HOW LONG DO I NEED TO COOK MY TURKEY?
Purchase and use a meat thermometer, professional chefs
Purchase
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wouldn’t think
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with
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analog or
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The
thermometers
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the “instant
type,
either analog or digital. These are not thermometers which you stick in
About
hour
the
endwhile
of thecooking.
roasting time on the chart,
the
rawan
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andbefore
leave in
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place
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(make
About an hour before the end of the roasting
the chart,
sure
the
thermometer
is
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bone)
and
check
the
place the thermometer in the heaviest part of the thigh (make
temperature.The termometer may take 1 minute to reach the
sure the thermometer is not touching bone and check the temactual temperaute of the meat. Remove it before returning
perature. The thermometer may take 1 minute to reach the acturkey to the oven.
tual temperature of the meat.
When the
thetemperature
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reaches
155
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remove
When
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andtent
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withfoil.
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asthe
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an important
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step,step,
the
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the
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and
keep
the
turkey
the meat juices redistribute into the meat and keep the turkey
moist. Allow the turkey to rest 20-30 minutes before carving!
moist.
This ensures that the juices won’t all spill out when you carve
Note:
The old fashioned way of wiggling the leg to see if
your turkey.
the turkey is done will give you an indication that the meat
fashioned
way
ofiswiggling
the
leg towill
seebe
if the turkey is
isNote:
doneThe
butold
by the
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turkey
done will give you an indication that the meat is done, but by the time
sadly overcooked
EAT FRESH! EAT LOCAL!
WOODSTOCK FARMERS’ MARKET
TURKEY
2014
Turkey TALK
Talk 2013
A Quick Turkey Guide and Answers to
Many Frequently Asked Questions!
the leg is loose, the turkey will be sadly overcooked.
Approximate Turkey Cooking Times
UN-S TUFFED TURKEY
4 to 8 lbs.
8 to 12 lbs.
12 to 14 lbs.
14 to 18 lbs.
18 to 20 lbs.
20 to 24 lbs.
1-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours
2-3/4 to 3 hours
3 to 3-3/4 hours
3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours
4-1/4 to 4-1/2 hours
4-1/2 to 5 hours
S TUFFED TURKEY
8 to 12 lbs.
12 to 14 lbs.
14 to 18 lbs.
18 to 20 lbs.
20 to 24 lbs.
3 to 3-1/2 hours
3-1/2 to 4 hours
4 to 4-1/2 hours
4-1/2 to 4-3/4 hours
4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours
Market Hours
Market
Hours
Open
Tuesday
--Saturday,
Saturday7:30am
7:30am-7pm
Open
Tuesday
-7pm
Open
OpenSunday
Sunday,8am-6pm
9am
-6pm
Closed Mondays
Closed Mondays
WoodstockFarmers’
Farmers’ Market
Woodstock
Market
Woodstock
Woodstock,VT
VT05091
05091
979979
W. W.
Woodstock
Rd.Rd.
Woodstock,
CallUs
Usatat802-457-3658
802-457-3658
Call
Menusalso
alsoavailable
available at:
Menus
at:
www.woodstockfarmersmarket.com
www.woodstockfarmersmarket.com
HOW BIG A TURKEY DO I NEED?
In general, you should allow 1 pound of uncooked turkey per
person. If you would like leftovers add 1/2 pound per person to the
turkey. If your guests prefer mostly white meat, you have two
choices; buy a turkey using the 1 pound per person rule plus an
additional small (3 pound) turkey breast (they cook quickly and
provide juicy meat for sandwiches) OR add an additonal 4 to 5
pounds to the 1 pound per person total. While these numbers may
sound high; on average turkey’s are 1/3 bones, 1/3 dark meat and
1/3 white meat!
Example: 10 people
Mostly White Meat Eaters:
Purchase a 14-15 pound turkey OR a 10 pound turkey plus a 3 pound
turkey breast.
Eaters Who Like Both Dark and White Meat:
Purchase a 13-14 pound turkey. On smaller birds (under 10 pounds) the
percentage of breast is lower and the percentage of bone is higher.
Example: 6 people
Mostly White Meat Eaters:
Purchase a 10-12 pound bird OR a 3-5 pound turkey breast.
Eaters Who Like Both Dark and White Meat:
Puchase a 10-12 pound turkey
Uncooked, boneless turkey breast - at least 1/3 pound per person
Uncooked, bone-in turkey breast - 3/4 pound per person
IS BRINING MY TURKEY A GOOD IDEA?
Brining is a new and popular method that involves soaking the
turkey in salt water overnight for moistness. Our thought is that
Misty Knoll turkeys are moist enough on their own, but brining can
be a fun way of adding flavors to your turkey. You can essentially
make a kind of “tea” using interesting herbs, spices and seasonings. But then comes the logistical question of where to store a
five-gallon bucket of water and raw turkey where it will stay below
40 degrees and the dog can’t get into it! A large cooler with a snug
fitting lid is a viable alternative - just be sure to sanitize it
thouroughly before you take it to the beach next summer.
TURKEY ROASTING METHODS
Roast Turkey - All Methods:
Unwrap the turkey in the sink and give it a good rinse. The giblet bag is in the
neck cavity, not the body cavity. Take it out before you cook your bird. Season
the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. If you are stuffing your turkey, do
not do so ahead of time! Stuff it right before it goes into the oven, to minimize
the risk of bacterial growth in the stuffing! You can put herbs, spices, chunks of
onion, celery, cut up lemons or oranges in the cavity if you don’t want to stuff the
bird with edible stuffing. These “aromatics” flavor the bird as it cooks as well as
and the gravy afterward. Truss the turkey with kitchen string (tie it up in a neat
package) and put it in a pan that’s big enough to accomodate it. You don’t want
its feet and wings hanging over the side. If you are using a disposable foil pan,
put it on a rigid cookie sheet and lift it by holding the sheet, and not the pan. The
pan can’t be trusted with the weight of the turkey.
Method 1 - Plain and Simple:
Pre-heat the oven to 425 and put the rack in the lowest position. Prepare the
turkey for roasting as mentioned above. Pat the breast dry, then rub with
softened butter, salt and pepper. Put in the oven for 20 minutes, then lower the
over heat to 325 and roast according to the diretions on the other side of this
page, basting with pan juices every half hour until done. If the skin gets too
brown, cover with a double layer of foil.
Method 2 - Herbed, Self-basting:
Pre-heat oven to 425 and put the rack in the lowest position. Chop a combination of rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley, for a total of a quarter cup, and add
to a cup of softened butter, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, salt and pepper. With you
hand, carefully separate the skin of the breast from the meat, being careful no to
tear the skin. Wiggle your hand around under there, working the skin loose over
the legs as well as you can. Scoop the herb butter with your hand and smear it
around under the skin. Then smear the rest on outside the bird. Follow roasting
directions under method 1, basting only if you feel like it.
Method 3 - Dry Rubbed:
Pre-heat oven to 425 and put the rack on the lowest position. Brush turkey with
oil, then spinkle on generous amounts of your favorite rub, patting it onto the
oiled skin with you hand. Sprinkle in the cavity for good measure. Follow roasting directions under method 1.
Making Gravy:
Put the giblets and neck in a pot, cover with 6 cups of water, some chopped
carrots, onion, celery and a bay leaf, simmer for 1-2 hours to make stock. When
turkey is done, remove it from the roasting pan and onto a platter or cutting
board to rest. Rubber dishwashing gloves work very well for this purpose! Pour
all the pan juices into a glass measuing cup, skim off and discard most of the
fat. Put a couple of spoonfuls of fat back into the roasting pan and add an equal
amount of white flour. Whisk into a paste. If using a disposable pan, transfer
paste and as much of the crusty stuff as you can into a medium size pot. If using
a roasting pan, set directly over a low flame on the stove top. set directly over a
low flame on the stovetop. Whisk in your hot giblet stock and stir until thickened.
Taste and adjust seasoing with salt and pepper.