oil, is the best oil in which to fry your turkey. Expect to go through several gallons of oil. Your turkey must be completely submersed in oil with an inch or two above the turkey. Heat the oil to 4000 before placing the turkey in the oil. Just before lowering the turkey in the oil, turn the deep fryer off. There will be a huge fry back splash once you place the turkey in the oil. This is the most difficult part of frying a turkey. Take extra care to ensure that you do not get scalded.
Turn the fryer back on, and monitor the temperature gauge to cook the turkey at 3500 degrees. Temperatures lower than 3300 allow the turkey to absorb too much oil. Fried turkeys cook at approximately three minutes per pound. A twelve pound turkey should be done in 36 minutes.
Once the turkey is done, turn off the fryer, and slowly remove the turkey. Allow oil to drain off the turkey as you remove it.
Once you become known as a skilled turkey fryer, you will be frying turkeys for friends and family. Stock up on peanut oil, or make each person supply their own oil and turkey.
Grilled Turkey
Slow grilled turkeys are tasty. Grilling can be slow and tedious, but the result is rewarding.
Grilling a turkey is much like roasting a turkey, except that you will place the disposable turkey pan on the grill. I still recommend using a roasting rack in the bottom of the pan, as the bottom of the turkey can burn on the grill if the turkey becomes too dry.
Most recipes for grilling turkey say to cook the turkey over medium high heat for two to two and one-half hours. For a more tender turkey cook over a lower flame for an additional hour or two. The key to a great grilled turkey is basting. As with an oven roasted turkey, a grilled turkey should be basted with water or the basting recipe of your choice every fifteen to twenty minutes.
When cooking your turkey over a lower flame, for a longer period of time, use a cooking thermometer to determine when the turkey is done.
Smoked Turkey
Smoked turkey is the best tasting turkey. It takes the longest cooking time and also requires the right equipment. Smoked turkey’s can be purchased, but they carry a big price tag. One reason is that they are worth it. Smoked turkey is absolutely fabulous.
The biggest piece of equipment you need is a water smoker. Water smokers can also be bought at home stores, like Home Depot or Lowe’s, but many people never try out their smoker and you can often find a smoker at a yard sale, or thrift store. Water smokers may be powered by electricity, gas, or charcoal. Charcoal smokers have two pans. One pan holds charcoal, the other holds water to create smoke hot enough for cooking.
A typical water smoker holds wood chips and liquid in the lower portion. A rack is suspended in the top half of the smoker to hold the turkey. Wood chips or charcoal can be added to the smoker through a side door.
Smoking works best on turkeys 12 pounds or smaller. I prefer to smoke turkeys 10 pounds or less. A little salt and pepper is the only seasoning required. Use hickory or mesquite wood chips to add a delicious smoky flavor to the turkey. Pine, fir, cedar, or spruce wood should not be used. Turpentine will be released giving your turkey a green wood flavor. Your turkey will also be covered with black pitch.
Prepare the water and wood in your smoker, close the lid, and wait for the contents to heat to 3000. Clean your turkey and place it breast up on the cooking rack. Work to maintain a 2500 to 3000 cooking temperature. Check the liquid and wood every thirty minutes to an hour. The steam generated by the smoker cooks your turkey. When you check the wood, open and close the external cylinder door quickly. Heat escapes very quickly through the door. A door that is open too long brings down the temperature and affects your cooking time.
Cooking time for a smoked turkey is not as easy to estimate. Variances in temperature, turkey size, and distance close to or away from the smoke and fire will all determine cooking speed. A general rule of thumb is 20 to 30 minutes per pound. Again, use a thermometer to determine when the turkey is done.
Do not stuff smoked turkeys. The turkey cooks too slowly to cook dressing and the dressing would taste terrible anyway.
One of the benefits of using a turkey smoker is that you can often smoke a couple of turkeys at one time. This may benefit you in the long run, as people will pay five dollar a pound or more for a good smoked turkey.
No matter how you decide to cook your turkey, don’t forget to save the drippings for gravy.
Sources:
“Grilled Turkey”
Lauterbauch, Belly Buddy David “Deep Fried Turkey”
National Center for Home Food Preservation
RD Living
Riches, Derrick “Deep Fried Turkey”
Sicard, Cheri. “How to Smoke a Turkey”
