Thanksgiving: Dry Brined Free Range Turkey

I got my turkey delivered.  It was expensive - 11 pound local bird for $60 but not as expensive as this one was and I had to pick that one up myself.  

"Skye Hi Farms is a family owned farm in the fertile Fraser Valley. They are one of, if not the only producer in Canada that has a CFIA approved & third party audited free-range & raised without antibiotic turkey program.  Their turkeys are given a free-choice grain diet with full access to grass pastures. They're turkey farmers the way it was meant to be".  That was the blurb I read when buying it...

Also, since there was only two of us this year due to the pandemic, it made sense not to get a huge bird.  

I've never brined (wet or dry) the bird before so wanted to make sure I wrote about it so I would remember my experience.  I started the day it arrived which was the 8th and I cooked on the 11th.  I looked at a LOT of websites to steer me right and used Simply Recipes as my guideline for this.  On the 8th I rubbed it down and put in the fridge sealed tightly with plastic wrap.  On the 9th, I flipped it over and sealed with plastic wrap again.  On the 10th I removed the plastic wrap and drained any liquid from the sheet pan.  I added a rack.  I flipped back to breast side up and let it air dry in the fridge until ready to bring to room temperature the next day.  What I used for the rub:

• 3 tablespoons Diamond kosher salt (1 tbsp per 4 pounds)
• Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem, to taste
• Fresh sage leaves, chopped fine, to taste
• Fresh rosemary, stripped from stem, chopped fine, to taste
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine, to taste
• One lemon, zested and juice squeezed
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced through garlic press
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil

Below is chopping the herbs.  Getting ready to do the sage...

I mixed this all together and got the turkey ready.  To do that, I patted it dry with paper towels.  I wasn't able to loosen the skin over the breasts so gave up and didn't bother.  😒  Honestly, I just wasn't patient enough to work the skin up and open with my fingers.  It was so perfect, I didn't want to risk tearing it.

I massaged the rub all over, coating every piece as well as I could.  I put this on a quarter sheet-pan and covered tightly with plastic wrap.  Into the fridge it went.  I really had to shuffle items around for this to fit but I managed...I forgot to brine the cavity and it was already sealed and in the fridge when I remembered so I didn't get that part done until day 2.  

 

Dinner Day (The 11th):  I moved the turkey to a rack in a roasting pan.  I stuffed the cavity with half an onion, a quartered lemon and all the fresh herbs I used in the rub.  I trussed it binding the legs as tightly as I could.  The wings were already tucked under from when I brined it.  I started with the bird breast side down on the rack after brushing unsalted melted butter over.  The skin looked dry but I expected this and it's supposed to look that way.

I put the neck and 2 cups of chicken stock into the bottom of the pan.  The oven was preheated to 425°F for the first 20 minutes.  At that time I turned it down to 350°F and continued to roast till the halfway point.  

I basted it and flipped it over breast side up.  I left it there, basting occasionally until done - about 2 hours total.  165°F in the thigh.  

I removed it to rest tented with foil.  All the sides went in the oven and I went about making gravy... The skin was beautifully crisp and the bird moist.  The turkey came out very nice and I would do this method again.

Today's accompanying menu with this Turkey and some pics:

• Gateau di Patate (this was the pièce de résistance of our dinner tonight)
• Spicy sausage & apple, fennel dressing
• Roasted Brussels sprouts, fresh thyme & Kabocha squash with balsamic glaze
• Homemade cranberry sauce with orange juice/zest
• Spiced Rum Bananas Foster with pound cake and vanilla ice cream

Cranberry Sauce:

Dressing:

Gateau di Patate:

Veggies:

Bananas Foster:

With that, the kitchen was cleaned (11pm) and looked shiny and bright.  Bones are ready for making turkey soup tomorrow and we were as stuffed as can be... Below is my plate of everything just plopped down.  The dressing is always my favorite, though I barely can eat by the time I've done everything.  The next day is always better...and when I finished this plate... So good today!  Finally, I was very thankful to spend Thanksgiving with my wonderful son.