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Turkey Basics
I know a
thing or two about turkeys. I was raised on a turkey farm and hold an
advanced degree in Poultry Science. Growing up on the farm, we bred, fed,
hatched, raised, dressed, cooked and ate a lot of turkeys. At one point we
hatched about 400,000 and raised about 40,000 per year and had the largest turkey
hatchery East of the Mississippi. At the store, we smoke-cook turkey breasts
at least once a week and custom-smoke breasts or whole turkeys for customers.
We use homemade turkey stock as the basis for most of our soups and The
Virginia Sandwich spread, made with smoked turkey and country ham, is our
signature sandwich. Turkey is
traditionally associated with fall holidays. Under natural conditions, poults
(baby turkeys) hatch in the spring and are not ready for market until fall.
Prior to the 1940Õs, there was no commercial turkey industry and turkey was a
special treat reserved just for holidays. Turkeys were raised by small
farmers and often died before reaching market size. It was then found that
turkeys were susceptible to several diseases carried by chickens. Simply
removing turkeys from the proximity of chickens and contaminated ground
significantly reduced disease problems. This discovery and the availability
of sulfa drugs and antibiotics allowed for the establishment of large turkey
farms such as ours. Birds raised in the early days were thin with narrow
breasts. Geneticists and breeders quickly developed Òbroad breastedÓ and
hybrids strains. We had a national champion once that dressed out right at 50
pounds. He was displayed in the window of MarshallÕs Drug Store in Urbanna
and given to an orphanage. World War
II marked the real turning point in the fledgling turkey industry. The economy improved, jobs were
plentiful, demand for meat and poultry was high and technology provided for
improvements in all segments of the industry. Prior to the war, if you wanted
a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey, you went to the farmer or a live market
and picked out your bird Òon the hoofÓ. You could either take it home live
and deal with it yourself or have it Òdry-pickedÓ on the spot and handed to
you ÒNew York dressedÓ with the head, feet and viscera intact. Eviscerated,
dry-picked turkeys were also packed in wooden barrels for rail shipment and
hung up in shops for sale. Dry-picked birds have a longer un-refrigerated
shelf-life than turkeys that are scalded and wet-picked as long as they are
kept absolutely dry - even one drop of water activates bacteria on the skin
and the birds quickly spoil. As the industry grew and refrigeration improved,
birds were wet-picked and packed in Cryovac bags.
Meat and
poultry is most tender when cooked immediately after slaughter and before
rigor mortis sets in. Goats and lambs are often handled this way, especially
in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern countries. Once the rigor processes begin, muscles contract and the
meat is exceedingly tough until rigor is over and the muscles relax again, 12
to 24 hours in an unfrozen state. In modern processing plants, dressed birds
are quick-chilled and flash frozen. It is therefore possible to thaw them
quickly and cook them while they are still tough. This is one reason to thaw
poultry slowly in the refrigerator and another good reason to brine
overnight. Today, the
unwary consumer is faced with several confusing choices when shopping for a
commercially processed turkey: 1) Fresh or frozen? I always opt for frozen
and only partly because I am a skinflint - stores often sell frozen turkeys
as Òloss leadersÓ during holidays. I also know they were frozen immediately
after being processed. ÒFresh-dressedÓ birds may have been processed weeks
ahead of time, treated with anti-bacterial agents to extend shelf life and
then sold at a premium. When you
find a good deal, pick up several of the largest toms that you can find and
stick them in your freezer for future meals. 2) Self-basting or not injected?
I opt for non-injected. Self-basting birds are Òvalue enhancedÓ, meaning the
consumer is charged extra for water and seasonings. I can accomplish the same
thing by brining overnight. 3) Toms or hens? For any given breed, toms
(males) are larger at maturity and have longer bones, most noticeably in the
length of the leg bone. For larger breeds, mature hens will dress out in the
12 to 16 pound range and toms will range from 16 to 30 pounds or more. There
is no appreciable difference in taste or tenderness, but yield improves with
larger birds of either sex. In other words, yield will be much better with a
16-pound hen or a 25-pound tom when compared to a 16-pound tom. If you have
several days and extra room, thaw your turkey in the refrigerator. Otherwise,
remove the bag and thaw your turkey in a pot in the sink with slowly running
cold water or change the water every 30 minutes. Never leave a turkey on the
counter to thaw as all of the (now active) bacteria are on the surface, which
can warm to the danger zone while the interior is still partially frozen. For a
20-pound non-basted bird, mix up a brine with at least a quart of buttermilk,
an equal amount of water, 1 ½ cups salt, ½ cup sugar or
molasses and ¼ cup black pepper. Find a plastic, glass or stainless
container slightly larger than the turkey, cover with brine (you will
probably have to add some water and buttermilk) and put in the refrigerator
overnight. Alternatively, put the turkey and brine in a large plastic bag and
put it in an insulated cooler with some ice.
When you
are ready to cook, pre-heat your oven and place your bird breast-up on a rack
in a roasting pan with a little water in the bottom to keep the drippings
from scorching. The recommended temperature in a conventional oven is 325¡ F. Small birds can be cooked a
little hotter and large birds should be cooked at a lower temperature. Reduce
temperatures by about 25 degrees for convection ovens. Brined birds can
safely be cooked at a lower temperature. They also cook faster and are more
tender and juicy than un-brined turkeys. I cook large brined turkeys and
breasts at about 275¡
F in the pits and convection ovens at the store. Use
published cooking times only as a rough planning guide and allow an extra 30
minutes or so for the bird to rest before carving. Always use a good accurate
thermometer and cook to 165¡
F in the thickest part of the breast. At 170¡ F the breast begins to dry out.
Cook stuffing separately. By the time the stuffing reaches the required 165¡ F, the breast meat will be
overcooked and dry. Lastly, the
skin can be basted several times, preferably with butter, during the last
half of the cooking time to help it brown and crisp evenly. Remember
those cheap turkeys in the freezer? After the holidays, thaw one and remove
the legs and wings - they are great deviled, braised, smoked or grilled.
Next, remove the breast meat from the bone. ItÕs easy: just cut down each
side of the breastbone and follow the bone down and out. The breasts can be
sliced across the grain into turkey steaks or cutlets to be marinated, or
breaded and fried, or oiled and grilled, or diced for stir-fry or a
Thai-style curry paste-peanut-pineapple-coconut milk concoction simmered
until the turkey is done and served over rice. No measurements necessary –
just have fun. Leave the other breast whole for grilling or baking.
Possibilities are limitless and turkey takes seasoning and flavors so well
that you can do practically anything with it. Break up the carcass so that it
will fit into a stock pot, cover with water, throw in a few carrots, a couple
of onions, some celery and bay leaves and bring it to a simmer for a few
hours, then strain. Now you have a flavorful, nutritious stock for any soup
you care to throw together. By the time you are done, you will have fed a
family with low-fat, nutritious, interesting and healthy meals for a week for
what one meal in a restaurant would cost – and all without much effort. Deviled
Turkey Legs: This is an old family favorite. We usually used big drumsticks,
but wings and thighs work well too. Make four or five long slits in the
drumsticks, stuff with yellow mustard and douse well with Worcestershire
sauce. Brown in a hot skillet. The slits will open and you can stuff in more
mustard. Douse again with Worcestershire. If you think you are using way too
much mustard and Worcestershire, you are probably doing it about right. Add a
little water, cover and braise for about an hour or so, turning occasionally,
until the meat is fully tender. Remove the legs and deglaze the pan with only
enough water to make a rich, dark brown sauce. Serve with rice.
© Dan Gill - Published
in Pleasant Living Nov. – Dec. Õ09 Download Printer
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