I've been tasked with cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving this year and while I'm looking forward to it I do have a small issue. I bought the bird Friday, 20-24lbs, and put it in the fridge to thaw out but it's still a rock. Anyone know how long they take to thaw in the refrigerator? I can't leave it out for an extended period, my cats would eat half of it before I get home from work. I suppose I could start putting it in water in the sink tonight and guard it, I guess I'm just wondering if another two days will have it thawed? This is the recipe my sister wants me to use: Spatchcock Smoke Roasted Turkey CourseMain Dish CuisineComfort Food, Party Food Servings Prep Time 15-20 people 15 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Ingredients 1 10 pound turkey gizzards and neck removed 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened 1 Tablespoon fresh sage finely minced 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper 2 Tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste Servings: people Instructions Preheat your smoker or indirect grill to 450 degrees F. Create a fairly open workspace for yourself that is easy to sanitize. Flip your turkey breast side down on your cutting board. Starting on one side of the backbone, use your shears to cut a straight line from the tailbone to the neck. Most of the bones will be fairly easy to cut through with sharp scissors. Repeat on the other side of the backbone and cut all the way through until you can remove the backbone completely. Turn the turkey over onto it's back. Turn out the thighs until they lay flat on the cutting board. Using both hands, press firmly on the breastbone of the turkey until you feel a snap and the breast presses down to the cutting board. Take the wing tips and tuck behind the back of the turkey. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the butter, herbs, salt, and pepper. Using your fingers, distribute the herbed butter evenly under the skin all across the turkey. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and carefully transfer to the grill grate. Close the lid and roast for 45 minutes, or until an internal thermometer reads a minimum of 165 degrees in the breasts and thighs of your turkey. The thighs may be a slightly higher temperature by the time the breast is fully cooked. Remove the turkey from the grill and allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Spatchcocking is a great way to do whole birds, reduces cooking time as well. I fill my bathtub up for a quick thawing of a turkey, works pretty well. I am spatchcocking all three birds I have to do this year, it’s been my preferred method for whole poultry for awhile now.
It's nice to learn something new - I have never heard the term "spatchcocking" before. Sounds like a sex move.
I hadn't thought about using the bathtub for thawing the turkey, that should be safe from the cats too. Great idea, thanks!!
I always have a few extra 5 gallon buckets lying around from Home Depot or Lowes. Just clean one of those out really well and you can use that as well. Just put some cold water in it, submerge the bird then put the lid on. Since you're in Indiana, you can probably even leave it outside and it'll keep cold enough.
We're supposed to be hovering around freezing the next two days, might not be warm enough to thaw? As long as I can get it thawed by Thursday morning to go on the smoker I should be good to go.
Shit that's funny.... And she's not wrong. Good to know I can count on sage wisdom and advice, as always, from this board. I may start in on the wine now.
Brilliant. "Turkey tastes like cardboard, that's why it's served with cranberry sauce, gravy, and pinot noir, because those taste good."
So, I bought myself a sous vide immersion cooker and am looking for some tips/recipes/videos on how to best use this thing. I know at least @Nettdata has one; not sure about who else might be using one and can give some advice.
For it to really shine, go grab yourself a big hunk of meat... like a roast... then let it cook for hours at 132 (or whatever temp you want your finished beef at), then char the fuck out of it on a super hot grill... It's the perfect hunk of meat... no more guesswork, temp probes, etc.
Yeah, that was going to be my first attempt with it. Going to pull one of the roasts from the cow I bought out of the freezer and just try it out with that. Do you season it at all beforehand, or just let it cook first, then season it before you sear it?
I sometimes put seasoning in the bag while it cooks, otherwise I pull it out, dry it off, rub it with salt and pepper, maybe some thyme, then lightly spritz it with olive oil, then put it over the hottest flame I can create. You want it to crust the exterior, so I’ve actually drilled out the pilot holes on my bbq so it goes way higher than stock... pegs the thermometer at 850. I also use welding gloves to help protect from the heat, and keep turning it so it doesn’t cremate. Again, it’s already cooked, you’re just finishing it off.
Interesting. From what (limited) I've read, the consensus seems to be for thicker cuts of meat like roasts, you're better off searing the meat first, then putting it in the bag and letting it finish cooking that way. Things like steaks and chops seem to more closely follow the method you wrote out. Guess I'll just have to give it a try and see what works and what doesn't.
I just did homemade pizza for the first time. Despite it being a partial fail by my standards -- next time it'll be less dough and more sauce, less and different cheese and more toppings -- it was still exponentially better than any delivery or frozen pizza I've ever had. I now feel like a complete idiot for having not done homemade pizza sooner. If anyone is considering doing it, just bite the (very very cheap) bullet and try it. I feel like homemade pizza is one of those things that looks and tastes impressive, but it's so easy even a Millennial could do it.
I make some bomb ass pizzas. I can use primo ingredients and still pay less than take out. They mark down the 1lb blocks of soft uncut mozzarella at the deli to $3 and I put them in the freezer to take out when making pizza . Pre shredded cheese usually has potato starch for anticaking and the blocks come out better and cheaper for me.
This may not be the best place to put this, but I think it fits the subject at hand. If you're looking to try foods from around the country you might want to give Goldbely.com a try. So far I've ordered lobster rolls from Maine and muffuletta sandwiches from New Orleans. Both were great. I had to "assemble" the lobster rolls as you may have guessed, but the muffuletta sandwiches were ready to eat when they arrived. There was enough lobster meat that I could have easily made four rolls instead of the two that the order was prepared. I made lobster mac&cheese with the leftovers instead. Don't get me wrong, it's not cheap by any means, but if your looking to try something different(and the way it was meant to be) this is a fun option.
I made popovers last weekend and they turned out awesome. They have always intimidated me to some degree. I found the recipe on Pinterest. The only special thing you need is a popover pan which I already had. If anyone is interested let me know.