My Christmas Dinner 2012

My fresh turkey weighed slightly over twenty five pounds this year; but I had only one person expecting me to serve him dinner and he prefers the dark turkey meat. Consequently, I braised, rather than roasted, one leg and thigh (which I had previously, boned, rolled, and tied; and the back portion of the bird which I had  separated from the breast portion. I also prepared a mushroom/wild rice stuffing in a covered casserole and baked a dozen fresh dinner rolls. And, of course, I prepared gravy from the juices in my braising pan. To this I added a selection of vegetables-baby cut carrots, mashed rutabaga,  green peas and cauliflower in Veloute sauce and mashed potatoes.  For dessert there was the usual selection of tarts and pies. There was quite enough; and a very satisfactory meal, for both of us. The rest of the turkey I will use for another dinner or two-with no left overs- some time during 2013.

How to Roast; NOT BRAISE; A Christmas Turkey

While, if you are wanting a good quantity of gravy; there is nothing wrong with braising a turkey; most of the turkey that is available in supermarkets; or in  poultry stores is now "self basting"; so you don't really have to be much concerned about your turkey drying out; quite the opposite  many cooks now complain about too much fat and they really have no use for the extra turkey stock . There is often a huge difference in flavour, and texture between a braised and a roasted bird; and as you can see from the image below; proper roasting will produce a richer browner coloured bird rather than the greyish colour, so common with braising.

Above image public domain

However, if you've never done it before, roasting a turkey may at first seem like a daunting task, but by using a pre-processed (modern day)bird and a little  of my know how  you will discover that it is really very simple.

Choose Your Bird

You should plan on 1 to 11/2 lbs. per person. The next suggestions may provoke some controversy: many cooks will say that if your feeding a big crowd that you should consider cooking two medium –sized birds instead of one giant one, suggesting that the turkey stays moister, takes less time to cook, and you will have more legs to go around. I basically disagree with all of this. Aside from the fact that most Canadians braise rather than roast their turkey; which is, possibly, the best method for the  legs and other dark meat;  I suggest that while you might indeed want to break, or have, a large bird broken down;  the breast portion of  a larger bird will actually retain the most more moisture if it is roasted  properly.

Especially if you intend to use a fresh turkey; it is always best to order your bird ahead of time to ensure you get the size you need; but most markets do carry a full range of frozen birds in the 8-to 20-lb. range.

Fresh Vs. Frozen

Frozen: Frozen turkeys will keep up to a year in your home freezer, but, with the new marketing laws some previously frozen birds are allowed to be labelled as “fresh” if they have been thawed and recently chilled. Pre-stuffed birds (you can never be sure of how well the bird was dressed out) should go straight from the freezer to the oven, so you can skip the defrosting, which admittedly can be a bit of a chore. Never, never, never, thaw a bird at room temperature; and never, never, never, never; thaw a pre-stuffed bird. The thawing process which may be done in the fridge, or in a Baine-marie water bath requires time and don’t use a microwave which provides uneven, unpalatable and usually very dangerous results.

Fresh: If you’re planning to buy an unfrozen, fresh bird, don’t get it more than two days ahead of time and remember it will take up a lot of room in your fridge. Except that you do avoid the defrosting processes; they are also more expensive and hardly worth it.

Brining

If you've adventurous and have the room, and time, try brining your turkey before roasting. While again there is some debate to the safety and actual effectiveness, soaking the bird in salt water (Use Sea, Kosher, or pickling salt at a rate of 1 cup salt to 3 quarts liquid) for several hours is said to result in a moist and juicy well-seasoned turkey. For a whole turkey, soak for 6 hours minimum; 12 to 24 hours is optimal.  Rinse turkey thoroughly before roasting. Do not attempt this with one of the SELF BASTING supermarket birds.

Roasting Prep

If  you know for sure that your turkey was well drawn and washed and otherwise prepared before freezing; unless you intend to stuff it; thawing is not really necessary (never thaw a pre-stuffed bird if using), Preheat your oven to 325 and move the rack to the lowest level. A little trick I learned from the chefs and meat cutters in some of the larger hotel kitchens: instead of roasting a whole fresh turkey; first cut through the skin an either side of the turkey breast-next to the thigh. Then give the wing and breast section a  sharp pull; upward; while pushing down on the back, leg, and wing, section; thus breaking the backbone; and giving two separate sections-one breast (white meat); the other the back, legs, and wings, (dark meat). The thighs and legs may then be de-boned, rolled, and tied; making a perfect cut for braising and later slicing and serving. The bone-in breast portion is first roasted; then easily de-boned; ready for slicing, portioning and serving. Large hotel restaurants and dining rooms are not much concerned about the wings which usually go to staff meals or soups.

Final Preparation

Brush the skin with melted butter, margarine, oil, or other mild fat to prevent the turkey from drying out and to lend a lovely golden brown colour to the finished presentation. Fold the wings under and tie the legs; truss the bird for compactness, if desired.

Picking a Roasting Pan

The roasting pan is intended only to catch juices; but because  you may also use it when preparing gravy, make sure that it is about 2 inches deep- not much more. It should be lined with a mirepoix, and/or lifting- roasting rack, to keep the bird above the drippings thus preventing  any braising or stewing of the meat.

Roasting Rules

Some cooks swear their birds are better thanks to near- religious basting rituals and they are undoubtedly right. But with the modern self-basting supermarket turkeys, basting is not REALLY ESSENTIAL and it does take longer to cook the turkey. My method: I still baste  the bird with pan drippings, every 30 minutes or so.

 Do not use a pan cover but about two-thirds of the way through, or when the skin starts to reach a light golden brown colour, loosely cover the breast and thighs with foil or oiled cheese cloth to prevent over cooking.  Remove the foil or cheese cloth for the final 45 minutes;  brush with butter to finish and  turn the skin a lovely caramel brown.

Begin checking for doneness about three-quarters of the way through the roasting process

 Don’t’ count on pop-up thermometers-use a proper meat thermometer turkey is done when meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh reads 180 for a stuffed turkey (check stuffing temperature too it should reach 165 F. or 170 F for an unstuffed turkey. Lift turkey out of roasting pan and on to a platter or cutting board. Remove all stuffing to a serving dish, and then let the turkey rest for 20 minutes (it has been working hard) to allow the juices to redistribute through the meat. Use this time to finish up any side dishes and to make the gravy.

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan, 2012. All rights reserved.

How to Roast Beef- Prime Loin, Sirloin, Standing Rib or Any Other Roasting Cut.

Even This Little Pig Prefers Sir Loin


Public Domain Image

Canada A/AA/AAA/ Prime Grades The four grades (A, AA, AAA Prime) represent 98% of Canadian beef carcasses.  While the grade criteria for these four grades is identical the only exception being the all-important degree of marbling (tenderizes while giving flavour); if you really want to impress your dinner guests, ask your butcher for high quality Canada grades (AAA. Prime) Prime is the absolute superior grade of beef that is usually reserved for export or very up-scale hotels and restaurants. In fact, only 2% of all beef is graded. If a Prime, cut is really within your budget, go for it. The difference in tenderness and flavour is very distinguishable. Have your butcher trim most of the excess fat, but leave enough of a layer of fat to protect and baste your roast as it cooks. Canada AAA is the next best grade and can be found on the gourmet counter, at extra cost, in most markets and butcher shops. You may need to ask for it. Canada AAA is an excellent grade of beef with slightly less marbling than Prime. The typical grade found in most food markets is graded Canada A which is much less costly than Prime, AAA, or AA but will not be nearly as flavourful or tender. Most supermarkets and other mass producers presently compensate for this through mechanical tenderizing, the addition of flavour boosters (pink slime), and by adding water (sources of e- coli and other contamination). When choosing your cut, select one that weighs about seven to eight and a half pounds or enough to feed about six people. Anything smaller is less forgiving to cook; and like a thinly cut chop,or steak; hardly worth bothering with. Delicious Roast Beef.  Three  Recipes For Success. How to Cook Roast Beef for Maximum Flavour and Tenderness. Don’t Braise it, or Burn It — Roast It! Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, I still see many recipes that insist you should cook meat at high temperature for the first twenty minutes or so to seal it; then add stock, cover, and lower the temperature level for the rest of the cooking time. Rarely, now days, I sometimes also see a recipe that insists that the meat should be cooked in basically the same way; but, without any added stock water or OTHER liquid. These have become the fashionable methods, primarily through influence from The United States of the Americas. Maybe, it also has something to do with a lack of time, in an age when both partners tend to work, outside of the home, supposedly, for a living. What I am certain about is that this is not the best way to treat a prime cut of meat. Nor does it ‘seal’ it. Let’s put this myth to bed once and for all. Cooking meat at high temperature, whether broiled on a spit, or baked in the oven, in a pan caramelises and shrinks the meat but does not seal it! It also burns it. That’s why it goes brown. And it changes the taste, because the outside of the meat generally has a covering of fat. Fat is what gives meat its unique flavour. However adding this crust to the outside of the meat will also speed up the cooking of the rest of the roast, and reduce the amount that remains medium or rare. It will not produce the even finish you see in some better restaurants.  To achieve that, you must cook the meat uncovered, using slow, low temperature cooking; plus regular basting. Basting is simply taking the juices from the bottom of the pan and pouring them back over the cooking meat from time to time. By doing this, and cooking at the right temperature, you will produce far more succulent results. Browning will still take place, but gently, as part of a process. Let’s Look at the Basic Method. Using a Roasting-pan. You won’t believe what a difference in taste and quality it will make to buy your beef direct from a local family farm! It’s not a good idea to cook meat inside a deep USA style roasting pan. A much better way is to place the meat in a shallow roasting pan, on top of a prepared matignon or mirepoix. Or, place the roast directly on the rungs of the oven with the roasting pan underneath it. In this way, you can pack (mirepoix or matignon vegetables in the roasting pan and they will braise nicely in the juices from the meat. If you also don’t like that idea, because it means you have to clean the rungs after use, put the meat on top of a rack on the roasting pan instead. You don’t need to buy a special tin for this, simply use a cake rack or something similar. However the advantage of cooking directly on the rungs is that the air circulates freely round the roast, ensuring even cooking, and you can remove the roasting pan to make your gravy (without having the advantage or necessity of having to strain it) while leaving the meat where it is. Of course, if you do that, you will want to put some kind of drip tray under the roast, but any ovenproof dish will do for that. Temperatures and cooking times Calculate your cooking time as 30 minutes for every pound of meat. This will produce thoroughly cooked beef that is well cooked on the outside and rare inside. If you want to change anything - alter your cooking times accordingly but beware. There is a very thin line between meat that is well done and boot leather. If rare meat is more than you can handle, it’s a much better idea to use my cooking times but then turn the oven off and leave the meat in it for a further 30 minutes or so. Which brings me to one more point; it’s very important to let the meat stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.  Why? Because when you heat protein (which is what meat is) it shrinks and tightens. Allowing it to relax and cool a little restores some of its elasticity. However it will continue to cook for a while after leaving the oven and the internal temperature will increase by as much as a further 10 degrees; which is why you need, a good, 20 minutes resting time. Just keep it in a warm place with a sheet of cooking foil over the top while you prepare the salad greens and gravy. The OLD Conventional Method While you are shopping, pick up a good digital instant-read meat thermometer if you don’t already have one. It's the only sure way to tell when you're roast has achieved a desirable cooked temperature All meats can be cooked very successfully from a frozen state and while you will often see the suggestion, it is not crucial or often even advisable that you allow the meat to come to room temperature (to ensure even-cooking). This would means leaving the (thawed) meat out for up to two full hours right before roasting-which might be yet another source of contamination. * Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. * Use a paper towel to pat the roast dry. * Rub butter on the cut ends of the roast. * Create a seasoning rub or paste with ingredients such as pepper, coarse salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make a series of ½ inch deep slits all over the top of the roast as well as the sides. Rub your seasoning all over the roast, covering all exposed meat. * Place the roast in a heavy metal roasting pan, bone-side down. No matter what size cut you have, you will start it in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees for the balance of cooking time (See also my post entitled Miracle Roast). Cooking times will vary depending on size of the cut and desired level of doneness. The following chart gives approximate times for to reach "rare" at various sizes. Cooking Time for Rare (120°) 7 to 8 lbs. 15 minutes at 450°, Then 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours at 325° 9 to 10 lbs. 15 minutes at 450°, Then 1 ½ to 2 hours at 325° 11 to 13 lbs. 15 minutes at 450°, Then 2 to 2 ½ hours at 325° 14 to 16 lbs. 15 minutes at 450° Then, 2 ¾ to 3 hours at 325° 16 to 18 lbs. 15 minutes at 450° Then, 3 to 3 ¾ hours at 325° Every half hour or so, baste the ends of the meat with the drippings. Use your meat thermometer about a half hour before the expected end of the roasting time. Make sure to insert it in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the fat or bone. When the internal temperature reaches 120°, pull it out of the oven and cover with foil. Let the meat sit for twenty to thirty minutes. It will continue to cook during this time, reaching a temperature of about 125° to 130°. This resting period allows the juices and flavours to permeate the roast. Rare meats measure in at 120° to 125° with a bright red centre that grows slightly pinkish towards the exterior. Medium rare meats measure between 130° to 135° and are characterized by their extremely pink centre portion that grows brown towards the exterior. Medium meats have a light pink centre, brown outer portions and readings of about 140° to 145°. Medium well is not pink at all and is achieved at 150° to 155°. Well done is reached at 160° and above and is characterized by a uniform brown colour. Use a long, sharp knife to carve your roast. Serve with Yorkshire Pudding, Au Jus and Horseradish Sauce. Au Jus is French for “with juice”. Place the drippings in small containers for dipping. Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe About ¼ to ½ cup of prepared horseradish mixed with two cups of sour cream. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt. Thoroughly mix the ingredients, adding more horseradish as desired. Miracle Roast- For Any "Roastable" Cut of Beef  If using other than a loin or standing rib cut; or if there is insufficient  fat, lard the meat (at this point, you can not have too much cover fat). Place the meat in a shallow roast pan,, and on a bed of diced celery, carrots and onion (miropoix). Roast in a very slow oven (200 F.) allowing about an hour a pound for meat already at room temperature.of course, it will take longer if meat is frozen or has been taken directly from the fridge. Do not. cover or baste the meat. The meat will come out rare all the way through. Garnish and serve Yorkshire Pudding Recipe A traditional side dish to Standing-rib is Yorkshire Pudding, a puffy pop-over like pastry. ½ tsp. salt 1 cup of flour 2 eggs 1 cup milk 4 Tbsps. oil Mix all ingredients, except the oil, together. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450°. Take an 8x8 square pan and pour the 4 tablespoons of oil into it. Heat the pan for 2 minutes before pouring in the cold batter. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door during cooking. Serve immediately and enjoy the crispy outer edges and the custard-like   inside. ©Al (Alex- Alexander) D. Girvan 2012. All rights reserved.

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