Tag: thanksgiving turkey recipe

Turkey Gravy

The Best Turkey Gravy

I am of the opinion that the very best Turkey Gravy is made from the renderings of a Roasted Turkey that was seasoned and brined.  So hopefully you followed my Turkey Brine recipe or at least made one before you cooked your bird because this gravy recipe depends on it.  There aren’t many additional ingredients to this recipe because most of the ingredients are already there, cooked into the turkey.  So, if you’re getting exhausted and you’re looking for an amazing gravy recipe that is easy to prepare… this is the recipe for you!

Traditional vs. Gourmet Turkey Gravy

Traditional Turkey Gravy is made virtually the same with only a few subtle differences.  Gourmet gravy has flavors most folks don’t think about that profoundly effect the flavor, like citrus.  Some use lemon… I use orange, some use sherry or wine… I use beer but either way, these all produce gravy that is out of this world.  All of the other ingredients, as I mentioned before, come from the marination of the brine and the added ingredients to the roasted bird.

My Roasted Turkey, for example, is stuffed with onion, oranges and seasoned butter stuffed under the skin of the breast meat.  These ingredients, cooked down in the oven, produce drippings that create the most wonderful flavor and that’s why we use it to make gravy.  Traditional gravy uses this method as well only the gravy base is usually started with butter and flavor to make a roux.  You can do that too, if your prefer, but I keep the flour out of my recipe and I use a small amount of corn starch instead, to thicken the gravy.  I also often start my gravy recipes with bacon grease instead of the butter, because that adds more flavor as well.  Other than the addition of the fruit, tomato and rosemary, everything else is basically the same.  It’s also common to make a stock, using the turkey giblets, and add that to the gravy for flavor but that will be up to you.

Turkey Gravy Ingredients:

1 Onion, chopped
2 Oranges, pealed and separated
1 Sprig Rosemary
1/4 cup Cider
Add all of the Roasted Turkey Drippings
1/2 can Beer
2 tbsp Corn Starch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
Salt and Pepper to taste, I use white pepper.

Be sure to follow the instructions in the Turkey Gravy video tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy this is to make.

Turkey Brine

The Best Holiday Turkey Brine

If you like your poultry tender and succulent, then you need to add this Turkey Brine to your things to do list this holiday season.  A good brine will add so much moisture and flavor to your roasted bird, you’ll never again cook it with out one.  This recipe adds a light yet fruity bouquet to the pallet that really compliments the Turkey.  There’s a few other ingredients that might surprise you but overall, I really think you’ll be pleased with the results.

Does a Turkey Brine Really Help?

A Turkey Brine is more about the salt than anything.  All of the flavors help but the salt goes through and through, constantly repeating.  This helps the bird retain water and since water has memory, all of those ingredients that season the water also season the bird.  So, a brine absolutely makes all of the difference in the world.  Unless you don’t like a crispy skin, basting isn’t even necessary.  And don’t feel like you have to add all of these ingredients.  Technically, the salt is enough but feel free to play with it a bit and find your own ingredients and write your own recipe.  You can even refer to my Tin can Chicken Brine recipe if you’d like.

Turkey Brine Ingredients:

1 gal water
2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Table Salt
2 tbsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Clove
5 Garlic Cloves, crushed
5 Bay Leaves, dry or fresh
2 Sprigs Rosemary
Peel from 2 large Oranges
3 to 4 lbs Ice

1 Turkey

Be sure to follow the instructions in the Turkey Brine video tutorial and continue with the Roasted Turkey and Gravy recipe, coming up next.

UPDATE:

I have since used this recipe with some substitutions and one particular additive that yielded better results in both the flavor and juiciness of the bird. The Turkey I brined and roasted was barley over 19 lbs and, for some reason, cooked way faster than I expected.

I exchanged the orange peel for lemon, the salt for it’s weight in pickling salt and I added in approximately 1 dozen Allspice seeds. What a difference it made. I also crushed, ground and sprinkled allspice powder over the skin of the turkey, before roasting. I stuffed the bird with Parsley only and a full cube of butter, then baked with a lid at 275° F. To my surprise, the bird was fully cooked in under 3 hours. It should’ve taken twice that long; according to the experts. 20 to 25 minutes per lbs. The outside of the bird was perfectly cooked with an even golden brown tone. I didn’t roast at a higher temp before hand, rotate the turkey of baste either. One of the Best Turkey’s I have ever made.