Juicy Turkey can be Fast and Easy to Prepare

These simple tips from TV chef Bryan Woolley can help you prepare the perfect poultry feast – moist, juicy and full of holiday flavor. All while freeing up time for baking warm rolls and pies in the oven. Roasting a gourmet turkey can be simple and easy.

First, choose a bird that’s the right size. The standard for holiday cooking suggests one pound of meat per person. Get a slightly larger bird if you want to allow enough meat for some leftover sandwiches while watching the game later. Frozen turkeys will require a couple of days to thaw in the fridge before cooking. To avoid contamination and spoilage, do not thaw your holiday fowl on the countertop.

“I like to follow three tips for ensuring a delicious, moist turkey,” said chef Bryan Woolley, host of the TV cooking series Eat, Drink and Be Merry. “First, I inject the meat with a syringe. Then, I rub the skin to create a flavorful seal. And finally, I cook with a moisture-infusing process to speed up cooking time and keep all the moisture inside the bird.”

The night before the feast, inject your turkey using a meat injector. Convenient and simple to use, these large syringes allow you to infuse the flavors of your favorite white wine, beer or lemon-lime soda to create added flavor. Be sure to infuse about 1/3 cup of liquid into each breast and a small amount into the thigh and leg areas. While the bird rests in the fridge overnight, the juices will marinade deep into the meat.

Prepare your bird with a coating of dry spices and seasonings; creating a skin full of rich flavor that permeates into the meat while roasting. Most dry rubs have a high salt content, which helps create a seal around the turkey, ensuring moist and tender results.

“A variety of new cooking tools are available that guarantee a fast and juicy holiday turkey,” Woolley said. “Using a product that forces steam up inside the cavity helps keep the meat tender and juicy.”

The Turkey uses a can of soda or beer to speed-roast the bird in any outdoor grill or in the kitchen oven. The concept works like this. First, pour a cup of white wine (beer, soda or other liquid mixture if you prefer) into the cylinder of the Turkey Cannon. After rubbing dry seasoning onto the bird, place the turkey’s cavity over the reclined cylinder, breast up. Holes in the top of the cylinder will allow the steam from the liquid to infuse deep into the breast meat.

Another concept that gets the turkey out of the kitchen and onto the patio is the Keg Roaster. This unique dome looks like a large beer keg, holding the turkey upright over a can of your favorite beverage. First, you must drink out half of the can’s contents. The liquid steams the turkey from the inside while the heat from the included single-burner cooker roasts the bird on the outside. Cook about two hours for a 12-pound turkey. The meat is tender and full of moisture.

Juicy turkey is always easy when using the cast iron Ultimate Turkey Roaster by Camp Chef. The natural properties of cast iron cookware seal in the moisture and add flavor. This roaster sits atop any kitchen rangetop or outdoor burner. A center cone enables the unit to work like a convection oven, forcing heat to circulate rapidly throughout the roaster and speeding up cooking time.

When cooking any poultry, ensure maximum food safety by consistently washing your hands and preparation surfaces with dish soap and hot water.

"Do not allow utensils to cross contaminate with other items and cause potential sickness,” said Woolley. “And be sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer; the internal temperature of the poultry should be 170 degrees F.”

Dry, tasteless turkey is finally a thing of the past. Every holiday feast can be full of delicious memories by injecting marinade, applying a dry rub and roasting with a moisture-infusing accessory.

Coming November 12, 2005 Check out NationTurkeyDay.org for a location near you

Hawaiian Holiday Luau Turkey   Rating
Anonymous - October 20, 2005

Ingredients:

12-16 lb. turkey, thawed
1 C. beer

Injection Marinade:
1 C. white cranberry juice
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. pineapple juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Dry Rub:
1 C. kosher salt
1/2 C. crushed cashews
1 Tbsp. freshly cracked black pepper
Zest of 1 orange
5 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. freshly cracked allspice
1 C. dried cranberries

How to Prepare:

Injection Marinade:
In a bowl, combine all the injection marinade ingredients and mix well. Using a meat syringe, inject 1/3 of the mixture into each breast area. Avoid permeating the skin with too many holes, which may allow heat to release. Insert syringe from above and below the breast area, reaching down into the center of the meat. Inject remaining liquid into the legs and thighs. Gently rub your finger over the insertion hole to help reseal the area. Discard any remaining liquid and wash syringe and container.

Dry Rub:
Mix together all dry rub ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Using your hands, generously apply a coating of the rub mixture to the inside cavity and outside of the bird. Gently massage the rub into the skin.

Roasting:
Pour 1 C. beer into the cylinder of the Turkey Cannon. Place the turkey over the cannon with the breast facing up. Using the side handles on the Turkey Cannon, place the bird onto a hot patio grill and close the lid or place the turkey onto a cookie sheet in a 375º F kitchen oven. Cook until the turkey’s internal temperature reaches 170º F, checking regularly with a meat thermometer after three hours. Remove from oven and serve on a platter of butter lettuce topped with pineapple and orange slices.

Adapt for larger birds up to 22 lbs. using the Turkey Cannon. Cooking times may vary.