While we're sad to see summer go, we can't deny our excitement for the holiday season. Even more exciting is the abundance of food coming our way with Thanksgiving. But if you're not seasoned, you may not know how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey. To assist you, we've rounded up three different ways to prepare a turkey.
Though Thanksgiving is still a couple weeks away, it's best to plan early to avoid the long supermarket lines. Plus, you may try switching things up with a unique twist on the classic Thanksgiving turkey. Gear up your kitchen and get ready for several turkey recipes that will turn your traditional bird into a modern classic!
Deep frying a turkey is a popular, yet unconventional way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey. This method creates an irresistibly juicy meat, while leaving the outside a crispy golden brown. Best of all, deep frying is simple and requires no extra ingredients!
Ingredients
Turkey can be a finicky bird to cook. Cook it for too little time and you'll end up with an undercooked mess. Cook it for too long and you'll end with a dry, stringy texture that'll ruin the holiday feast.
There's one trick that guarantees a perfectly moist and delicious Thanksgiving turkey every time. Cooking your turkey over beer creates a cloud of aromatic steam that acts as a baste, resulting in an incredible entrée. Though out of the ordinary, turkey on a can produces fantastic texture and flavor.
Ingredients
A tur what? A turducken is a trio of birds: tur (turkey), duc (duck), and en (chicken)- tur|duc|ken. It's a dish consisting of a chicken stuffed inside of a duck, which is then stuffed inside of a turkey, so each bite is filled with flavors from all three birds.
While turducken may seem like a difficult idea, it's quite simple. Turducken, however, requires prep work, planning, and time. But if you're willing to make the investment, you'll craft a showstopping Thanksgiving turkey!
Borrowed from our friends at AllRecipes.
Ingredients
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, deboned
salt and pepper to taste
Creole seasoning to taste
1 (4 pound) duck, deboned
1 (16 pound) turkey, deboned
3 cups prepared sausage and oyster dressing
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lay the deboned chicken skin-side down on a platter and season liberally with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Lay the deboned duck skin-side down on top of the chicken and season liberally with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Cover and refrigerate.
Lay the deboned turkey skin-side down on a flat surface. Cover with a layer of cold sausage and oyster dressing and push the dressing into the leg and wing cavities so they will look as if they still have bones in them.
Lay the duck on top of the turkey skin-side down and cover it with a layer of cold dressing. Lay the chicken on top of the duck skin-side down and cover it with a layer of cold dressing.
With the help of an assistant, bring the edges of the turkey skin up and fasten them together with toothpicks. Use the kitchen string to lace around the toothpicks to help hold the stuffed turkey together. Carefully place the turducken, breast up in a large roasting pan.
Roast covered for 4 hours or until the turducken is golden brown. Continue to roast uncovered for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted through the thigh registers 180 degrees F and a thermometer inserted through the stuffing registers 165 degrees F. Check the turducken every few hours to baste and remove excess liquid. Carve and serve.
We hope you enjoyed these three ways to cook a Thanksgiving turkey. If you plan to use one of these methods, share this post and let others know of new ways to prepare a holiday entrée!
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