Today at 4:42 pm
Braise the Turkey?
Ezra Klein recommends Mark Bittman’s proposal to save turkey by braising it. This, however, requires you to dismember the turkey rather than cook it whole:
Could be a promising meliorationist solution to the turkey problem. Still not convinced that this would actually taste better than, say, a coq au vin or a braised lamb shank or any number of non-turkey braising option.
44 Responses to “Braise the Turkey?”
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November 26th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Well, I’d imagine that braising a relatively flavorless meat has a bigger net impact on its flavor than a flavorful meat.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
The problem with braising a turkey is all the breast meat. Braising works by breaking down cartilaginous substrates and fatty tissue — which is why it works so well on things like lamb shanks and osso bucco. Breast meat doesn’t have any, so all you get is boiled turkey. Not the best solution.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Or you could do what I do.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
We now brine the sucker for 24 hours, then rub an herb/butter mix under the skin for 24 hours, then put it in the oven covered in a cheesecloth that’s been sitting in butter and white wine. it’s pretty damn goo.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I’m with Kim @ 4. We started brining a few years ago, and have never looked back. Use Martha’s recipe. Your turkey will never be the same.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
You can always inject the flavor. Get yourself a big ass syringe and hypodermic needle from a veterinary supply place and fill it with melted butter, garlic and hot sauce. Then just inject the mixture throughout the turkey before cooking.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Pansies.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Matt when you are in a whole stop digging.
I am a big fan of the subcutaneous rub myself.
I think you do not like turkey. There is a solution. Do not serve turkey at your house on thanksgiving.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Freddie – you’re the one whose outbound link contains the phrase “turkey smoking”. I’d watch who you call a pansy.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I have no problem at all with classic, unbrined, untreated, heritage-lacking, uninjected, un-braised, mildly seasoned and properly roasted turkey. I probably wouldn’t order it at a restaurant when there are generally many other more flavorful selections on the menu, but it’s Thanksgiving, not a damn night out at Del Posto.
And gimme some mince meat, butternut squash, pumpkin pie, stuffing, plum pudding, sweet potatoes, cranberries and plain mashed potatoes with gravy.
Fucking communists.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Try goose, if you like dark meat. Goes well with Pilsener. A Mencken favorite.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
“Fucking communists.”
I agree. And, if the cook knows how to make a thick, brown, giblet gravy, it’s a fantastic meal. Does it compare to a $600 night out at Spiaggia? No. But it’s still a lot of high-calorie good times.
Quit hating on the turkey. It’s once a fucking year.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Freddie – you’re the one whose outbound link contains the phrase “turkey smoking”. I’d watch who you call a pansy.
I’ll knock you out.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Actually, a dark turkey coq au vin sounds like it would be teh zhit. It’s hard to make good coq au vin because it’s hard to find chicken that’s mature enough to stand up to the rich braise. Dark turkey meat certainly would do it.
I’ve been roasting turkeys since the late ’80s, and haven’t had any of them turn out bad, regardless of the method. And I’ve done everything from the organically-raised never-frozen organic heritage turkey to brining to the good old Butterball. But, personally, I’ve been planning on trying Mark Bittman’s recipe since the day Bittman posted it
November 26th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Chait body-slammed Ezra quite nicely…
November 26th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Would love to get a free range turkey but they cost $90!! Still a well cooked corp turkey still tastes great. Not sure what the problem is. You guys sound like your Arugula eating elitist.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
we do goose, which tastes great!
November 26th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I fly in dry rub from Van’s Pig Shack (located in redder than red-state Oaklahoma), slather it all over, inside, and around a Northern California hippified free-range bird, fire up the Weber, and let it ride for a few hours. Perfection, provided you arrange the coals such that it puts off indirect heat only.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Smoke that bitch. I wouldn’t say it rises to the level of a good smoked brisket, but it won’t bore the hell out of your mouth either. Though it takes most of day, so it may bore the hell out of you.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
This, however, requires you to dismember the turkey rather than cook it whole:
Um. Put the bird in a pan, brown for 30 minutes. COVER. Continue for an hour or two. It’s done. Pull the cover off, and brown the skin to finish. That is casserole-roasting, which is just like roasting, except for the covered part, which essentially steams the turkey.
Main issue is you either gotta have a pan with a big enough cover, or you gotta make a cover out of aluminum foil. You do the same thing with goose, basically: chases off the fat better.
Still not convinced that this would actually taste better than, say, a coq au vin or a braised lamb shank or any number of non-turkey braising option.
Agreed. But if you had to cook a turkey, that would be the way to go.
max
['It ain't dry, for sure.']
November 26th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
You braise tough, cheap meat. You roast the expensive stuff. A braised thanksgiving turkey is poor symbolism. You want to celebrate a feast with fancy food and a whole roast bird, not a puddle of tasty, if ugly, pieces of turkey quialifies.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
You can always inject the flavor
Agreed. We inject the pan juice – sort of internalized basting.
And, you have to do the gravy thing.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Matthew, this is your older brother.
Shut up. Just shut up. It’s Thanksgiving. We eat turkey.
Don’t make me kick your ass.
“Fucking communists.”
I see one of your friends isn’t a wuss.
November 26th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Turkey as braised by Elisabetta Addis (the feminist to whom I am married) is delicious. I definitely prefer it to her braised lamb. Also it is very very cheap.
Maybe she can send you a recipe.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Dan Kervick is on the right path. It’s Thanksgiving. Eat your fucking turkey. If you don’t like the way it’s cooked, try having somebody who can actually cook follow any one of the several suggestions that people have offered. If you still don’t like turkey, well, your loss.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Turkey’s really not that hard. My favorite way to prepare one is to cook it on my Weber charcoal grill, with a small fire off to the sides and lots of wood chips–rich and moist, and almost impossible to screw up. But oven isn’t really difficult either. The secrets are to:
(1)get a good instant-read thermometer, which keeps you from overcooking it (number one problem with roasted turkey),
(2)let the bird rest for at least ten minutes after coming out of the oven (so the juices redistribute themselves), and
(3)cook the bird _upside-down_ (breast down) for about the first half of the cooking time. This promotes thorough cooking of the joints while keeping the breast from drying out. You flip it breast-side up to finish, and the skin crisps nicely.
Do that, and you’ll have a nice bird. Brining is good, flavor injections are good, sure, but you don’t _need_ to do any of that.
December 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
A quick-prep Thanksgiving may sound risky, but it’s well within reach, even for holiday-hosting newbies. Choose your tasks wisely. Pick an approachable menu. Call on a few shortcuts that don’t involve compromises. (Put down that box of
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