For those who want to know more about the turkey

this is your newsletter

Hello and welcome to Home Movies Tuesday! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:

this year’s friend, all rubbed in fennel and garlic and roasted on a sheet pan

Each year, I find most people approach turkey with a certain fear, indifference, or combination of both. But since you’re here, I assume you’ve committed (I love that), and I want to help you feel confident, and dare I say, excited, about this massive bird you’re about to take on. 

I’ve said before that turkey is more or less like a large chicken, and anatomically, that’s correct. But the flavor is pretty different, partly because it doesn’t have as much fat as a chicken, and partly because it’s much larger, giving the (dark) meat a gamier and more…robust flavor. The proportions are also clearly not the same, so roasting it presents different problems than an average chicken. That said, you should not be afraid to treat this kind of like a large chicken, with a few amendments.

1. Seasoning. 

Because of the size and thick (kind of leathery?) skin of the turkey, it really benefits from a good seasoning at least 12 hours ahead, preferably 24. “Good seasoning” refers to both the deliciousness of it and also the abundance. This year's dry brine, made with kosher salt, light brown sugar, grated garlic, crushed fennel seed, fresh sage and black pepper will give you that. 

If the idea of using fennel seed on your turkey frightens you, trust that it’s more of a harmonious whisper than an aggressive shout. All the flavors will appropriately mellow as the turkey roasts, but also make your gravy and vegetables that roast alongside taste that much better. A true symphony. 

2. Special Equipment. 

You don’t need any. Two sheet pans, one wire rack and a regular pastry brush/unused paintbrush from the hardware store (or, a spoon) are all you need — and you should have all these things, anyway. Oh, and kitchen twine if you’re trussing (in recent years, I’ve enjoyed trussing for the visual and also the way it gets the underside of the thigh a bit more brown). 

Roasting pans might be necessary for a turkey in the 25lb range, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. Turkey basters seem like a good idea, I guess, but they always cause piping hot liquid to squirt at me at the most inopportune times and I’ve sworn them off forever. Plus, I don’t love using plastic with hot liquids. 

3. Roasting. 

The turkey takes a pretty long time to roast, which makes sense – they can be very large! For the most part, I don’t really mess with any bird above 18–20 pounds – they take too long, almost never come out as tender or “moist” as a smaller bird and have a gamier flavor I don’t always enjoy.

If you do this at a lower temperature for longer, you get tender, well-cooked, shreddable leg and thigh meat with juicy, cooked-through breast meat– no need for an oven temperature change. 325°F/165°C (no fan) for 3 ½–4 hours for your 12–15lb turkey (likely 4–4 ½ hours for those turkeys in the 15–17lb range) works for me every time– tested through the years in a wide variety of ovens, gas and electric.

4. Crispy skin – listen.

The skin is as crispy on this bird as you can expect turkey skin to be. The wings are shattering. Near the neck, it’s crunchy like a chip. The legs have parts that make a crunch sound when you snap the bits off. This skin is certainly not flabby. But all the tricks and tips and drying overnight and and and and… Well, by the time you’re carving that thing, the skin has lost a lot of crispness, even if it comes out of the oven that way. Have I said all this before? Probably. But like telling everyone buttermilk is naturally low-fat, I feel a responsibility to free you from the tyranny of such a pursuit. 

5. Resting and Carving. 

This is mostly important for your timing purposes, and the resting time must be built into your overall timeline when preparing your meal. 

The turkey comes out of the oven. I let it rest on the sheet pan 10–15 minutes or so. Then I transfer it to a wire rack set inside a sheet pan (this allows it to cool faster, stop cooking, and gives you the sheet pan with the pan drippings to make your gravy). This turkey can hang out here for up to an hour and still be hot. I would not recommend carving before it’s rested at least 30 minutes — too hot to handle, truly. 

I like to begin carving the legs on the sheet pan to catch any juices, so they don’t run all over my cutting board. Then I transfer each large piece (leg and thigh, breast and wing) to the cutting board and further slice from there. The thigh bone gets removed so I can shred or slice the thigh, the breast is sliced (not too thick, not too thin), and the legs and wings are served whole.

my two sons

Aside from the question of “I don’t like turkey, what else can I do?” I’ll try to answer any of your other pressing turkey-related questions here in the comments thread of this post (or here on this Thanksgiving thread, which has already seen some turkey-related action).

For all the recipes, read on.

Thank you SO much to this team, for making this happen. A feat always, but especially at Thanksgiving. Director: Doron Max Hagay @doronmaxhagay / Producer: Graham Mason @grahambomason / Photography Director: Alex Bliss @albertblimp / Audio: Catherine Hood @catherinekhood/ Camera Operator: Daniel Rampulla @danielrampulla / Camera Operator: Johnny Frohman @johnnyfrohman / Graphics: Gordon Landenberger @gordonlandenberger / Editor: John Magary @johnmagary / Finishing Editor: Cooper Conley-Currier @finestworksong and an extra special thank you to Narni Summerall and Antara Sinha for all the help in getting this out the door!

Fennel Rubbed Sheet Pan Turkey With Cider Vinegar Gravy

81.2KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Fennel Rubbed Sheet Pan Turkey with Cider Vinegar Gravy

Serves 10–12

This turkey is dry-brined and roasted on a sheet pan, per usual. No, the juices will not overflow, but yes, you do have to be careful removing the turkey from the oven. If you have a roasting pan, you can use it, but I think it’s tough to beat how brown the skin gets and how evenly roasted the vegetables (leeks, fennel) get when you roast on a sheet pan. Don’t let the word fennel scare you—it’s mild (though there is an option to increase the amount here), but gives just enough to make this turkey feel special. If you really don’t like turkey or are feeding less people and want to use this same rub on two chickens this year, you can. 

Instead of cranking the temperature up at the end, this turkey goes for a bit longer at the same low temperature (325°F/162°C) until it’s not just perfectly cooked through, but tender in all the right places and deeply browned all over thanks to the brown sugar in the dry brine and occasional end-of-roast basting.

For the Turkey:

⅓ cup kosher salt

⅓ cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

2–4 tablespoons fennel seed, finely chopped or coarsely crushed

3–4 cloves garlic, finely grated, plus two heads garlic, halved crosswise

1 (12- to 15-pound) turkey, defrosted, neck and giblets removed

¼ cup finely chopped sage or thyme, plus 1 bunch thyme, oregano, sage (or a mix)

2 large fennel bulbs, quartered

2–4 leeks, roots and very dark green parts removed, quartered lengthwise

2 large onions, cut into large wedges

¼ cup olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

*If you have a love of fennel/are not afraid to try something new, I would go for the full 4 tablespoons.

For the Gravy:

6 tablespoons/3 ounces unsalted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour or ⅓ cup cornstarch

2 ½ cups turkey stock (see recipe), or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, plus more

2 tablespoons apple cider or sherry vinegar, plus more

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or worcestershire sauce, plus more

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2–2 ½ cups drippings from the turkey

1. Prepare the turkey: Combine kosher salt, light brown sugar, black pepper, fennel seed, grated garlic and chopped sage in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack. (If you don’t have one, place the turkey directly on the baking sheet.) Now’s a good time to make sure the giblets (the bagged heart, kidneys and liver, and the neck) are removed from the cavity. Without patting the turkey dry, spread the turkey with the salt mixture (mixture will be a little wet from the garlic, but smear it on as evenly as possible), making sure to distribute the seasoning evenly to all the bits and parts. Gather any bits that fall away to the bottom and smear back onto the bird. Refrigerate turkey, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours — the longer, the better.

3. Heat oven to 325°F/162°C (no fan).

4. Remove turkey from the fridge, and transfer it to another clean rimmed baking sheet (discarding any liquid). Stuff turkey with the quartered onions, half the bunch of herbs and half the garlic. Using kitchen twine, truss the legs if you like (you don’t have to!). Scatter leeks and fennel around turkey, adding in remaining garlic and tucking in a few sprigs of herbs here and there.

5. Melt olive oil and butter in a small pot over medium heat, and pour half of the mixture over the turkey and vegetables. Toss vegetables lightly to evenly coat, and season everything with salt and pepper.

6. Place turkey on bottom third of your oven and roast, rotating the baking sheet every hour or so, until the turkey has reached 165°F/74°C when a thermometer is inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, 3 ½–4 hours*. The turkey will be cooked through and tender, and the skin should be nicely browned (if you find the skin is browning too quickly, especially on the top at the breast, feel free to place a sheet of foil over the top, but I think the browner the better.)

*What about basting? I like to baste turkeys and chickens for the last bit of cooking (for turkey, it’s the last hour). This doesn’t do much for “juiciness,” but more for the skin to get evenly browned and redistribute the seasoning that inevitably drips off.

7. Remove turkey from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for at least 10–15 minutes, up to 60 minutes**). Tip the turkey, cavity-side down, making sure the aromatics stay inside the cavity and letting any juices run out onto the rimmed baking sheet (use to finish your gravy.)

**What if my turkey isn’t hot? Turkey doesn’t really need to be hot — but it also stays hot (sans carving) for about an hour after it comes out of the oven.

8. Transfer the roasted leeks, fennel and garlic to another dish and set aside (quickly rewarm in the oven if needed before serving). Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let it continue to rest while you finish the gravy.

9. To serve, carve the turkey and arrange on a large platter (or two of your largest plates) with the leeks, fennel and garlic. Arrange fennel fronds and parsley on top if you like to keep it leafy, spriggy and coarse. Serve with gravy alongside.

For the Cider Vinegar Gravy:

1. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is sizzling furiously and well toasted, about the color of a nice milky coffee, 4–6 minutes.

2. Slowly whisk in the stock, about ½ cup at a time, letting it bubble, thicken and incorporate completely between additions until all of it has been added (do this slowly to prevent lumpy gravy). Add cider vinegar and soy sauce and season to taste (you’ll get an opportunity to season again once turkey drippings are added, but it should taste pretty good right now). This is your make-ahead portion of gravy. This can be done and chilled 3 days ahead. To proceed with the finished gravy, keep reading.

3. When you’re ready to add the turkey drippings and serve (whether you’re reheating or just making the gravy to serve now): Transfer gravy to a medium pot if it’s not already in a pot (do not be alarmed if you made your gravy ahead and remove it from the fridge and discover a cement block inside a container. This is expected!)

4. Add your reserved turkey drippings and gently reheat over medium heat. Simmer until gravy is at your desired viscosity and the flavors have all melded together, 5–8 minutes (if it’s feeling a little thick, add more turkey stock). Add more soy sauce if you feel like it needs more depth of flavor, vinegar if you want more acidity, and salt and pepper for seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve in your finest gravy boats, bowls or Pyrex measuring cups.

DO AHEAD: The turkey can be seasoned (dry-brined) 48 hours ahead, stored uncovered and refrigerated. The gravy can be made (sans turkey drippings) 3 days ahead, stored sealed and refrigerated.

I’d be remiss not to link to last year’s Slow Roasted Turkey, which is very different but worth a look if all of this “large bird roasting” simply still is not for you.

Slow Roasted Turkey With Garlic And Herbs

42KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

For those asking “which recipe is better,” well, there is nothing more delicious than the slow roasted turkey. I said it last year and I meant it. But for those who like white meat, plus the visual pomp and circumstance of a large bird, basting and tending, roasting and carving – I get you. I am you. Then there is no replacement for a whole roasted turkey come Thanksgiving time. Since I prefer roasting a smaller bird and also want to make sure I have enough meat (especially if most in your crowd prefers dark meat), my compromise is that…. I do both (not so much a compromise, I guess). 

Leftovers: 

If you are left with a mountain of turkey and are unwilling or unable to bring yourself to making several small turkey sandwiches throughout the day (a reason to make dilly rolls) or eating cold out of the Ziplock bag (my preferred way to eat leftovers), then I recommend making the following:

• You should absolutely be making turkey stock with the leftover carcass and bones, it's one of my favorite Thanksgiving rituals. From there, you can make turkey noodle soup, start a batch of brothy beans, or use to make either of the below.  

• Turkey Pot Pie using my Classic Chicken Pot Pie recipe (this will also use up any additional Thanksgiving veg and herbs you have lying around like celery, leeks, carrots, etc.)

Pozole using this Red Chili Pozole with Cabbage recipe (make recipe as-is sans pork and add turkey towards the end to simmer. You could even use leftover turkey stock, or leave out the cabbage if you have leftover vegetables to throw in)

the pozole you will want to eat after Thanksgiving.

• Given the amount of Youtube comments I got about this sweater, relinking this Le Kasha piece (mockneck?). It’s lasted me a whole year with pretty heavy wear. No pilling, not itchy, really well made. I wore it once this week and then became self-conscious that if someone saw me on the street, they'd think I only wear one sweater. 

• Sheet pan-roasted turkey will always be my favorite kind of turkey. I prefer baking sheets like these (always best to have more than one!) and promise that having at least one wire rack around is well worth it. 

• I prefer brushes like these to the silicon alternatives for pretty much anything, but especially basting the turkey.