Chef Tory McPhail’s Roast Turkey with Oyster Dressing and Giblet Gravy
Makes about 10 entrees
Ingredients
12 pound turkey that has not been frozen
2 pounds salt
5 ribs celery, medium dice
3 small onions, medium dice
3 jalapeños, minced (seeds and stems removed)
2 bell peppers, medium dice
25 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
5 tablespoons poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick and 1 tablespoon butter (1 tablespoon for foil and casserole plate)
3 cups shucked oysters
1 gallon 1 inch cubed crispy French bread
4 medium eggs
2 cups chopped parsley
2 thin sliced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
½ cup dark roux
Preparation
Remove neck and innards from the bird. Wash everything with cold water. Place turkey
in a large pot sprinkle salt in cavity and all around bird, rub into skin. Cover with cold water, stir
to dissolve salt and soak in. Refrigerate overnight up to 12 hours.
Place the neck and innards into medium saucepot. Add half the celery, onions,
jalapeños, bell peppers and garlic. Add ¾ gallon cold water, bay leaf stir in 3 tablespoons poultry
seasoning and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and skim any foam that comes to the top. Turn
down and simmer, occasionally skimming, simmer about 2 hours or until stock has a good
poultry flavor and some arromaticearomatics. Remove neck, pick meat off and dice. Remove
innards and dice, refrigerate for later use.
Preheat oven 350ºF
In a large pot, place ½ stick butter and render over high heat until butter starts to
smoke. Add remaining vegetables and 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning. Sauté for 15 minutes
over medium heat or until starting to turn brown and becoming tender. Add oysters and any
liquid they might be stored in, cook 4 to 5 minutes or until oyster edges curl. Turn heat off. Add
½ of the bread and stir, soaking up any liquid. Add 1 cup of unstrained stock and stir. Add
remaining bread and stir. Add eggs; stir in quickly, not to cook when introduced to hot
vegetables, oysters and liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and green onions.
Stuffing should be moist, but pliable. It should be damp, but not wet. If it’s to wet, add more
bread. If too dry add more liquid.
When you remove bird from brine, rinse under running cold water, inside and
out until there is no sight of salt.
Take hand and separate the breast skin from meat and place ½ stick butter up under
breast evenly. Try not to tear skin. Dry bird with a towel. Season bird with salt, pepper and
rosemary inside and out.
Place bird in roasting pan on rack. Tuck wing tip under turkey. Stuff bird in neck area
first. Pull out skin and pack tightly. Then pull skin around stuffing and tuck under bird. Stuff the
main cavity and tie legs at ankles with butcher’s twine. Cover main cavity and breast with
buttered foil, exposing the legs, thighs and wings. This will protect the breast and stop stuffing
from burning. Add one quart of stock and bake for 2 hours. Baste the exposed portions of the
turkey. Cook for an additional hour, basting every 20 minutes. Remove foil and turn heat up to
375ºF and bake an additional 1 hour, or until center of stuffing is 160ºF. Breast skin should be
golden brown.
Remove bird and place on platter. Cover loosely with foil and let rest at least 20
minutes.
Strain pan drippings into a saucepot and skim off excess fat. Place roasting pan on
stove, covering 2 burners over high heat. Add 3 cups of stock to pan scrapings, glaze off bottom
with wooden spoon. When liquid comes to a boil, remove and strain into saucepot.
Place saucepot on stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Skim off any impurities that
rise to the top. Whisk in roux and bring back to a boil. Add giblet meat and adjust seasoning.
Adjust consistency by adding more liquid or reducing if to thin. Serve in sauceboat with turkey
and dressing.
Chef’s Notes:
Be sure turkey fits in pan and oven. Try and purchase a fresh, never frozen, bird. It will
be much juicier. I like 12 pound birds because they seem to be more tender and moister. When
buying a bird, remember the weight on package counts for neck and innards plus lost water
weight. This is important for your yield and cooking time.
I like to brine the turkey (soak in salt water), make the stock, and cut my bread the day
before.
When seasoning this bird and making stuffing and gravy, remember the bird could
become salty because of the brine solution. Also, oysters can be salty.
I like stuffing a lot. This will have excess, cook in a buttered glass container next to the
bird. Cover for 2/3 of time when hot take off and let brown.
If you wish to cook stuffing in separate container, go ahead. Remember cooking time
will be less. Check breast at thickest point. Should be 160ºF. Also check thigh meat, should be
at least 160ºF and all blood has been removed from juices.