{"id":26815,"date":"2012-11-14T19:00:40","date_gmt":"2012-11-15T00:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/?p=26815"},"modified":"2013-08-29T16:46:56","modified_gmt":"2013-08-29T20:46:56","slug":"perfect-roast-turkey-via-canal-house-cooks-everyday-which-were-giving-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2012\/11\/14\/perfect-roast-turkey-via-canal-house-cooks-everyday-which-were-giving-away\/","title":{"rendered":"perfect roast turkey via ‘canal house cooks everyday’ (which we’re giving away!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Canal<\/a>
photo: christopher hirscheimer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Thanksgiving soon upon us, the debate about whether to brine or not-to-brine the turkey before roasting rages on. We’ve long been a fan of brining, having found it the foolproof method for insuring a moist, well-seasoned bird<\/a>. Until recently, when two things made us question our belief.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, on Serious Eats’ Food Lab<\/a> we read a very long post documenting the wonderfully-obsessive J. Kenji L\u00f3pez-Alt<\/a>\u00a0exploring and testing our brining works like a scientist. \u00a0AND in Canal House Cooks Every Day<\/a>\"\", the swell prize in our current book giveaway<\/a>, we read Christopher Hirscheimer and Melissa Hamilton’s use of the dry-brine technique \u2014 simply salting the bird 3 days ahead \u2014 pioneered by chef Judy Rogers in her great Zuni Cafe Cookbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We trust Christopher and Melissa’s sensibility SO much that we’re publishing the recipe below. You’ll find it and hundreds of other wonderfully simple, delish recipes in the big red Canal House Cooks Every Day<\/a>, which we’ll be giving away to a lucky winner on December 5th. Click here to find out how to enter the giveaway.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

recipe:\u00a0Canal House Cooks Every Day<\/a>\"\"\u00a0Roast Turkey<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve cooked turkeys every which way: in a brown grocery bag (turns out to be highly\u00a0unsanitary), draped with butter-drenched cheesecloth, deep fried, deboned and shaped into\u00a0a melon (oh la la!). We’ve even wrestled with a hot twenty-fve pounder, breast side\u00a0down, then breast side up, and on and on. But we think we\u2019ve found the answer to achieving the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey \u2014 the easy dry salt brine.<\/p>\n

Rinse a 14\u201316-pound fresh turkey\u00a0<\/em>(not injected or pre-brined) and pat dry with paper towels. Rub or pat 3 tablespoons kosher salt<\/em> onto the breasts, legs, and thighs. Tightly wrap the\u00a0turkey completely in plastic wrap or slip it into a very large resealable plastic bag, pressing\u00a0out the air before sealing it. Set the turkey on a pan breast side up and refrigerate it for 3\u00a0days. Turn the turkey every day, massaging the salt into the skin through the plastic.<\/p>\n

Unwrap the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels (don\u2019t rinse the bird). Return the turkey\u00a0to the pan breast side up and refrigerate it, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or overnight.<\/p>\n

Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, at least 1\u00a0hour. Preheat the oven to 325\u00b0.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve decided to serve your turkey stuffed, spoon\u00a0the stuffing of your choice<\/em> into the cavity of the bird. (Put any extra stuffing into a buttered baking dish, cover, and put it in the oven to bake with the turkey for the last hour.) Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Tuck the wings under the back. Rub the turkey all over with 3\u20134 tablespoons softened butter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Place the turkey breast side up on a roasting rack set into\u00a0a large roasting pan. Add 2 cups water<\/em> to the pan. Roast the turkey until it is golden brown\u00a0and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165\u00b0, about 3 hours for an unstuffed\u00a0bird and 3\u20134 hours for a stuffed one.<\/p>\n

Transfer the turkey to a platter, loosely cover it with foil, and let it rest for 20\u201330 minutes\u00a0before carving. Serve the turkey and stuffing, if using, with the pan drippings.<\/p>\n

Related posts: book giveaway: \u2018canal house cooks every day\u2019
\n<\/a>foolproof roast turkey recipe + brining strategies
\n<\/a>just in time for the holidays: canal house cooking vol. 7
\n<\/a>4 great downloadable d-i-y\u2019s from canal house cooking
\n<\/a>canal house cooking vol 6: crax & butter for dinner!!!
\n<\/a>\u2018when life arrives at the door unexpectedly\u2019 (+ lots of ideas for the holidays from canal house cooking 5)
\n<\/a>canal house cooking: home cooks as indie publisher<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Thanksgiving soon upon us, the debate about whether to brine or not-to-brine the turkey before roasting rages on. We’ve long been a fan of brining, having found it the foolproof method for insuring a moist, well-seasoned bird. Until recently, when two things made us question our belief. Yesterday, on Serious Eats’ Food Lab we…<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8361,161,2133,81,413,6548,4,8363,8364],"tags":[5353,5393,5392,5394],"yoast_head":"\nperfect roast turkey via 'canal house cooks everyday' (which we're giving away!)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Canal House Cooks Every Day features a version of Judy Rogers ultra-simple dry-brine technique for roasting a perfect turkey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2012\/11\/14\/perfect-roast-turkey-via-canal-house-cooks-everyday-which-were-giving-away\/\" \/>\n<meta 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