How do you like your bird?

From trash can to gourmet -- ways to cook a turkey

With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, it is time to start planning your holiday menu and get your ducks ... er, or turkeys ... in a row.

      Maybe you always follow your grandmother’s secret recipe for a juicy bird or you’ve experimented with a variety of methods and are still searching for something that will blow your guests away.

      Well if you’re looking for something new to try, here are some more options that our staffers have used and have earned a stamp of tasty approval.

Trash Can Turkey

     by Donna Culbertson, circulation manager for Courier Publications

When it is time to cook your trash can turkey, place charcoal all around the bottom of the can and place a layer of charcoal on the top of the can. It will take about two or three hours to cook, based on the size of your turkey. KIM AMES PHOTOS

      I first heard about and saw how a trash can turkey was made last summer when some friends let me in on the secret. At first, I couldn’t imagine what it was all about, but I quickly learned it is a wonderful and delicious way to cook turkey.

      First, you need to purchase a small, galvanized trash can. You do not need the cover, but you may want to have it for storing the can later on. When you get the can home, build a fire in the can with some kindling wood and paper and keep the fire burning for at least two hours. The fire needs to be very hot -- flames, not smoke. This step is important because the fire burns off all the galvanized material so that when you cook the turkey, you do not get sick from the steel.

      Next, wash the inside of the can thoroughly with soap and water to rinse out the ash from the fire and any smell from the burn.

      When it comes time to purchase your turkey, choose one that weighs about 14 to 15 pounds; any bigger, and the inside of the bird will not cook well. You will need at least 25 to 30 pounds of charcoal briquettes. I like to buy the Match-lite brand because you do not have to put any lighter fluid on them and they light quickly and burn evenly. Make sure you cook the turkey for eight minutes per pound, regardless of the size.

     You need to have a stand on which to place the turkey. We fabricated one with two 2-by-4-inch pieces of wood in the shape of an “X” and used a metal stand from our turkey cooker as the stand to hold the turkey. Next, place the turkey on the stand legs up. We stuff the turkey with apples, onions, minced garlic and at least a stick and a half of butter. Rub the outside of the turkey with the spices of your choice. We use Mrs. Dash, poultry seasoning and salt and pepper.

     Outside, find a cleared area and place heavy duty aluminum foil on the ground. We use at least four big pieces and overlap them to cover a large area. Next, center your turkey on its stand on top of the foil. Place your trash can over the turkey, making sure you also center the can over the turkey. Place charcoal all around the bottom of the can and also place a layer of charcoal on the top of the can. Make sure you have a good pile of charcoal because this gives you the heat necessary to cook the turkey for the time allotted. Light the charcoal and the bird is on its way.

      In about two or three hours you will have the tastiest turkey you could ever want. Using a shovel, remove the charcoal from around the can. Grab some oven mitts and remove the trash can straight up and voila!, it is time to enjoy your trash can turkey.

Brine is finest kind

     by Dagney C. Ernest, editor of The Beat for Courier Publications

Vegetable broth and from left, black peppercorns, brown sugar, candied ginger, kosher salt and allspice berries are the key ingredients used to brine your turkey. DAGNEY C. ERNEST PHOTO

      I usually avoid trends as a matter of principal, but I’ve become a disciple of brining. My Thanksgiving table is set for as many as 20, so I didn’t make the decision to switch cooking methods lightly. But brining is a great way to get a moist, tasty bird ... in less time.

      The principal behind brining is that of osmosis; by submerging the bird in a sweet/salty liquid, water first moves out of meat’s cells and then back in. It’s that return trip that makes the difference, as it draws the flavored brine into the bird, a much better method than trying to moisturize from the outside.

      Here’s what you’ll need: a fresh (my preference, from a local grower) or thawed turkey and a plastic container a bit bigger than just enough to contain it (a 5 gallon pail from the paint store is perfect); vegetable broth, water and ice; kosher salt, brown sugar and a couple of other flavor enhancers. I use the “Good Eats” recipe from the Food Network’s Alton Brown; it uses allspice berries, black peppercorns and candied ginger.

      You want your bird in the brine 24 hours before oven time (and bear in mind brined turkeys take a lot less time to cook). For an 18-20 pound bird, start by combining 1-1/2 gallons vegetable broth (I use the good stuff, in the cardboard boxes in the natural food aisle), 1-1/2 cup kosher salt, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1-1/2 T. black peppercorns and 3/4 T. each allspice berries and candied ginger in a stockpot and bring it to a boil. Give it stir, take it off the heat and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.

      When it’s time to brine, pour the cooled concoction into a clean 5-gallon pail and add a gallon of ice water (I toss in a bag of crushed ice). Now get your bird ready to go by removing all loose innards and giving it a rinse. Hold that fellow by the legs and lower away. The brine should cover the submerged bird; you might have to put a clean plate or something else with heft on top to keep ‘im under.

      I like to flip my bird, as it were, after 12 hours, but it’s not a requirement. When it’s time to cook, just lift it out and give it a rinse and do your usual thing. Be sure to use a meat thermometer (I swear by the probe thermometer), because timing will be different -- a bird this big usually takes just 3 to 3-1/2 hours total in the oven. I also use Brown’s roasting method, which starts things off at a kitchen-smoking 500 degrees. If you’re intrigued, check out the Good Eats Roast Turkey recipe at www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html.

Turkey with a Twist

     by Kris Ferrazza, copy editor for The Courier-Gazette

      The legendary La Caravelle restaurant in New York City has closed its doors. But Roger Fessaguet, the eatery’s first chef and former owner, still knows how to cook.

      Frequented by the rich and powerful, the restaurant was a favorite of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Grace Kelly, Salvador Dali, Luciano Pavarotti, Walter Cronkite, Ralph Lauren and many others.

      Fessaguet, who retired in 1988 and now has a home in Maine, crossed my path one day when I was working as a reporter at the Lincoln County Weekly. Once I realized who he was, I convinced him to grant me an interview. I met him at his seaside home, which was complete with a professional kitchen equipped with every pot and pan imaginable, and he told me about his career.

     The most important thing to him at a restaurant, he said, was the greeting. Well, he said the food was just as important, but that without a proper greeting at the door from a pleasant host or hostess, the rest of the dining experience was meaningless.

      He said the kitchen and the dining room had to run like a well-oiled machine -- and the customers were his top priority. He told me about the time he chased at least one president out the door in theater-crowd traffic to return a jacket, and about his worst moment in more than 20 years at the restaurant. He said it was the day he accidentally seated two movers and shakers at adjacent tables not realizing they were engaged in a lawsuit and couldn’t stand the sight of one another. He still shudders at the memory.

      A classically trained French chef, Fessaguet loved to talk about food, running the kitchen and dining room, managing staff and the many friends he made during his career.

      I was fortunate to get his own personal recipe for roast turkey, and made it for my family one Thanksgiving about 10 years ago. To this day, my sister still raves that it was the best turkey we ever had. I call it “Turkey a la Fessaguet.”

      Since that time, I have lost the actual recipe, but I know how to do it now from practice. And I have changed a few things, though I’d never confess that to the great chef.

      “Turkey a la Fessaguet” begins with a twist. The way it was described to me, you turn the turkey on its side and sort of give it a half-nelson. Not a wrestler myself, I can only say imagine you are twisting someone’s arm behind their back. Do that to the wing so the tip stays near the center of the turkey’s back.

      Butter the whole turkey and turn it on its side. With a roasting pan rack, brace the bird so it stays standing upright on its side. Just jam the rack against and under it so it stays put.

      Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Carefully put the turkey in for just 20 minutes or so. The skin should be brown and crisp, but not burned.

      Carefully (the turkey’s hot!) turn the bird onto its other side. Give it another twist, prop it up with the rack and pop it back into the oven for another 20 minutes.

      I think cooking the turkey on its side at high heat somehow redistributes the juices, because it makes the most delicious turkey ever.

      Once both sides have been done, right the bird and drop the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Instead of using stuffing, fill the cavity with halved onions, celery stalks, carrots and parsley. I have experimented by added a sliced apple or lemon and both are good.

      Tent with foil and roast normally. Once the turkey is ready, remove it and use white wine to deglaze the pan. The drippings make the world’s most amazing gravy.

      As Roger Fessaguet would say: “Bon appetit!”

Juicy Fried Turkey

     by Linda Hall-Stone, circulation representative

Make sure your peanut oil is 350 degrees before carefully lowering your turkey into the pot. LINDA HALL STONE PHOTO

      If crispy turkey skin makes your mouth water, than a deep fried turkey is what you’ll want to serve for Thanksgiving this year. The only thing you’ll miss is perhaps the smell of roasting turkey in your home -- but you’ll have more room in the oven to cook pies and sweet potatoes.

      If you have hunters in your family who will be in the woods during the day, than a fried turkey is a good alternative to roasting because it is a great time saver. The turkey will only take about four minutes per pound to cook if you fry it. Our 12-pound turkey took a little over 40 minutes to cook last year.

      Basic cookers cost $60 to $120, depending on the accessories you choose, and you can also rent them. Your cooker also can be used for steaming lobster or large batches of corn. The directions that came with our cooker also included instructions for a clam bake and jambalaya dinner.

      The cooker will include an aluminum or stainless 26-quart pot, a thermometer, a turkey hook, a stand and a hose that connects to a propane tank. Borrow the tank of propane from your gas grill and you’re ready to go. Make sure when you cook the turkey, you do so outside, away from your house or porch.

     Before you start cooking or unwrap your turkey, place it in the pot and fill it with water. Once the turkey is submerged, make a mark inside the pot at the water line. This will tell you how much oil you will need.

     It is recommended that you fry your turkey in peanut oil -- it will take about five gallons (check at Sam’s Club for a lot at a lower price). The peanut oil is good for frying because it is a bland flavor and it won’t absorb or transfer flavors. It’s also a healthy oil. Just don’t use it if you’re allergic to peanut products!

      Heat the oil to a constant 350 degrees. Make sure your turkey is completely dry then attach it to the turkey hook. Lower it into the oil, being careful not to burn yourself.

      Cook the turkey for four minutes per pound until finished. When it’s done, you’ll be rewarded with a very juicy bird!

      Regardless of how you cook your turkey this Thanksgiving, enjoy the holiday and your tasty bird!