Thanksgiving is tomorrow. If you are like me, then you are the primary chef for your family. I am going to be sharing my go to recipes that I’ll be up all night cooking. First things first…the star of the show – our Maple Lawn Turkey. It arrived yesterday at David’s Natural Market. Whoop whoop!! He’s beautiful and unthawed and I’m about to pull his guts out (save the guts for giblet gravy though).
Listen, seasonings can separate the non-cooking Betty’s from the knock your socks off Brenda’s. Today, we are all Brenda, and I’m going to show you how. The most important aisle for holiday feasts is the baking section. McCormick pretty much has the market cornered. What you need to make sure you have in your cart are the following: Lawry’s season salt, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, paprika, Italian seasoning, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric, ground ginger, crushed red pepper, Jamaican curry, and yellow top Mrs. Dash. Next you get fancy with the Grill Mates McCormick seasonings: Montreal chicken, mesquite, brown sugar bourbon, bbq, and smokehouse maple. I always use broiled steak to season my meats, but I’ll leave that up to you. If you have MOST of these seasonings, then there is hope for a succulent turkey no one will soon forget.
There are two recipes I have for you to combine from here. This garlic herb turkey recipe and this juicy roast turkey recipe. I typically grease my turkey up with olive oil before I start seasoning. I’d recommend you brush yours all over and inside as well before adding anything. I usually do this the night before so all of the herbs and seasonings absorb in the turkey for an even better taste.
I’m trying the garlic herb butter trick this year. She is using a skin on turkey breast, but I’m a rebel. The turkey has plenty of skin for me to break into and loosen to get the butter mixture in there. What’s left over can be spread evenly over the outside of the turkey. After the garlic herb butter mixture is on, then it’s time to season. Start with the Lawry’s season salt and then work your way down the list of spices. You don’t have to be heavy handed, but you must be even. Get in between the wings. Do the front, then flip him over and do the back. Sprinkle some on the inside as well.
By now it should look like your turkey got the worst-best spray tan of his life. In the juicy roast turkey recipe, it looks like she places her turkey on a rack and pours butter inside. I never pour anything inside the turkey or bag. I use the Reynolds Turkey Size Oven Bags and cook the turkey in the classic black roasting pan. I sprinkle a tablespoon of flour in the bag and shake it around. The seasoned turkey goes in the bag afterwards. I cut up a couple of onions and put them in the bag with the turkey for additional flavor. Seal the bag tightly. You may even want to double bag it while it marinates over night in the fridge. You don’t want to wake up to a brown turkey because too much air got in the bag.
The Reynolds Turkey bags have roasting instructions on the back that I follow during Thanksgiving morning. If you want crispier skin, then you can cut the turkey out the bag once the thermometer pops out and roast it under the broiler for 5 minutes. Let him rest for a few minutes before serving him up on that porcelain platter.
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