Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey
As soon as November begins, I think of Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday because it’s about family and being thankful.
Naturally, many people think about turkey when they think of Thanksgiving. Some people like it, most people think that it is too dry. My grandmother’s recipe makes for a very juicy turkey! When I tell people about it, they think I am talking about brining turkey, but we don’t brine our turkey. We use my Grandmother’s Juicy Turkey recipe.
To make a juicy turkey, my grandmother would prepare the turkey the night before by washing it. She would shake it out over the sink (yes she would shake a 22 lb turkey) to get out the extra water. The turkey would then be placed in the pan it will cook in the following day. Then my grandmother would put salt and pepper on the inside and outside.
In the morning, she would drain the pan and stuff the turkey. Now you are probably thinking…I do all of those things already. Well here comes her secret…..my grandmother would cover the top of the turkey with bacon. She would put several strips on top of the turkey vertically down the turkey’s back. Then she would basketweave more bacon across it. The ends of the legs would get bacon around them so they don’t burn. While the turkey cooked, she would baste it regularly with the turkey baster. If some of the bacon burned away, she would place another strip of bacon right over it.
When serving, you can remove the bacon, but I bet yourkitchen helpers will have already started to eat it. When I made the turkey for Lee’s family for the first time, I removed the bacon and put it on the side. Lee’s brother brought the bacon to the table as a side dish. I returned to the kitchen and he brought it back in. When I told him that I was using the bacon just to keep the turkey moist, he said that he loved bacon and wanted to eat it with dinner. So now it is a side at our table.
I’m curious if anyone else has used bacon to keep their turkey moist.
I recommend Shady Brook Farms turkeys. I don’t work for Shady Brook, but I do like their turkeys – they are so clean.
:)
Hugs,
marlene
Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
November 10th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
This sounds great … I am going to share this with my sister, too. Thank you!
karens last blog post..Mama Shoes
November 11th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I have brined a turkey and found it to be very flavorful and moist but I have also used bacon to keep the bird moist and keep it from burning. It’s a matter of choice and in some cultures, bacon is not kosher so it’s not acceptable. Please have a look at my food blog where I do a side by side comparison of a brined bird and non brined bird along with my specialty sage dressing and how to make a demi. http://livingstoncooks.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html
Enjoy and please feel free to post comments!
Mark
Mark Livingstons last blog post..PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
November 19th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Now this sounds yummy!
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February 17th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
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