I have been using
This recipe for thanksgiving turkey for several years now. It is simplicity itself, I assure you. I use a 5 gallon bucket to brine the turkey, we usually get a 14 lb bird. The deal is, thaw the turkey, stick it in the brine, soak opvernight, tday morning stick the turkey in the oven with the aromatics stuck in it, and cook.
I did the turkey, and the Ogwife and Oglet got everything to the table piping hot, and we chowed down like a swarm of locusts.
The Oglet arrived home from school frozen about half solid, because the Explorer had no heat. I use Failsafe thermostats. Apparently several weeks back when she had lost an idler pulley ( and subsequently, the serpentine belt) the old girl got hot and latched the thermostat into “Fail” mode. So she had a cool ride.
I’m tickled that it was something simple, and she got home safe, and now she’ll have heat for the trip back. Plenty to be thankful for. And now it’s time for a piece of pie and some coffee, and another day of chainsawing and mess cleaning.
Good call on that recipe…it’s been my turkey recipe for the last 7-8 years. Alton Brown is the bomb, and the only person whose recipes I reference more than Brigid’s. Never had an issue or complaint with that turkey.
In fact…this turkey recipe is why I don’t voluntarily go to my mom’s for Thanksgiving…I make them come to us. My mom makes her turkey the ‘old fashioned way’…no brine, stuffs the bird, cooks it until the button pops. Very distressing.
Glad you and yours had a good day.
I will have to try that recipe next year. I never heard of the fail safe thermostat. Have to remember them next time I am in need. Glad the Oglet made it home safe. Take care and enjoy the weekend.
You’a thought that there would have been *some* heat, even if the engine never reached operating temp. I mean, the engine is still producing heat, even if it was’t governed through the thermostat….
302 Ford. Notoriously cold blooded. Without a thermostat (or with one stuck wide open) the engine won’t boil water for tea, if it has a clear radiator. Never even gets warm enough to make removing the radiator cap difficult.
Yeah, I used it again this year to good effect, as always. Holy SMOKES does that turkey taste good.
The science of brining:
http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/brine.html
Even more interesting, the science of “The Stall”:
http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/stallbbq.html
Cuts through all the Old Wive’s Tales out there and explains what is actually happening.