Heathers Upside Down Turkey Recipes

FAST UPSIDE-DOWN TURKEY

Steps:

• Place turkey in a large pan, bowl, or tub. Remove the neck and innards and save to make a gravy, if desired. Season the inside of the turkey with 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and then the outside with the rest, until the entire surface of the bird has a thin coating of salt crystals. Transfer to the refrigerator, uncovered, and let brine for 12 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Set a large foil roasting pan over a sheet pan.
• Cut the bread loaf lengthwise into two halves. Butter generously and place buttered-side up into the prepared roasting pan, pushing bread halves together so they are touching.
• Remove turkey from the fridge and stuff sage, rosemary, and thyme into the cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and place breast-side down on top of the bread, making sure turkey is as steady and straight-up as possible. Tuck wing tips up and over the drumette.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 2 hours. Let turkey rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
• In the meantime, cut bread into cubes and transfer onto a serving plate; keep warm as needed. Spoon juices onto the turkey, place it on top of the bread, and carve.

UPSIDE-DOWN TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. Rub mixture all over turkey, including inside body cavity. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least overnight and up to 24 hours, to allow seasoning to penetrate meat.
• Remove plastic from turkey; rinse inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in lower third. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine. Trim bread to length of turkey breast (about 9 inches), then slice horizontally. Butter cut sides of bread. On a V-shaped wire rack set in a roasting pan, place slices side-by-side lengthwise, buttered-sides up. Place turkey breast-side down, so it rests on bread (not directly on rack). Roast 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven and, using a kitchen towel to hold neck side and a wooden spoon inside cavity for leverage, carefully flip turkey breast-side up. Pour broth into pan, then rotate pan and return to oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue roasting, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, about 2 hours more.
• Transfer turkey to a serving platter. Remove rack from pan; discard bread. Set pan with drippings aside to make your preferred gravy recipe (keeping in mind that drippings will be salty). Let turkey stand 30 minutes. Serve, garnished with figs, grapes, sage, and thyme.

UPSIDE DOWN TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Rinse turkey and remove giblets. Place turkey upside (breast) down in a roasting pan. Insert 1/4 cup butter inside the turkey. Place remaining butter in several pieces around the turkey. Pour water into the pan.
• Cook covered in the preheated oven 3 to 3 1/2 hours until the internal temperature of the thigh has reached 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

PERFECTLY MOIST AND TENDER TURKEY

Steps:

• Allow turkey to stand at room temperature for about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third of oven.
• Use a serrated knife to cut off top of bread to create a flat surface, if necessary. Cut bread lengthwise, without cutting all the way through. Open bread like a book. Evenly spread butter over cut-side of bread. Place bread, buttered side up, in large, heavy-duty roasting pan.
• Liberally season turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Truss legs together using kitchen twine, and tuck wing tips under the breast. Place turkey, breast side down, on buttered bread. Place in oven, legs first if possible, and roast for 45 minutes. (If it's not possible to position turkey in oven legs first, rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time.) Remove turkey from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
• Using a wooden spoon and side towels, carefully turn turkey so it's breast side up. Place in oven, breast side first if possible, and continue roasting, turning and basting with pan juices every 15 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) reaches 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours more. (If it's not possible to position turkey in oven breast side first, rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time.) Let turkey rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

UPSIDE DOWN TURKEY

Steps:

• Wash turkey with clear water and pat dry. Mix seasonings together and rub all over the turkey.
• Invert turkey onto a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck wings under and cover with aluminum foil. Pour a small amount of wine over turkey. Place in 325 oven.
• Bake for 3 hours. Baste turkey every 30 minutes with wine. Use turkey baster to baste with juices in the pan. Remove from oven after 3 hours.With oven mitt covered hands flip the turkey and place back on the rack. Continue baking for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

BOURBON DRUNKEN UPSIDE-DOWN TURKEY

Steps:

• MARINADE PREP.
• In a bowl put Cheese Cloth (you will need about 3-5 packages -- depending on the size of your Turkey) and 3-4 cups of MAKERS MARK, let Cheese Cloth soak up Bourbon.
• Clean inside cavity of Turkey -- then Salt & Pepper inside cavity, and add 1 tablespoon of Herbs De Provence, sprinkle inside cavity.
• Carefully seperate the skin from the Turkey Breast -- take 1 Tablespoon of Herbs De Provence and put under skin of the breast -- be sure to massage the herbs under the skin so they can spread evenly under the skin -- if your having a hard time moving the herbs around -- just take a tablespoon of Makers Mark and put it under the skin it should help the herbs spread.
• Take 2 of the BOURBON SOAKED CHEESE CLOTH and stuff the inside of the Turkey -- don't pack it -- just lightly put it in place.
• *NOTE: If you DON'T HAVE A FLAVOR INJECTOR -- SKIP THIS STEP* -- With a flavor injector, inject the following spots with a full syringe of BOURBON -- FLIP TURKEY UPSIDE DOWN (DO NOT INJECT TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP!) -- INJECT BOURBON IN BOTH LEGS -- and UNDERNEATH THE BREAST (try to get the needle where the bone of the breast is) -- and INJECT BOTH WINGS.
• Wrap outside of Turkey with the remaining BOURBON SOAKED CHEESE CLOTH -- then WRAP the TURKEY & CHEESE CLOTH IN SARAN/PLASTIC WRAP and put in REFIDGERATOR AND MARINADE UPSIDEDOWN -- FLIPPING AND ROTATING THE TURKEY EVERY 6-8 hours -- NOTE: If you would like to inject the same spots every other time you rotate it will enhance the flavors more, but it may require an extra bottle of bourbon.
• 24-36 HOURS MARINADE TIME.
• COOKING PREP.
• Remove plastic wrap & cheese cloth -- also the cheese cloth inside the cavity -- take ALL the cheese cloth and RESOAK IN BOURBON.
• Melt 1/2 cup butter -- INJECT MELTED BUTTER IN SAME EXACT AREAS WHERE THE BOURBON WAS INJECTED -- *hint* -- TURKEY NEEDS TO BE UPSIDEDOWN.
• Rub Olive Oil all over Turkey -- SALT & PEPPER THE ENITRE OUTSIDE TURKEY, AND THEN LIGHTLY SPRINKLE HERBS DE PROVENCE ALL OVER TURKEY AS WELL.
• Gather Garlic Cloves, Onion, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Oranges, Parsley and Sage -- Cut the Garlic Cloves & Onion in half, leaving the skin on -- drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cut Oranges into fouths.
• WRAP EVERYTHING (Garlic Cloves, Onion, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Oranges, Parsley and Sage) IN THE BOURBON SOAKED CHEESE CLOTH AND STUFF INTO TURKEY.
• Add entire stick of butter to bottom of roasting pan.
• OKAY NOW COOK THE TURKEY UPSIDEDOWN -- TRUST ME I'VE MADE THE MISTAKE OF COOKING THE TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP AND ITS ALWAYS DRY.-- TENT THE ENTIRE TURKEY IN THE OVEN WITH ALUMINUM FOIL UP UNTIL THE FINAL 2 1/2 HOURS OF COOKING -- 2 1/2 hours before its done take the tent off and FLIP the TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP (the best way to do this is having 2 people maybe more depending on the size and 2 of the same size pans and place one on top of the other and flip) -- NOTE: TO GET A CRISP GOLDEN BREAST TURN UP THE OVEN AN EXTRA 125 DEGREES FOR 25-35 MINUTES.
• KEEP BASTING IN NATURAL JUICES EVERY 30 MINUTES -- BASTE, BASTE, BASTE -- BASTING IS KEY!
• This will be so flavorfull and juicy, your dinner guests will BE AMAZED.