As in Thanksgivings past, we did two turkeys (so far anyway if I find some clearance birds maybe more, ha).
I found a "fresh not frozen" all natural turkey at our local grocery store. This was about 13 pounds.
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| Dry brining a turkey |
Once again, we did our dry brining technique. We dry the turkey once out of the package, rub it with duck fat and then rub our "farmhouse blend" seasoning (as we call it), all over outside and under the skin.
Then we put it in the fridge for a couple of days max. The skin tightens up and the moisture is locked in.
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| Roasted turkey with duck fat |
After it came to room temp, we rubbed it down again (with some butter this time) and then roasted it at 425 for an hour and a half. It comes out beautifully done.
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| Putting up turkey meat |
After it cooled down, it was my turn. I pulled all the meat off and then measured it out into packed, two cup portions. After each vacuum bag had the turkey in it, I weighed them all and picked out from some and added to others so they were all about the same.
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| Vacuum sealed turkey |
Your turkey looks so good.
ReplyDeleteThanks, it comes out amazing every year. We love doing it.
DeleteWow. Sounds so good. Vacuum bagging is a good idea. Unfortunately I no longer have that device - got rid of it when we downsized in 2016. But cooking the turkey your way may be just what I need to do come another occasion. Is the rub recipe posted on the blog?
ReplyDeleteIf we had a bigger freezer, I'd be dangerous, ha. I LOVE vacuum sealing stuff. We have never actually posted a recipe for it, it's a mix of salt, pepper, sage, garlic and onion powder and other things we just kind of threw together. We actually have a batch we've had mixed up for a couple years. I guess we need to figure it out and write it down. We'll have enough for a few more turkeys but it might be time to commit that to paper, ha. Stay tuned.
DeleteOH and in a few days, we'll have a long post with step by step on how we did it.
Bloody lovely
ReplyDeleteHello John!!! So nice to "see" you here. Thanks, we love turkey for sure.
DeleteThat roasted turkey looks fantastic! Now you have the basis for 6 delicious meals all ready to go. So smart!
ReplyDeleteSave the bones and skin to make a great broth for Turkey-Rice (or noodle) soup. I also save the bones from smoked turkey legs for soup.
Yep, we do love our "later in the year" turkey meals, ha. We didn't save these bones skin but the next one w will. We just don't have a lot of room in our freezer but I bought a plastic container just for that.
DeleteWe ate well, thank you. Right now, a turkey carcass and breast bones and ribs are simmering on the stove for stock. Your turkey looks amazing. I need a food saver. Right now, a turkey breast is thawing in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I bet you had a great meal!! Homemade stock is THE BEST. Enjoy. Foodsavers are a great way to keep food lasting in the freezer for a long time. We vacuum seal steaks when we find them on sale.
DeleteWow, that roasted turkey is cookbook picture perfect. Thank you for sharing your technique. I'm definitely going to try it. I've always used roasting bags, which make a moist turkey, but it would be lovely to not have to throw anything away in the end. Locking the moisture is sounds excellent!
ReplyDeleteThank you for that. We scored another one and I've been taking step by step pics, a post will come up soon (after we cook it) to have the steps with photos. Thanks again!
DeleteWhat Texas Rose mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI basically was going to say the same thing.
There is a lot of flavor in them bones to make some good broth for soup.
Yep, we'll do that for sure. Homemade stock is great and great to have on hand for future meals.
DeleteGreat frugal preserving!!! Even though I'm in Canada I couldn't resist making Thanksgiving food again last week, I was craving it lol! :)
ReplyDeleteSomething about turkey that's just so good right? We didn't want to waste any of it. Glad a Thanksgiving meal was served Canadian style, ha.
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