Turkey

Of course we all have different ways of making a turkey. Each year we seem to try different things. Here are a few ways that we have tried:

SMOKED TURKEY ~ ok, so to be honest, we didn’t make it. It was given to us. We enjoyed it tremendously. I think some year we will be making our own.

PRESSURE COOKED ~ Place the turkey into the pressure cooker “head” down. Place 2 onions, cut in half, into the cavity. Pour about 6 cups of apple cider into the cavity of the turkey. Place the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at 12 pounds of pressure for about 8 minutes per pound. It’s such a hard thing to determine. We want to be sure that the meat is cooked all the way! The first time we did this, the turkey was not cooked all the way and we had to close up the cooker and cook again. So, up from 5 minutes! We did 12 minutes and it was WAY OVER DONE. 10 minutes seemed fine, as did 8 minutes. It just seems that there is never a perfect time frame.

BAKED IN A BAG ~ Place turkey in the bag. Stuff an onion, quartered, into the cavity. Mix the following seasoning in a small bowl:

• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 T. granulated garlic
• 2 t. basil
• 2 t. oregano
• 2 t. thyme
• 1 T. parsley

sprinkle the seasoning on the outside and inside of the turkey. Cook according to the directions on the box of bags.

TRADITIONAL ROAST TURKEY ~ Place turkey in a proper roasting pan. If you want to cook it plain, just do so! I never stuff the turkey with real stuffing. Here is a good way that I have roasted a turkey: Stuff the cavity with onions and apples that are quartered. Melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in: 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, & 1 T. granulated garlic. Pour over the apples and onions in the cavity of the turkey. Place the turkey into the roaster pan. Repeat the butter and seasoning step, but this time pour it over the whole outside of the turkey. Cover the pan VERY TIGHTLY with tin foil. Cook according to the suggested time on the turkey. AND THEN, cook for a bit longer. Maybe 30-50 minutes longer. I like to cook until the leg of the turkey pulls off the rest of the bird. But some people don’t like it that well done. I also like to cook the turkey while it is laying on it’s breast. That seems to keep the meat more moist.

ENJOY THE DAY OF GIVING THANKS!