Hi there! Thank you so much for all the tips. I have a few clarifying questions. Should I heavily salt my turkey the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight open to air? Then in the morning to do I pat it dry with a paper towel or leave it as is? And then cover with the compound butter before putting in the oven to roast?
My grandmother always said: "To cook a flavorful turkey, brine it for juiciness and season well. Roast at 325–350°F, preferably in a cast iron dutch oven for even cooking and a crispy skin. Let it rest for 20–30 minutes before carving to ensure tender meat."
Unrelated to this post 😂 butttt I’m like 8 weeks behind, got super burnt out on cooking so been doing takeout 🫠 Does anyone have any fav menus they recommend for me to jump back into?? (Or any menus you’re especially proud of Zoe??)
I loved the Hawaiian Garlic chicken week, the Thai week with lots of peanut sauce, and the kebob week that was a few weeks back. I’ve never had a mediocre week, they’ve all been fantastic.
Hear me out… this has been a game changer for me. DON’T baste your bird. Opening and closing the oven every 30 mins leads to decreasing the temp of your oven over and over again so it takes longer for the bird to come to temp, making the turkey drier.
I always take it out closer to the cooler side, cover in foil and a heavy blanket and the temp stays more steady as it rests.
Fantastic tips! It's taken me 20+ years of cooking turkey twice a year to figure out what you just summed up in one brilliant post! Spatchcock and herbed compound is my standard. I've never done a dry brine but will look forward to trying that next time. Also curious about the cheesecloth method I'm seeing a lot of this year ... any thoughts?
Will you be publishing a full Thanksgiving menu? I’m in charge of Thanksgiving and I’m trying to find a good meal plan with lots of prep ahead of time.
There will be a Thanksgiving post this week! It'll be a rundown on tips for prepping and enhancing the classics. We can't wait to share it with you all!!!
Amazing tips! I really like the idea of the compound butters. The smokey sweet one seems like a winner to me.
All of my favorite tips that took me YEARS to find all put together in one!
i love this! i cook thanksgiving every year for my family, wondering if there will be a thanksgiving RD stack or should i start planning on my own?
Yes!!! There will be a Thanksgiving themed stack this Friday. It'll be a rundown on tips for prepping and enhancing the classics.
Hi there! Thank you so much for all the tips. I have a few clarifying questions. Should I heavily salt my turkey the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight open to air? Then in the morning to do I pat it dry with a paper towel or leave it as is? And then cover with the compound butter before putting in the oven to roast?
So sorry I see you answered about what to do in the morning! But as far as the brine with salt is that left on in the fridge overnight open to air?
Yes! You leave the salt brine on the turkey overnight to absorb all that good flavor.
When you Brine with just salt do you rinse or wipe the salt off in the morning before rubbing the compound butter on it?
No need to rinse it, just pat it dry with a paper towel and rub it down with your compound butter!
I followed this recipe for my friend giving today and it turned out amazing!! I used the allium compound butter and it was so tasty!
You have inspired me to go for the spatchcock! I have a smaller 10lb bird and hope I’m successful.
My grandmother always said: "To cook a flavorful turkey, brine it for juiciness and season well. Roast at 325–350°F, preferably in a cast iron dutch oven for even cooking and a crispy skin. Let it rest for 20–30 minutes before carving to ensure tender meat."
Can you spatchcock a 20 lb turkey?
I’ve spatchcock small whole chickens.
Yeah!!! Here's a video on how to spatchcock a turkey: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoebarriesode/video/7304071826085252394?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7290274428307473966
Questions: what type of salt?? Kosher? Pink Himalayan?
And, what about drippings for gravy? :)
Unrelated to this post 😂 butttt I’m like 8 weeks behind, got super burnt out on cooking so been doing takeout 🫠 Does anyone have any fav menus they recommend for me to jump back into?? (Or any menus you’re especially proud of Zoe??)
If you're looking for something super easy with minimal prep, last week was "Dinners in a Pinch" (linked below) which might be just the thing to get you back into the swing of cooking. Check out the Menu page too for an overview of past week's meals. https://open.substack.com/pub/restaurantdropout/p/dinners-in-a-pinch?r=4i7qsr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I loved the Hawaiian Garlic chicken week, the Thai week with lots of peanut sauce, and the kebob week that was a few weeks back. I’ve never had a mediocre week, they’ve all been fantastic.
Thank you Tanya the Thai week looks unreeeeal
Hear me out… this has been a game changer for me. DON’T baste your bird. Opening and closing the oven every 30 mins leads to decreasing the temp of your oven over and over again so it takes longer for the bird to come to temp, making the turkey drier.
I always take it out closer to the cooler side, cover in foil and a heavy blanket and the temp stays more steady as it rests.
Fantastic tips! It's taken me 20+ years of cooking turkey twice a year to figure out what you just summed up in one brilliant post! Spatchcock and herbed compound is my standard. I've never done a dry brine but will look forward to trying that next time. Also curious about the cheesecloth method I'm seeing a lot of this year ... any thoughts?
I always chicken out on doing a turkey and stick with a big whole salmon BUT this year I’m itching to try! Your guide makes it seem so simple!
I just might have to do it
Wow. THE best explanation and tips for cooking turkey I’ve ever read. Thank you so much!
Will you be publishing a full Thanksgiving menu? I’m in charge of Thanksgiving and I’m trying to find a good meal plan with lots of prep ahead of time.
There will be a Thanksgiving post this week! It'll be a rundown on tips for prepping and enhancing the classics. We can't wait to share it with you all!!!