I recommend brining the turkey before roasting if you can- We did a brine with maple, oranges, herbs etc. for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. Also- I agree that breaking it down first promotes moist meat all around- alternatively, you can take out the turkey when the breast is done and then pop the legs/thighs back in until they are done. Enjoy!
By far the best thing you can do for your tuekey, is to break it down first, and cook it in pieces rather than roasting it whole. While breaking down any raw fowl early thanksgiving morning isn't the most pleasant job, it means a number of good things:
1) Turkey Stock! You have full access to the raw carcass, to make a delicious and gelatinous turkey stock. You get the stock simmering early too, and it fills the whole house with a great smell. This stock can go into a number of your dishes, bringing that delicious flavor into all your sides; This makes the best stuffing and excellent gravy. You'll probably also have leftover stock, which really helps to craft those leftovers into new and delicious dishes.
2) Never a dry turkey. Breaking down the turkey allows you to cook the light meat and dark meat to their ideal temperatures (which are different!), yielding perfectly cooked meat.
3) Crispy Skin. Having all the parts separate means uniform browning/crisping of the skin. You can also peel the skin back and spread a compound butter underneath for succulent meat and extra crispy skin. :)
4) Faster Cooking. Cooking the individual pieces flat on a baking sheet takes FAR less time than roasting the bird whole. This means you're in and out of the kitchen faster with less stress.
Using this method always yields delicious stuffing because of the stock. The other main key to stuffing success, is to use a good quality bread--don't buy those bags of stuffing mix; it always makes mushy "white-bread" stuffing. Buy a nice french loaf, cube it up, and leave it out on the counter for a few days ahead of time, or toss in the oven to dry out (using the oven time you didn't waste on the turkey!)
There are multiple recipes for sage stuffing. Here is a pretty simple and classing one: http://www.food52.com/recipes/1427_traditional_sage_stuffing. Best way to cook a turkey is controversial. I generally oven roast mine.
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1) Turkey Stock! You have full access to the raw carcass, to make a delicious and gelatinous turkey stock. You get the stock simmering early too, and it fills the whole house with a great smell. This stock can go into a number of your dishes, bringing that delicious flavor into all your sides; This makes the best stuffing and excellent gravy. You'll probably also have leftover stock, which really helps to craft those leftovers into new and delicious dishes.
2) Never a dry turkey. Breaking down the turkey allows you to cook the light meat and dark meat to their ideal temperatures (which are different!), yielding perfectly cooked meat.
3) Crispy Skin. Having all the parts separate means uniform browning/crisping of the skin. You can also peel the skin back and spread a compound butter underneath for succulent meat and extra crispy skin. :)
4) Faster Cooking. Cooking the individual pieces flat on a baking sheet takes FAR less time than roasting the bird whole. This means you're in and out of the kitchen faster with less stress.
Using this method always yields delicious stuffing because of the stock. The other main key to stuffing success, is to use a good quality bread--don't buy those bags of stuffing mix; it always makes mushy "white-bread" stuffing. Buy a nice french loaf, cube it up, and leave it out on the counter for a few days ahead of time, or toss in the oven to dry out (using the oven time you didn't waste on the turkey!)