I just finished reading an article from Saveur about the prefect roast turkey. They pre-salted and peppered the bird and then left it uncovered in the fridge for 1-2 days, then roasted it at 350 in a 450 preheated oven. The comments were mostly favorable, although several complained that their turkey cooked in about 2 hrs (they were 13-14 pounders). My problem is that this was an unstuffed bird and I intend to stuff my bird. I use a James Beard recipe with soft bread crumbs, pecans (instead of the pine nuts he used), mushrooms, and flavor it with tarragon. Will pre-salting make my dressing too salty. Will it cook too quickly for a stuffed bird? I'm going to have a bigger turkey --feeding 14 people including 3 teenaged boys--so I figured 18-20 lbs, Right? Or should I just stick to the tried and true, which is massaging the outside with butter, basting and then tenting with foil if/when it gets too brown? You'd think I hadn't been making Thanksgiving dinners for the last forty years, wouldn't you?
Advice on pre-salting Turkey
- Thread starter pam
- Start date
I brine mine every year and always good reviews
I'm not sure if by dressing you mean what we typically call stuffing or if you mean gravy. I'm not sure if by pre-salting you mean brine or if you mean just rubbing salt in the cavity. But the salt ratio of your brine will definitely affect your gravy. If you mean just rubbing the cavity I suspect this have a lesser effect on your gravy but proportion would matter of course. I've overdone it and gotten a resulting over salty gravy but 90% of the time the gravy is perfect. I would suggest adding extra vegetables in your roasting pan to get a better result wrt gravy. But more importantly I found that you don't skip the step of rinsing the bird when you take it from the brine.
I will dig out my method and post it.
I'm not sure if by dressing you mean what we typically call stuffing or if you mean gravy. I'm not sure if by pre-salting you mean brine or if you mean just rubbing salt in the cavity. But the salt ratio of your brine will definitely affect your gravy. If you mean just rubbing the cavity I suspect this have a lesser effect on your gravy but proportion would matter of course. I've overdone it and gotten a resulting over salty gravy but 90% of the time the gravy is perfect. I would suggest adding extra vegetables in your roasting pan to get a better result wrt gravy. But more importantly I found that you don't skip the step of rinsing the bird when you take it from the brine.
I will dig out my method and post it.
michael-in-phoenix
Well-known member
I agree that rinsing is the key to avoiding excessively salty gravy and bird.
It is cumbersome to rinse a whole turkey under running water, and even more so when you are diligent in getting the cavity and the neck skin properly flushed, but it is ESSENTIAL to a good outcome, I believe.
Michael
It is cumbersome to rinse a whole turkey under running water, and even more so when you are diligent in getting the cavity and the neck skin properly flushed, but it is ESSENTIAL to a good outcome, I believe.
Michael
The article and recipe show just salting, not brining, Paul
Pam- I read the article and as you know it suggests roasting turkey parts to make the broth for gravy along with the drippings from the roasted turkey- it seems that if you just used the drippings the gravy would be too salty. I think, if you are determined to stuff the bird, that you should not use this salting method- that the dressing will turn out too salty and because the bird seems to roast faster than the non-salted method, that the bird will cook too fast for the stuffing and the stuffing may not get finished.
Just my opinion.
Pam- I read the article and as you know it suggests roasting turkey parts to make the broth for gravy along with the drippings from the roasted turkey- it seems that if you just used the drippings the gravy would be too salty. I think, if you are determined to stuff the bird, that you should not use this salting method- that the dressing will turn out too salty and because the bird seems to roast faster than the non-salted method, that the bird will cook too fast for the stuffing and the stuffing may not get finished.
Just my opinion.
This is called dry brining and gets really good marks in
side by side comparisons in years past. I think the turkeys cooked that fast because of the high cooking temp. I have just salted my turkey ( and stuffed) just prior to roasting for matching your 40 years (!) but roast at 350*--delicious. I don't tent, and it gets beautifully golden brown and crisp. I do not like a brined poultry personally.
I would get the biggest turkey you can (I usually cook 24#). BUT I have also found that in recent years, turkeys do cook much quicker than I remember from many years ago. I don't have any explanation--but have found it to be true. So I just keep monitoring and remove when done--make the gravy from the drippings and browned bits.
side by side comparisons in years past. I think the turkeys cooked that fast because of the high cooking temp. I have just salted my turkey ( and stuffed) just prior to roasting for matching your 40 years (!) but roast at 350*--delicious. I don't tent, and it gets beautifully golden brown and crisp. I do not like a brined poultry personally.
I would get the biggest turkey you can (I usually cook 24#). BUT I have also found that in recent years, turkeys do cook much quicker than I remember from many years ago. I don't have any explanation--but have found it to be true. So I just keep monitoring and remove when done--make the gravy from the drippings and browned bits.
I can't really say but it is not the least salty. I deglaze my
roasting pan with water and defat, using the fat to make my gravy roux. I don't salt until I taste, and while I usually don't add any more salt to the gravy, I have seen my DS do so!! I do use easily that much salt for seasoning my whole bird--and a lot of coarse black pepper also. This has been my method "forever", and it is a beautiful and delicious bird.
I did go to read the article to see the amount of salt used.
The dressing is also not salty--I don't add any extra salt to it either.
roasting pan with water and defat, using the fat to make my gravy roux. I don't salt until I taste, and while I usually don't add any more salt to the gravy, I have seen my DS do so!! I do use easily that much salt for seasoning my whole bird--and a lot of coarse black pepper also. This has been my method "forever", and it is a beautiful and delicious bird.
I did go to read the article to see the amount of salt used.
The dressing is also not salty--I don't add any extra salt to it either.
It is something I began to notice about 6 or so years ago. we have
BIG turkeys, and I used to get up at 5 to stuff it and start it--thinking it would take 5-6 hours. They are getting done in about 3.5 hours (which was a BIG surprise the first time) and all other things are "equal"/the same. Others on another cooking board have commented about the same thing but many of them do brine their turkeys. Your thought is pretty interesting.
I think the Saveur turkeys at 425*+ is all about temperature, however. I've never tried the high temp for turkey although that is what I use for chickens.
BIG turkeys, and I used to get up at 5 to stuff it and start it--thinking it would take 5-6 hours. They are getting done in about 3.5 hours (which was a BIG surprise the first time) and all other things are "equal"/the same. Others on another cooking board have commented about the same thing but many of them do brine their turkeys. Your thought is pretty interesting.
I think the Saveur turkeys at 425*+ is all about temperature, however. I've never tried the high temp for turkey although that is what I use for chickens.
But then the meat is cold and I have to reheat it anyway. Plus I'm constantly worrying about
it's "internal temperature." Geez, louise...I should just use my Basal thermometer.
If I've got to reheat, then it's getting cooked the day before. I'm tired of having my holiday ruled by a dead carcass.
it's "internal temperature." Geez, louise...I should just use my Basal thermometer.
If I've got to reheat, then it's getting cooked the day before. I'm tired of having my holiday ruled by a dead carcass.