Slow Roasted Turkey Recipes

SLOW-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.While oven is heating, wash turkey in cold water, removing giblets, neck, tail and any pinfeathers.
• Rub oil over all sides of turkey.and place turkey in uncovered roasting pan in oven.
• Bake for 1 hours at 300 degrees to kill bacteria. Then lower oven heat to 180 degrees (desired internal temperature). Bake for remaining 20 hours.
• If wings or thighs begin to brown too fast, wrap them with foil. About 2 hours before time to serve the turkey, check for doneness. If necessary, raise the oven heat to 350 degrees to finish cooking or browning.

SLOW-ROASTED TURKEY WITH APPLE GRAVY

Steps:

• Brine the turkey: Tear the bay leaves to release their natural oils. Place in a large bowl with the buttermilk, sugar, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Place the turkey in a brining bag or clean unscented garbage bag, pour in the buttermilk mixture and tightly tie the bag closed. Place in a pot or bowl that holds it snugly, making sure the legs are fully immersed in the brine, and refrigerate for at least 48 hours and up to 72 hours.
• Make the turkey: Position a rack at the bottom of the oven and heat oven (not convection) to 450 degrees. Tear the bay leaves to release their natural oils. Spread the apples, fennel, onions, 12 bay leaves and half of the thyme, ginger, garlic and orange across the bottom of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and the whole peppercorns.
• Drain the turkey and wipe dry. (Discard the brine.) Place the turkey in the pan breast side up, and rub its cavity with salt and ground pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and the remaining bay leaves, thyme, ginger, garlic and orange. Tuck the wings underneath and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the turkey with salt and ground pepper, and drizzle everything with oil. Drizzle more oil all over the turkey and rub to generously and evenly coat the skin. Transfer to the oven and roast until browned in spots all over but not burned, 20 to 40 minutes. (Ovens vary widely in how quickly they brown such a large bird, so start checking at 20 minutes and keep going until it's spotted all over.)
• Pour 2 cups water into the pan, cover the turkey with foil and loosely crimp around the edges of the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and slide the pan back into the oven. Slow-roast until the turkey is almost cooked through (a meat thermometer will register 150 degrees in the thickest part of the breast and 160 degrees in the thigh), about 4 hours.
• Uncover, baste all over with the pan juices and roast uncovered until the skin is more evenly browned and the meat registers 155 degrees in the breast and 165 degrees in the thigh, 30 to 45 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer the turkey to a serving platter.
• Make the gravy: Smash the fruits and vegetables in the roasting pan. Set a colander with small holes or a medium-mesh strainer over a bowl or pot, and pour in everything from the pan, working in batches if needed. Press hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible along with fruit and vegetable pulp. Discard the solids in the colander; scrape any strained pulp into the bowl. Skim and discard fat from the strained juices.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. While whisking, add the defatted pan juices a little at a time, whisking until smooth, then stir in the brandy. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Keep warm over low.
• When ready to serve, season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Carve the turkey and serve with the hot gravy.

TRADITIONAL SLOW-ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. If turkey isn't self basting or otherwise pre-salted, and if you haven't brined it, consider dry brining the night before. You can dry brine for up to 24 hours but just overnight will improve the taste. If you don't brine, just use the spice mixture. About 10 tablespoons will be enough for about a 24 pound turkey. Rub the turkey inside and out with the spice mixture. Put the aromatics in the turkey cavity. Place the turkey in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until time to cook. 2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Plan to cook for about 16 minutes per pound (per 1/2 kg). Always check the internal temperature much earlier than you expect the turkey to be done. 3. Place one onion and all the lemon, and the parsley into the turkey cavity. 4. Brush or spray the turkey all over with oil. Place one onion, both carrots and both celery stalks in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey breast up on the rack in the roasting pan. 5.Roast the turkey at 325 degree F. (163 degree celsius) oven for about two-thirds of the anticipated cooking time. The turkey should be a light golden brown. 5. Crease aluminum foil then open it up to make a "tent" to place over the breast, not in contact with the breast any more than necessary. Watch the turkey's temperature. It can rise quickly near the end of the cooking time. Check oven safe meat thermometer, beginning earlier than you expect the turkey to be done. Continue cooking until the internal temp of the breast measured half way down is 160 degrees. Check the temperature of the thighs. If they have not reached 155 degrees, cut them from the body and return them to the oven to finish cooking. (Watch the temperature of the thighs closely if you have returned them to the oven.) 6. Cover the turkey loosely with tented aluminum foil. Let rest at least 20 minutes. While resting, the internal temperature will rise 10 degrees to the new USDA recommended internal temp of 165.

SLOW-ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Rinse and dry the turkey breast. Even when I purchase a brined turkey breast, I still like to lightly salt the turkey breast under the skin. You, of course, do not have to. If the turkey breast that you purchase has NOT been brined or koshered, liberally salt the breast under the skin.
• Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with the oil. When hot, add the turkey, breast-side down. Add the onion around the edges of the bird. Add the garlic on top of the onions. Cook several minutes or until the skin has browned. Flip the bird over so that the breast is facing upward. Stir the onions and garlic. Cook a couple minutes longer. If you have a probe thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the breast - making sure the probe is not sticking up in the air in a way that would impede your covering the turkey breast with a lid. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and top with a tight-fitting lid. Crimp the foil around the seam of the pot to ensure steam does not escape. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160F - roughly 2 1/2 hours.
• When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and flip the bird over so that the breast is submerged in the accumulated juices. Cover and let rest 15 minutes. During this time, the internal temperature will increase to at least 170°F.
• Remove the turkey from the pot and place it on a large platter. Keep it tented so it stays warm. Strain the liquid and solids from the pot into a large bowl. Use the back of a ladle to make sure you smash the onion/garlic to extract all of the juices. Discard the vegetable solids. Skim some or most of the fat that settles on top of the broth and discard any unwanted fat. Measure how much turkey broth you have. If you do not have at least 4 cups, add some chicken stock to come up to a total of 4 cups of liquid. If you like particularly thin gravy, you can add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cups of turkey/chicken broth. If you like thicker gravy, reduce the liquid by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
• To make the gravy, heat a saucepan over medium heat with three tablespoons of butter. After the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook the butter/flour mixture for about 5 minutes or until it is brown in color. Add the turkey broth and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil then simmer about 5 minutes. Too thin? Simmer another few minutes or until the gravy is your desired thickness. Too thick? Add more turkey broth, chicken broth, or even water. When the gravy is your desired level of thickness, taste it and add some salt and pepper, if needed. You'll probably need at least some salt.
• Serve the turkey breast and gravy with some mashed potatoes.