I don’t really have a recipe, to speak of. Here’s what I did:
1. Broke the bird down. I had, when finished, drumsticks, thighs, wings, one huge bone-in breast portion, small blobs of fat and skin, and various bits of carcass.
2. Made stock from the carcass and organ meats.
3. Rendered the fat and skin.
4. Dry-brined the turkey breast, using an herbed salt.
5. Cured the leg portions, with salt, shallot, and herbs.
6. After two days curing, the legs came out and went into a pot of fat–a mix of duck fat, turkey fat, and olive oil. I poached those on Wednesday and stored them in fat overnight.
7. I grilled the turkey breast and wings on T Day, over lump natural-hardwood charcoal. I used maple chips soaked in apple cider to add a smoky flavor to the meat. It wound up actually smelling like applewood-smoked bacon, thanks to the maple and apple!
So it’s less a recipe and more a series of techniques.
Ahh, those Brussel sprouts, studded with pomegranate seeds and walnut oil. They were gone before a picture could be taken. What an amazing Gobble Day!
Looks gorgeous and delicious. Now I must look up your French 75’s.
Happy Thanksgiving, Jen and Mike – remembering dear Kali – XO Liz
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your husband! Everything looks delicious!
Thank you for sharing your food and your life with us this past year.
Bacon Challah. hmm. How could anything be bad with that?
What a lovely post. Wishing you both (and the kitties) lots of love and laughter this holiday season! xox
Happy Thanksgiving to you and Mike and the wonderkitties! Wishing you lots and lots of happiness.
Long time reader. Your cooking is always inspiring! Have a wonderful holiday season this year!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday…it sure looks delicious!
Could Mike be persuaded to share his turkey recipe?
wishing you the happiest and best of holiday seasons!
Hi Adina,
I don’t really have a recipe, to speak of. Here’s what I did:
1. Broke the bird down. I had, when finished, drumsticks, thighs, wings, one huge bone-in breast portion, small blobs of fat and skin, and various bits of carcass.
2. Made stock from the carcass and organ meats.
3. Rendered the fat and skin.
4. Dry-brined the turkey breast, using an herbed salt.
5. Cured the leg portions, with salt, shallot, and herbs.
6. After two days curing, the legs came out and went into a pot of fat–a mix of duck fat, turkey fat, and olive oil. I poached those on Wednesday and stored them in fat overnight.
7. I grilled the turkey breast and wings on T Day, over lump natural-hardwood charcoal. I used maple chips soaked in apple cider to add a smoky flavor to the meat. It wound up actually smelling like applewood-smoked bacon, thanks to the maple and apple!
So it’s less a recipe and more a series of techniques.
Wow! Everything looks delicious. Thanks for posting your process above, I definitely want to try making everything.
Thanks for the info, Mike! I think I want to break down the turkey next year. I’ve grown bored with the same old roasting technique.