So this is my second year at attempting to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. Last year I jumped the gun a little bit and my turkey was undercooked in the middle. So this year I am trying to get everything right.
First thing is figuring out when to take the turkey out for defrosting. After reading online, I have found that you should allow 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 5 lbs of turkey. Another thing I will do the last day or two, depending on how frozen the turkey is by Tuesday, is put the turkey in cold water Wednesday in my sink. I'll let it sit until I get home from work and then can immediately clean and stuff the bird.
That's when we come to a whole different topic....cleaning out the turkey. Make sure you remove everything from the inside. They really have it packed in there!
Remove the giblets and bring to a boil with 2-3 cans of chicken broth, a couple stalks or celery and cut up some onion. The flavor is amazing and adds a lot to your stuffing! I cannot bring myself to add the giblets to my stuffing, so I discard everything except for the broth.
Now back to cleaning the turkey. Make sure you buy a one of those long neck lighters that are for the BBQ. It will save your thumb a lot of work. Go over the entire bird, at least 2 times. I try to do mine 3 times or so, just to make sure I got everything!
All I use for the skin is butter, flour, salt and pepper. Salt and pepper your turkey thoroughly, don't forgot the inside cavity. Make sure to add some bacon strips on top! They taste great and you can snack on them while you are cooking.
Good luck and have a great Thanksgiving!
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