TURKEY COOOKING TIPS + In a 325 ºF oven, turkey takes 15 mins/lb Stuffed 8 to 12 lbs: 3-4 hours 12 to 16 lbs: 4-4.5 hours 16 to 20 lbs: 4.5-5 hours 20 to 24 lbs: 5-6 hours or more Unstuffed 8 to 12 lbs: 2.5-3 hours 12 to 16 lbs: 3.5-4 hours 16 to 20 lbs: 4-5 hours 20 to 24 lbs: 4.5-6 hours or more Cook it until a thermometer reads 165F when inserted into the fleshiest part of the thigh (where it connects to the drumstick, but don t let the thermometer touch the bone.)
Here s a quick refresher: There are thousands of ways to cook a turkey, and we know it s the sort of thing you probably don t do too often. Sometimes it s tough to recall what to do so we put together some helpful tips to make a tasty turkey for your family and friends to enjoy. Before we get into the technical stuff here s a little story about where your turkey is from. 2 Your Turkey comes from Joyce Farms. A group of small, traditional family farms in North Carolina. These farmers have deep caring and passion for the animals, and are the best at raising them. It's in their blood, as their families have been farming for generations. And they use the same age-old artisan methods that their grandparents did without machines or automation. Your turkey was grown in a safe, humane, low stress environment, and fed a wholesome grain diet with no artificial ingredients, no antibiotics, and no hormones. They were never caged and always have plenty of land to roam free on. They are hand selected and are packed fresh, and come directly to us. Joyce Farms turkeys are different from the mass produced, factory farmed commodity turkeys found in most supermarkets today. They are not grown to be the cheapest priced turkey in the super-market, but to be the highest quality turkey with superior culinary qualities that will please the most discriminating connoisseur. We are proud to say that many of the 4 and 5 star chefs we work with in the Tampa Bay area feature Joyce Farms turkeys exclusively for their holiday meals.
The Technical Stuff No artificial ingredients No hormones or steroids-ever Free to roam in barns, never caged Humanely raised on sustainable farms Thawing: You probably won t need to do this but if you do this is what you need to know. While thawing, keep the turkey in its original wrapper on a tray if it s in the fridge, to catch any juices that may leak. Allow approximately 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds in the refrigerator, and approximately 30 minutes per pound in cold water. Once thawed, your turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Brining: If you plan to brine your turkey, essentially marinating the bird, infusing it with flavor and moisture, plan ahead ensure the turkey is thawed and aim for about an hour of time in the brine per pound, or up to 24 hours. When you remove your turkey from its brine, toss the brine and pat the skin of the turkey dry with a paper towel to ensure it crisps up in the oven. *See recipe below Prepping: before roasting, a turkey can be rubbed with herbs and spices, painted with a glaze, butter shoved under the skin, stuffed with any number of ingredients, or you can use absolutely nothing but a little oil, salt and pepper and it will still be delicious. If you re not stuffing your bird, throwing half a lemon, apple, onion, celery, carrots, handful of fresh herbs, a few garlic cloves in any combinationinside the cavity is easy and will add flavor. Trussing is optional it s generally only done for aesthetic reasons, and if you don t bother, you ll have nicely browned legs all around. Stuffing: if you stuff your turkey, fill the cavities loosely and cook the turkey immediately. (Make sure you first remove the giblets!) Roasting: Some people cook their turkey upside down (breast-down in the roasting pan) this won t produce a picture-perfect turkey, but means the juices will run down into the breast during cooking, ensuring it stays moist. Some people start it this way and then flip it halfway through to brown the breast skin, but it s sometimes awkward to flip a half-cooked turkey, as you can imagine. To keep the moisture from escaping, cover with aluminum foil until the last hour of cooking. Don t forget to baste, baste, and baste some more! Every 20-30 minutes is best. Cooking times: Many recipes start with a higher initial temperature to crisp and brown the skin, and then drop to a lower temperature to cook the meat through. If you keep it constant, it seems fairly unanimous that a turkey should be roasted at 325 F. If the meat is cooked properly before the stuffing is (insert a meat thermometer into the meatiest part of the thigh and thickest part of the breast, without touching the bone), remove the stuffing, transfer it to a baking dish and put it back in the oven while the turkey rests and you make gravy. That way, the meat won t dry out as you wait for the stuffing to come up to temperature. *See recipe below Turkey Fun Facts * Wild Turkeys sometimes sleep in trees *Only male turkeys gobble. Female turkeys make chirping sounds. *Wild turkeys can fly. They fly short distances up to 55 mph. * The turkey s eyes are on the side of his head. By rotating his head he can see 360 degrees- the whole way around. *The skin on a turkey s head can change colorsto red, blue, or white when she gets excited. *Turkeys have all sorts of names: adult male turkeys are toms, females are called hens. Babies are called poults, young boys are called jakes and young girls jennys. 3
When the fridge is packed, you can bag and brine your bird in a cooler. + Turkey Brine Recipe WHAT? Brine is a salt solution often infused with other flavors WHY? It makes your meat more flavorful and tender, the final outcome is a jucier bird. 4 STEP BY STEP BRINING BASICS STEP 1 COMBINE WATER + SALT + SUGAR 1 CUP KOSHER OR SEA SALT ½- 1 CUP SUGAR 1 GALLON WATER YOU CAN ALSO USE OTHER LIQUIDS TO REPLACE SOME OR ALL OF THE WATER LIKE APPLE CIDER/JUICE, ORANGE JUICE, BEER, WINE, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, CHICKEN STOCK, TEA, MAPLE SYRUP YOU CAN ADD DIFFERENT FLAVORS HERE: ROSEMARY, PEPPERCORNS, BAY LEAVES, GARLIC, THYME, APPLES, BROWN SUGAR, ONIONS, PARSLEY, CELERY, PICK WHAT YOU LIKE STEP 2 BOIL + COOL BOIL FOR 5 MINUTES AND COOL COMPLETLEY STEP 3 SUBMERGE FULLY USE A POT OR BRINING BAG STEP 4 PLACE TURKEY IN CONTAINER MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO REFRIGERATE IT, OR KEEP IT COLD IN A COOLER STEP 5 HOW LONG TO BRINE? TIME= 1 HOUR + PER POUND MY FAVORITE BRINE RECIPE Ingredients 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider 2 gallons Cold Water 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves 5 cloves Garlic, Minced 1-1/2 cup Kosher Salt 2 cups Brown Sugar 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns 5 whole Bay Leaves Peel Of Three Large Oranges Preparation Instructions Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method. www.thepioneerwoman.com
TURKEY GRAVY COOK TIME 20 MIN SERVES 16 INGREDIENTS TURKEY DRIPPINGS 3-3.5 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH (LOW SODIUM) ½ CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR ½ TSP THYME ½ TSP SAGE ½ TSP PEPPER DIRECTIONS POUR TURKEY DRIPPINGS AND LOOSENED BROWNED BITS FROM ROASTING PAN INTO 4 CUP MEASURING CUP. SKIM FAT, RESERVING 2 TABLESPOONS. ADD ENOUGH BROTH TO THE DRIPPINGS TO MEASURE 3 CUPS. IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN, WHISK FLOUR, ¾ CUP BROTH AND RESERVE FAT UNTIL SMOOTH. ADD THYME, SAGE, AND PEPPER; GRADUALLY WHISK IN THE DRIPPINGS MIXTURE. BRING TO A BOIL, STIRRING CONSTANTLY; COOK AND STIR FOR 2-3 MINUTES OR UNTIL THICKENED. TASTE FOR SEASONING- ADD SALT AND PEPPER UNTIL TASTINESS IS DANCING IN YOUR MOUTH 5
A note from the chef: A Thankful Thanksgiving It isn t the FARM that Happy Thanksgiving from Chef Andrea and the team at Turtle Beach Natural makes the FARMER, It s the LOVE, HARD WORK, and CHARACTER. We are also thankful to have successfully launched the newest division of our Our goal is simple; to provide the community with REAL quality food at fair market prices. Our team works around the clock to make sure everyone in town is well fed- 7 days a week. We are thankful for everyone on our team here at Turtle Beach Natural Foodservice that make is all-possible. We are also very thankful for YOU! We 6 Foodservice! We would like to thank you for choosing a small Locally Owned and Operated Family Business to provide you with your Thanksgiving Turkey this holiday season. We are thankful for a lot over here at the Turtle Beach Natural Foodservice. We have a lot of gratitude for the hard working farmers that wake up before the sun rises in the morning to consciously tend and well care for wellbeing of every animal on their farm. One thing we have come to know and understand is that... company HOME DELIVERY. For over 5 years we have been providing quality products to the finest restaurants, local schools, markets, and churches. And now we are very proud to serve everyone in the Tampa Bay area. Everything we do, we do with our customer in mind. Our farms are all extensively researched and are often visited by our team of food experts, chefs, and nutritionist who are passionate about making sure we are providing the tastiest, most nutritious, clean, and healthy foods we can get our hands on. truly appreciate your business, and thank you for believing in us and trying us out. It has only been a few months for us and we have already met many amazing people. We are the new guy in town and need help spreading the word. If you have enjoyed your experience with us we would love for you to tell your friends and neighbors about what we are doing over here. As a thank you to you we would like to offer you an additional 10% off your next order with the Promo Code: THANKYOU