T-Day with The83k: Why you should consider a non-oven roasted turkey at Thanksgiving
We'll have more Thanksgiving guides and recipes as Turkey Day approaches
This is the first of multiple The83k Thanksgiving guides I’ll be writing for the next month. Good luck to all of you who are beginning to plan THE BEST MEAL OF THE YEAR.
— Theo.
A dry-brined roast turkey is the Platonic ideal of a Thanksgiving main dish; when done well, the meat is juicy throughout, seasoned well and an excellent vehicle for whatever cranberry sauce and/or gravy you decide on.
But, as many, many of you have mentioned to me over the years, most of the time you’re not there for turkey — you’re there for the excellent sides and soups and salads and desserts that come with the only day Americans eat better than just about anyone on Earth (including the French, according to Art Buchwald.)
Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t have turkey at Thanksgiving (unless everyone’s vegetarian, in which case, you’ve got plenty of options) but since everyone is craving a cubic foot of stuffing and pie, anyway — there’s plenty of ways to free up your valuable oven real estate and still get a bird on the table.
One of the most popular methods of recent years has been to deep fry your bird, and I can attest to its succulence, juiciness and speed (most turkeys will be fully cooked in well under an hour). That said: even if you have a lot of space, level ground and someone careful enough to monitor the frying process properly (and are willing to read a LOT of articles outlining the safety concerns related to dropping your dinner into a cauldron of boiling oil set over a purpose-built propane burner) I’d proceed with extreme caution. There’s a reason why “fried turkey accidents” searches spike in November. Many decks, lawns, house siding, eyebrows and dignity have gone up in smoke in service of fried turkey. This kind of turkey is delicious. But YOU’VE GOT TO COMMIT. DO NOT PREPARE HALF-ASSEDLY FOR A FRIED TURKEY THANKSGIVING.
Smoking your bird — or even ordering one from your local butcher is another option, and a tasty, relatively low maintenance one. If you’re doing it yourself, once the bird is loaded, all you have to do is make sure your firebox is kept at your preferred temperature, and nothing evokes the spirit of the season like woodsmoke. That said — turkey tends to really pick up the smoke flavor that may put off folks not used to smoked poultry, and the texture of your bird will definitely be different than what you and your guests will be used to. I think it’s delicious — but it’s something to consider.
Probably the easiest and least difficult non-oven method available to most folks is roasting your bird on a gas grill. The advantages are obvious; you basically have relatively easy-to-control roasting available to you outside of the kitchen, and with a probe thermometer and careful monitoring, your bird will likely be indistinguishable from oven roasted birds of the past. If the weather is cold and extremely windy, you may have to account for extra cooking time, but of the three methods I’ve outlined here, this is the easiest.
You can have a big, beautiful turkey on your table AND cook multiple casserole-type sides all at the same time — it just takes a little bit of planning and willingness to use all the gear available to you.
And — especially if you’re frying that bird — a fire extinguisher to boot.
— Theo.
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