HOLIDAY
TURKEY
Many years ago, Nick found an abandoned cookbook in
an old parking garage. A quick flip through landed him on a page with a recipe for Mary Louise’s Turkey. The recipe was an unusual way to prepare a turkey, it used a rub and then the bird was covered with cheesecloth and olive oil and you let it sit overnight refrigerated. Intrigued, he tossed the spiral bound book into the car. After closer inspection he decided this was the recipe he wanted to use for our first
Thanksgiving dinner together.
We were thrilled with the results, the skin was so crispy and the meat so moist and flavorful. It’s been a Thanksgiving tradition ever since!
There aren’t any measurements for the rub seasoning because you need more or less depending on the size of the turkey. Have no fear, you really can't go wrong, we've had all sorts of different size birds and every one has turned out beautifully.
Prepare the bird the day before you plan to cook it.
We were thrilled with the results, the skin was so crispy and the meat so moist and flavorful. It’s been a Thanksgiving tradition ever since!
There aren’t any measurements for the rub seasoning because you need more or less depending on the size of the turkey. Have no fear, you really can't go wrong, we've had all sorts of different size birds and every one has turned out beautifully.
Prepare the bird the day before you plan to cook it.
RUB SEASONING
Olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
Dry mustard
Apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Turkey
1 onion, cut in half
2 stalks of celery, cut in half
A few sprigs of parsley
2 slices of uncooked bacon
1 stick butter, cut into chunks
Cheesecloth
Olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
- In a medium bowl,
combine olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and a little bit of
apple cider vinegar. (The consistency should be like prepared mustard.) Season the mixture
well with salt and pepper.
- Rub the inside and
outside of the turkey with the olive oil/Worcestershire mixture. (If you
run out of the mixture; make another batch.)
- Place the onion,
celery and parsley sprigs inside the turkey. Lay 1 slice of bacon across
each breast of the turkey.
- In the little crevice
between the drumstick and the body of the turkey, place chunks of butter.
- In a medium bowl, soak
the cheesecloth in the olive oil. Cover the turkey with the olive oil
soaked cheesecloth. Transfer turkey to a roasting pan to accommodate.
Cover and refrigerate the turkey until the following day.
- Preheat the oven to
300°.
- Add chicken broth to the bottom of roasting pan. Cook turkey uncovered according to the recommendations below. (Baste the turkey only once during the course of cooking.)
- Allow the turkey to stand for about 30 minutes before removing the cheesecloth. To remove the cheesecloth, use scissors to cut it. Carefully remove the cheesecloth making certain you don’t pull the skin off.
COOKING TIMES -- Cooking times very depending on your oven.
7-10 pounds, 30 minutes per pound
10-15 pounds, 20 minutes per pound
15-18 pounds, 18 minutes per pound
18-20 pounds, 15 minutes per pound
20-23 pounds, 13 minutes per pound
