Okay, so it's your single biggest worry when it comes to Thanksgiving meal planning—cooking a perfect, juicy turkey the family will rave over. But being perfect takes time, right? Well, what if someone were to tell you that a picture-perfect, delicious and juicy 12 to 14-pound turkey could be on your table in two hours?
We spoke to a real turkey pro, Betsey Gerstein Sterenfeld, owner and creator of Essen, a recreational cooking school based in Lancaster, and she provided us with the secret to a succulent bird you don't have to slave over.
The secret to her Maple Lacquered Two-Hour Turkey is two-fold: an overnight brine bath, and then the use of strategic temperature control the day of the bake.
(Recipe serves 8-10 and is designed to accommodate a 12 to 14-pound turkey. Remember, you will need a day's head start to soak the bird in brine the night before Thanksgiving.)
Ingredients:
1 cup maple syrup1 cup kosher salt1 orange, halved2 onions, quartered10 cloves20 whole black peppercorns3 whole star anise1 12–14 pound turkey, defrosted2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1. Clean out the bird. Remove giblets from neck cavity and set aside; pat turkey dry with towels.
2. Brine, baby, brine. Place maple syrup and salt in 4 cups of hot water. Stir until salt dissolves. Place maple syrup mixture into large stockpot, filled with a gallon of cold water, and juice of the orange, orange halves, 1 onion, cloves, peppercorns and star anise. Stir to combine. Place turkey in brine. Chill for 12–18 hours.
3. Make your stock. Place giblets (not liver) in small saucepan with remaining onion, 3 cups water and a healthy pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat until reduced and very flavorful, about 1 hour. Make ahead note: Stock can be chilled for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months.
4. Warm up. One hour before roasting, remove turkey from brine. Rinse with cold water, discarding brine. Thoroughly dry turkey. Preheat oven to 450F.
5. Nice rack. Place turkey skin-side up on rack inside a large roasting pan.
6. A little shmear never hurts. Rub skin and exposed flesh with oil.
7. Drip, drip. Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with water to facilitate those lovely pan juices.
8. Roast hot and fast. Allow about 10 minutes per pound. Roast breast side up for first 30 minutes, without regard to size. For a 12-pound bird: 30 minutes at 450F. Flip over. 1 ½ hours at 350F. At this point, check for doneness in white meat with juices running clear when a thermometer inserted into thickest part of the breast, away from bone, registers 165F. When cooked, remove and place breast halves on cutting board to rest. Tent loosely with foil. Return pan to oven and continue roasting the thighs for an additional 15 minutes, or until they are done, as indicated above.
9. Rest. Don't wash the roasting pan—pan juices are your liquid gold.
10. Carve and serve.
Visit essencooking.com for more advice, tips and recipes from Betsey Gerstein Sterenfeld.
