You can't screw this up.... I promise

Put your turkey where it can thaw to room temp. The night before Thanksgiving, take the unwrapped turkey, remove the giblets, and rub down the whole outside of the turkey with butter. Then liberally dust the entire outside and inside of the turkey with plain table salt. Put the turkey breast down in a covered roasting pan with a quarter inch of water then cover and bake at 200 degrees for 10 hours. Remove and serve (it will be too tender and juicy to remove whole from the pan)

This turkey recipe is in an old family cookbook and is how my family has been cooking turkey for many, many years. It sounds like a lot of salt but its not and it makes the turkey savory and flavorful. You wont be disappointed.

Turkeys are built for this method. They have a hand side flat.area near their pulley bone.

Breast down is the way to go.

The turkey prices broke today. This is Randall's which is the same as Safeway. Most other supermarket prices will be about the same.

Thats a great price, shame we don't have a Randalls around here.

They’ll be giving away free turkeys soon.

We never cook Turkeys, always at one of the Sisters house. I do want to deep fry one in peanut oil.

They are owned by Safeway.

Adds like this is why I do not miss the grocery business. I used to say "we`re not making money, we`re making friends". I made an executive decision last year not to cook turkey anymore, I do not care what the price. None of my family or their kids eats it. It ends up on their plate and then in the trash.

They make the money on peanuts that they lose on their popcorn.

tpack, if you use the recipe I mentioned i can promise every bit of that turkey will be eaten. It's that damn good.

The Thanksgiving ads all broke yesterday. I plan to buy mine tomorrow morning at HEB. I'll keep it frozen until Monday, then put it in a cooler to thaw until Wednesday. I'll debone it Wednesday while it is still practically frozen, make my stock and clean my kitchen.

Aerangis, I like a crispy skin. Do you get that cooking it breast side down?

There are thousands of ways to ruin a turkey and only one guaranteed method that you can take to the bank. Here’s my first cookbook, bought in 1973 when I got out of the Navy. I got this recipe from a fishing buddy in New Hampshire and we tweaked it through the next 40 years or so.

When you see a recipe that looks this old and used, you know it’s good!



Yeah I know, what a mess. Here’s the typed version.

No Fuss Turkey

Preheat oven to 500

Thoroughly wash turkey inside and out

Salt cavity of turkey and put wine soaked towel in cavity

Put turkey in preheated oven until skin is golden and crisp (about 40 min to an hour)

Take out and baste with stick of butter then cover with dish towel and douse with semi sweet white wine or semi dry white wine or cooking sherry (about 2-21/2 cups)

Cover tightly in foil, turn oven down to 425 and cook for 1 hour

Turn oven off and leave in oven overnight -DO NOT open oven door (put duct tape on door as reminder)

1 hour before carving take foil and towel off and put back in oven @325 for 45 minutes


Notes:

I like to put the turkey on a trivet to keep it out of the broth. She says the turkey pan has a built in trivet. I disagree.

Yes, two clean dishcloths is the real magic here. And wine! We try not to use sweet wine but we did once and it was still good. Make sure the towel covering the turkey has both ends down in the wine and also be sure to drag out a tail from the internal towel and tuck it down into the wine.

If you like giblet gravy like I do, wait until the turkey is done and use the drippings. You’ll have to pour out the drippings into a pan anyhow to get your turkey on a platter. I prefer red wine for my giblet gravy.

Don’t try to remove the turkey alone, it’s a two man job. Dumping the broth is also a two-man job. Gotta hold that turkey while you tilt the pan.

It might make good sense to use a third towel under the turkey to help lift it without damage.

You start this turkey a few hours before bedtime then just shut off oven and go to bed. The house smells great the next morning.

I no longer shop around for the best price. Its like robbing Peter to pay Paul. They are all priced within a few dollars.

I bought my turkey at HEB this morning. It was 35¢ per pound. Other bargains abounds. I almost tripped over the cranberries.

Cast, that does not sound like no fuss.

Let the wife do it. It’s so good that she’ll take over cooking turkeys.

You can take it to the bank.

I took my turkey out of the freezer today to thaw. Plan to debone it and make stock Wednesday. Leaves Thursday morning free.

Will you document your deboning procedure as you do it please? Lots of pics.

It saves more time than it takes. I sometimes have enough sliced breast to freeze for turkey club BLTs when my tomatoes come in.

Making my stock today. I put bullion cubes in there. I froze the dark meat. Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

This year, I'm removing the little plastic tracking device, so they don't know how many people are coming to dinner!!!!!