Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Turkey wars - let the games begin

None of that bothers me.

I'll keep on, keepin' on with stuffin'.

Just make sure it's rinsed and then fully cooked.

Stuffing has to be inside the bird.....that's why it's called "stuffing". Extry in another pan.

Ocean Spray cranberries made into sauce.

Mashed potatoes.

Good brown gravy.

Will be with friends this year. First time in quite a while I won't be cooking. I'll be in charge of the beer, I reckon.

Yeah, and not that pasty beige crap people try to pass off as gravy, that tastes like Elmer's school glue and a few shavings of a chicken flavoured OXO cube scraped into it

Well, when you want the job done right, give it to the expert....

There's a couple other things that I do to make sure I don't get poisoned.

1) The bird has to be completely defrosted and I let it sit on the counter to come close to room temp. Cool is OK but no frosty parts.

2) Stuff it as soon as the dressing is cooked and immediately put in the oven.

The above ensures that it will cook evenly and the interior will fully cook and kill all the nasties.

One other thing worth mentioning. The dressing has to be a little dry to account for the extra moisture inside the turkey and don't overstuff it by cramming it in. If you don't leave it a tad dry the stuffing it will turn into a big clump of gooey mess. Tasty mess but gooey.

You cook your stuffing prior to cooking it? Never done that.

Thank you?

So, what are your plans in the beer department?

Yes, it is a compliment, from me, delivered in a cheeky sort of way....

Yes.

You got to saute the onions, celery, and walnuts (I forgot that in my earlier post) in butter. Then I mix warm broth and all the rest of the goodies into the bread cubes. That's the "cooking".

I could have used "as soon as (or when) the dressing is prepared".

This all seems like an awful lotta work for an old yardbird! Thinking I'll just grill up some strip loins.

And there is what I lack, a good stuffing recipe in the first place. I could always add some drips into the mix at the end of the show instead of stuffing the bird.

One thing however, if stuffed too dry then the bird could be dry as well. Then again it depends on what kind of bird that is purchased to start with. Whether, water logged, injected, or air chilled?????? I think this is the real issue on why things don't work out for other people.

Any who, I'll cut and insert garlic cloves into the muscle about a clove worth and separated the skin and paste a butter rub under between and cover. I cook em breast down then flip them for the roasted look and brush with a bit of EVOO if needed to brown. Sometimes I'll even insert a bit of brine into the muscle......Hmmmm the decisions

You won't run into problems with turkey being dry as long as it's cooked properly. The inside of the birds oozes moisture and fat. You can cook one without stuffing and it won't dry out.

I add broth to the stuffing but just not quite as much as what I bake on the side.

here's a good tip I do ...after I brine /drain /rinse/ dried off ..... the bird....it goes into the fridge uncovered, at 6am the day prior (wed morin) with one of them little clip fans inside the fridge to move the air around. Then out on turkey day to setup/warm up a bit ......it slightly dries and tightens the skin >and when all is said and done I have a very crispy/tasty skin !

You all go to the store for them don't you.....

which i love

Gotcha. Similar when I work my kitchen magic.

No sir. I just get one from the freezer that started in the backyard.

Don't have time to run up to Kassik's for a growler. Was thinking bottles. Maybe Bud light. <hurl>

Might have to stop at Hoodoo Brewery in Fbks. Good selection of local suds.

nuthin wrong with bud light you snooty snob

(btw, glad yer back, had all kinds of ridicule stored up)