I'm Just Here for the Food_ Version 2.0 - Alton Brown [38]
Application: Roasting
To brine the turkey: dissolve the salt, sugar, and juice concentrate in 1 quart of hot water. Cool the solution with 3 quarts of cold water. Remove the giblets (and any other foreign matter) from the turkey interior and place in the cooler. Pour in the brine mixture to cover. If the bird is not completely submerged, add more liquid. (Since I don’t want to weaken the solution, I use canned chicken broth.)
Cover with ice, close the lid, and soak the turkey for 6 to 8 hours. (Exact soak times will vary per your taste. Start with 6 hours and make changes to subsequent birds.)
When the bird has ½ hour left to soak, move the oven rack to the lowest level and preheat the oven to 500° F. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey liberally with canola oil. (Be sure to get all the nooks and crannies around the wings.) Discard the brine and thoroughly wash the cooler. Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside 2 disposable aluminum roasting pans.
Roast at 500° F for ½ hour. Remove the bird from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350° F.
Cover the turkey breast with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil folded into a triangle. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast (push it right through the foil) and set the thermometer to 161° F. A 16- to 18-pound bird should arrive at the target temperature in 2 to 2½ hours. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover the bird and the pan loosely with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Software:
For the brine:
1½ cups kosher salt
½ cup dark brown sugar
One 6-ounce container of frozen
orange juice concentrate
1 gallon water
One 16- to 18-pound turkey
1 gallon of ice cubes
Canola oil
Hardware:
1 large pot
1 large cooler with lid
Paper towels
Roasting rack
2 disposable aluminum roasting pans
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Probe thermometer
TURKEY RULES
Stuffing is evil. Traditional stuffings soak up meat juices, meaning a potential for the presence of salmonella unless the temperature of the stuffing reaches 165° F. That increases the cooking time of the turkey, which means dry meat. If you cannot live without stuffing, cook it in a casserole dish then spoon it into the cavity prior to serving.
Basting is evil. Skin is waterproof, so flavor and moisture will not soak through it. Besides, you have to open the door to baste, which lets heat out of the oven. That increases the cooking time of the turkey, which means dry meat—so don’t do it.
Dry-Aged Standing Rib Roast
Application: Roasting
To dry-age the roast: Place a refrigerator thermometer at the back of the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Reduce the temperature to just below 38° F. Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with several layers of paper towels. Place the roast, bone side down, on the towels, and store—uncovered—at the back of the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Allow the meat to age for 3 to 5 days, checking the refrigerator temperature often.
When you’re ready to roast, let the meat sit out of the refrigerator for 1 hour until it reaches room temperature. Preheat the oven to 250° F for ½ hour. If you’re planing to roast in an unglazed terra-cotta vessel, place it in the oven while it’s still cold and heat at 250° F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Rub the roast with just enough canola oil to make it shine, then rub with the salt and pepper. Place the meat in a shallow roasting pan, bone side down (to prevent the meat from sitting in liquid). Insert the probe of your thermometer into the center of the roast and set for 118° F. Place the roast in the oven and reduce the temperature to 200° F.
When the meat has reached 118° F (about 4 hours), remove the roast