For those, like me, who have done turkeys year after year, and sometimes get good results and sometimes a little better, I’d recommend the Diestel Brined and Seasoned Young Turkey at Costco if you can find one. Price is a little higher than other selections, but the results are terrific. Cooking is a bit different, but shouldn’t be challenging to the ol’ Thanksgiving Pros out there. Bet I’ve done 40 Thanksgivings, and this is the easiest, best tasting, non-dry and flavorful one I’ve ever done. IMO, a find.
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Is it the turkey being sold under the Fra’ Mani label?
Bulavinaka,
Yes it is. I should have included that in my original post.
I skimmed through Diestal’s website - impressive given their apparent size.
Yes, last year when I first purchased one of these, I was looking for a sizable bird for 13-15 people, and was put off a bit by the price; but it was pre-brined, and that was all I noticed since I didn’t have time or energy to do the home brining, which I usually did. I followed the cooking instructions, but didn’t really taste it until the meal. It was very good, both in taste and moistness, almost as if it had been marinated. So it was taste as well as the effects of the brining. Ipse crossed referenced my original post to home cooking, and I’m glad – but I know many people who do cook, like myself, also enjoy the eating out pages. Turkeys are not easy birds to prepare well, or even decently, so I actually saved the tag from last year to help me remember what the heck I bought which I (and others) liked so much. My experience is that most of the joy comes from the side dishes at thanksgiving meals, so this was a really interesting find.
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i’ve gotten decent results with inexpensive birds merely by cutting the bird in half and roasting on a bed of stuffing.
all you need to do is cut like so. a decent pair of shears should do the trick,
finish the cut and place so that the breast is slightly overlapping the dark meat like so
if you let the bird come to room temp, total cooking time should be about 90 minutes at 350
meat was moist, juices soaked into the dressing underneath. i think i stuck it back in the oven and seared it to crisp up the skin a bit after rubbing it with a bit of oil and assorted seasonings.
only downside was no drippings for gravy.
you would probably get better results with a better bird, but this turkey was sufficiently moist that it was devoured in one sitting. and of course, the carcass (including the neck) went into the crock pot for stock for turkey rice porridge.
Sounds fucking dope. And we’re much too lazy.
You inviting us over ???
not that much work actually i used this recipe the tuesdays before thanksgiving last couple of years to feed the homeless.
this year someone’s donating two honey baked hams. so i’ll do sides next week.
If you want to take it a step further a Julia Child elaborated a bit on this in one of her last cookbooks. I tried this last year and it turned out beautifully.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/julia-and-jacquess-deconstructed-turkey-with-corn-bread-stuffing-and-gravy/11042/
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My wife made this one and it turned out great. It’s pretty much the standard turkey prep we now use.