Cook that bird
[NOTE: This is a repeat of an old post.]
The big day is tomorrow. As usual, there are many pointers on how best to cook that bird.
I have a simple method: it almost doesn’t matter. Just get a good turkey and the rest will follow. A bird will be dry or moist, tasty or bland, depending on its nature more than on the cooking method you use.
Within reason, of course. The principle holds true as long as you cook it according to any of the generally accepted, tried and true methods. I’ve used somewhat lower longer heat and somewhat higher shorter heat, basted it more and basted it less, covered it with cheesecloth or not, and haven’t noticed any patterns—except that, since you bathe it in gravy and cranberry sauce anyway before you eat it, even a piece of bland dry turkey meat ends up tasting not so bad in the end.
The whole point is really the rest of the food, isn’t it? I’m a sweet-potato-sans-marshmallow gal, as well as a proponent of the pumpkin-pie-can-be-easily-dispensed-with school. Pecan pie, on the other hand, is a must-have, despite the fact that it packs in about 1,000 calories a bite.
My s-i-l took over the job of the turkey last year. He cooks it on his Traeger. Best bird ever.
My favorite side dish is cranberry sauce made with jalapeno and cilantro in it. Balances the rich stuff.
God, how I love home made turkey gravy.
I love turkey gravy also. It’s sticking point is needing to be made at the last moment. I solved that by buying some turkey wings, roasting them, then making gravy from the resulting drippings. I can do that the day before Thanksgiving, then save the drippings from the “real turkey” to make gravy the next day. There are many day-ahead gravy recipes on the internet.