Poached, then grilled Turkey with gravy and stuffing
The traditional thanksgiving dinner in the US, taking place on the fourth Thursday of November, is turkey, which is enjoyed by family and friends. Also in Canada, where it gets colder earlier and Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October, turkey has its place.
Ingredients
DAY 1 For the bird and the poaching liquid
- 11 - 16 llbs (5-7 kg) turkey all left overs can be used later for other dishes
- 2 tbsp (24g) clarified butter or olive oil
- 3 medium sized (brown) onions
- 3 celery sticks
- 1 large carrot
- 2-4 tbsp (30 - 60 g) salt
- 10 or so parsley stems
- 2 tsp thyme leaves fresh or dried
- 2 tsp rosemary leaves fresh or dried
- 1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 5 bay leaves
- 3 gallon (12 liter) water (or sufficient volume to fully immerse the bird during poaching)
DAY 2 for the gravy
- pan drippings of the turkey
- 2.1 oz (60g) all purpose flour
- 1.25 L turkey broth from the poaching
mirepoix (for the gravy)
- 4.6 oz (130) diced or small cut onions
- 4.6 oz (130g) carrots
- 4.6 oz (130g) celery (stick) mixed
For the stuffing
- 4.2 oz (120g) diced onions
- 4.2 lard or butter lard or butter
- 1 lb 7 oz (650g) cubed, day old bread that has been made dry in an ov
- 1/2 pint (250ml) turkey broth
- 1 egg
- 0.2 oz (6g) chopped parsley (2 tbs)
- 0.04 oz (1 g) chopped sage (1 tsp)
- 7 oz (200g) peeled walnuts
- 0.18 oz (5 g) salt (1 tsp)
- 0.04 oz (1 g) salt (1 tsp)
Instructions
DAY 1 For the bird and the poaching liquid
- After the bird is thawed find a large enough pot for the bird to be fully submersed. Rub the interior of the bird with salt (1 tbsp or 15 g) and let sit at room temperature for 1 hr also to let it lose some of its chill
- Meanwhile bring water to a boil. Add some 1 ½ chopped onions, the bay leaves, chopped celery sticks and a chopped carrot to the water/broth. For every 3 quarts (3 liter) of water add 1 tbs of salt. If the bird would have been packaged pre-brined, which can be seen from the sodium content of the packaged bird (some 400 mg sodium per 100 g) and as usually happens to frozen birds, then reduce the salt to one tsp per 3 quarts (3 liter) (brining is used to tenderize the meat)Simmer the broth for some 15 minutes and then stop the heat and let it cool down to about 194 F (90 C)
- Immerse the bird fully and monitor the temperature of the liquid. It should not exceed 185 F (85 C) and not be lower than 176 F (80 C). Especially in the beginning , the cold bird will cause the liquid to cool down and more heat needs to be added. Do this intermittently, such as to keep the temperature in the range. It may also help to heap hot broth on the cavity of the bird, so that the interior of the bird is exposed to refreshed hot broth regularly
- A 6 kg bird needs to be poached for 1h and 20 minutes, after which it can be let cooled down in the broth. When the temperature of the broth has reached 104 F (40 C) (after about 3-4 h) take the bird out of the broth and cool it down under rinsing cold water and ice water. When the bird is fully cooled down, let it air dry for 20 minutes and then put overnight in the refrigerator, covered with cling wrap. Alternatively, if you would like to proceed with grilling and serving the same day, take the bird out of the poaching liquid after 2 h cooling down (50-55 C) and then proceed with step 2 of Day 2.
- The above procedure will ensure that the bird’s interior reached 165 F (or 74 C), which is the requirement to safely cook poultry. If you want to check this, do this right after the 1 h and 20 minutes of poaching by pulling the turkey partly out of its broth. Keep the turkey broth as much as you can. A part will be required for making the gravy and the stuffing the next day, but the broth will become fantastic after simmering the turkey carcass and neck and wing bones in it, after the meal on the next day.
DAY 2 (grilling, making gravy and stuffing)
- The next day, take out the turkey from the refrigerator at the least one hour before placing it in a pre-heated oven of 402 F (250 C), and about 3 1/2 h before the dinner. This is to take the chill off
- Meanwhile, stuff the bird with some parsley stems, and a few quart onions, oil the skin with a bit of olive oil or melted clarified butterfat and then season with the herbs (rosemary needles and thyme leaves) and a bit of salt
- Place the bird inside the oven on a rack above a dripping pan, which contains mirepoix. (see making the gravy section) and the bird is grilled for 45 min. Check the color of the bird’s skin every 10 min: maybe it needs a little longer. When the skin is browned, switch off the oven, but keep the bird in the closed oven for another full hour, so it can heat through. Check your oven temperature after 30 min or so. If needed, add some heat after 30 min to bring the temperature to 302 F (150 C) and then switch the heat off again.
- Please note that if the poaching was done the same day, the grilling time may be slightly shorter and the bird may be taken out of the oven 30 min after the grilling has stopped as the internal temperature when the bird was put into the oven was already quite a bit higher
- After in total 2 h in the oven, take the bird out, let it rest for a further 30 minutes and then serve and cut
- Meanwhile make the pan gravy and finish cooking the stuffing in the warm oven
Instructions for the gravy
- Place the mirepoix on the dripping pan and place it in the oven just before the poached turkey is placed on a rack over the dripping pan. While roasting, bird juices will drip on the freshly cut vegetable bed and will not burn, but will be infused with the vegetable aroma’s
- After the bird is resting, take the dripping tray and pour most of the fat off and then sieve the remaining juices and the cooked mirepoix through a siff in a pan. Take time to push most of the mirepoix through the siff as this will impair a wonderful aroma to the gravy
- Add 60 g of all purpose flour and mix with the lukewarm fat and juices using a whisk
- When a pretty homogeneous mixture is obtained start heating the mixture gently, thereby stirring continuously
- Add the turkey broth gradually and stirring and heating all the time, such as to create a thick consistency, but such that the gravy is easily pourable when hot
- Check the taste. You may add salt or pepper as desired, but often I find no additional salt or herbs are needed. All the good taste is already in the mirepoix/juice mixture and in the turkey broth
Instructions to make the stuffing
- While the turkey is still in the oven, panfry the onions in the lard or butter until tender (about 10 min)
- Combine the bread, cold or lukewarm stock, the whisked up egg and add the onions, add the parsley, sage, walnuts, salt and pepper and mix well
- Place the mixture in a buttered or oiled cast iron pan and heat up the contents a little so the cold is off. Cover it with parchment paper. Bake the stuffing at 350 F (177 C) for 35 minutes in the still warm oven where the bird was just taken out from.
Notes
Method: poaching, dry frying
Food allergy & intolerance information: none