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Roast Turkey & More!

Courtesy of: Chef Ben Lierman from Clark's Appliance Showcase

Roast Turkey with Red Currant Glaze, and Sourdough, Herb, and Sausage Stuffing

For the Stuffing:
1 pound bulk sausage -- cooked, cooled, and crumbled
6 cups sourdough bread cubes -- 1/2" cubes
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups spanish onion -- 1/4" dice
1 1/2 cups celery -- 1/4" dice
1/4 cup garlic -- minced
1 cup fresh herbs -- chopped fine, rosemary, parsely, sage, marjoram, thyme
1 1/2 cups chicken stock -- hot
Salt and pepper -- to taste

For the Turkey:
1 each Whole Turkey 16-18 pounds -- thawed, cleaned, patted dry
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons canola oil

For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups red currant jelly
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 each oranges -- peeled and chopped
15 each maraschino cherries -- stems removed and halved
Salt and pepper -- to taste

For the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350. Cook, cool, and crumble the sausage, set aside. Lay out the bread cubes on cookie sheets. Lightly toast the cubes until slightly brown and crispy. In a large skillet over medium low heat, melt butter and gently saute the onions until they soften slightly. Add the celery and garlic and sweat an additional 2-3 minutes. Toss this mixture with the bread cubes, and add the fresh herbs. The entire mixture will be moistened with the hot chicken stock just prior to stuffing.

For the Turkey: Allow the fully thawed, washed and dried turkey to sit at room temperature for one hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season the entire bird inside and out with the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Rub the entire outer surface of the bird with the canola oil. Toss the stuffing with the hot chicken stock, half at a time. The bread cubes should be slightly moist, but still springy, not saturated. Open the neck cavity and loosely fill with a portion of the stuffing. Wrap the skin flap over the stuffing, and secure under the bird with a stich or a skewer. Tuck the wings underneath the bird. Gently fill the body cavity of the bird with the remaining stuffing, making sure not to pack tight. Pull the turkey legs together and secure with twine, or the plastic trussing device supplied by the manufacturer. Place entire stuffed bird on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Place in the preheated oven, and roast for 30 minutes. Drop the temperature to 350 and continue to roast.

For the Glaze: While the bird is roasting assemble the jelly, marmalade, worcestershire, brandy, and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl and stir with a wire whisk. Mottle in (crush) the oranges and cherries, and season with the salt and pepper.

When the bird is nearly finished (an internal temperature of about 150 degrees is reached, approximately 2 1/2 hours), apply the glaze quickly and thoroughly, and return the bird to the oven. Glaze two additional times, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 degrees. Allow turkey to rest at least 30 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.

Herb and Apple wood Smoked (Almost)Boneless Turkey

1 each turkey -- 18 to 20 pounds
1 gallon ice cubes
Vegetable oil -- to rub the turkey after brining
Fresh ground balck pepper
1 each recipe sweet garlic turkey brine
2 ounces fresh sage
4 ounces fresh rosemary
2 cups applewood chips soaked

First start by cutting one side of the breast off of the bone. Take your time so that you do not leave too much meat on the bones. When you are getting to the bottom of the breast make sure to leave the wing attached, as well as the thigh and drumstick. at this point you should have a half of a turkey, the breast is boneless, but the wing and leg quarter still have the bone in them. Now cut off the wing paddle and tip, leaving the drummie attached to the breast, this will be the only bone that will be left. Next lay the 1/2 turkey skin side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp boning knife cut through the thigh and drumstick along the bone. Carefully cut the thighbone and leg bone off of the dark meat. When the bone is removed carefully inspect and cut out any remaining cartilage and tendons. You should now be left with half of a turkey and the only bone is the first joint of the wing. Repeat this with the other half of the turkey, saving all scraps to use to make a sauce for the turkey.

In a small cooler pour the prepared brine, ice and mix well. Add the prepped turkey and make sure that the turkey is completely submerged into the brine. Replace the cover on the cooler and store in a cool place for 12 hours to overnight.

Set up your grill to use indirect heat and pre heat to 250 degrees F. Make two smoke pack out of aluminium foil, divide the herbs and soaked chips between the two, or pre heat the smoke tray on your grill.

Drain the brine from the prepared turkey and pat dry. Lay out onto a sheet tray or two, rub with the vegetable oil and season with the fresh black pepper. (do not use any additional salt because of the salt in the brine would make it too salty.)
Place the turkey halves about 4 to 6 inches above the heat and add the first half of the herb/chip mixture either to the coals if using the foil or into the smoker box. Using a probe thermometer insert it into the thickest part of the breast, set the alarm for 165 degrees F. (If you have a thermometer with an alarm) After about one hour check the progress of the turkey and add more of the herb/chip mixture to the smoker. When the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. remove it from the grill, the skin should be mahogany brown and crispy. If not, you can turn the grill up to medium-high and brown the skin side some more if so desired. Allow to rest for 20 minutes covered with a foil tent then carve and serve.

Sweet Garlic Turkey Brine
12 ounces kosher salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1/4 cup garlic cloves
1 quart water
2 quarts chicken stock
24 ounces beer
3 quarts ice cubes

In a stock pot combine the following; kosher salt, brown sugar, honey, paprika, peppercorns, garlic, and water. Place the pot on a burner over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil stirring often, turn the heat off and add the remaining ingredients, and cool rapidly to below 41 degrees F.Sweet Garlic Turkey Brine

Turkey Gravy

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 each large spanish onions -- coarsely chopped
4 each carrots -- coarsely chopped
4 each stalks of celery -- coarsely chopped
2 pounds white mushrooms -- crushed
6 ounces tomato paste
Turkey bones -- From one turkey
2 cups white wine
1 cup port wine
1 gallon chicken stock -- or water
Water -- to cover
2 each bay leaf
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 each sprigs of thyme
1 bunch parsley stems -- do not use the leaves for this
12 ounces butter
Flour -- enough to make a thin roux, about 10 ounces
Kosher salt and pepper -- to taste

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a heavy knife or meat cleaver cut the turkey carcass into small pieces, about a couple of inches. Put the bones onto a sheet tray or two, they should be in a single layer, do not overcrowd the pan or the bones will not roast correctly. Roast the bones for about 30 to 40 minutes until they are medium to dark brown, but not burned. place the bones on a pan with a drain insert so that the grease will drain off the bones.

While the turkey bones are roasting, start the vegetables. In a large stock pot over medium high heat saute the onions in the olive oil. Do not stir the vegetables too much, this will aid in the caramelization of the vegetables. When the onions are just starting to get some color, add the carrots. Continue cooking until the carrots start to color also, then add the celery. Cook the vegetables until they are nice and caramelized. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their water and then it mostly evaporates. Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the roasted bones, white wine, port wine, and cook until the liquid has almost totally reduced. Now add the chicken stock and top with water to coved the bones and vegetables. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a medium simmer.

Simmer the stock for 3 to 4 hours the stock will reduce during this time. While the stock is reducing you can make the roux. In a heavy bottom pan melt the butter, when the butter stops sizzling slowly wisk in the flour a little at a time. You are looking for a thick but yet still pourable consistency, when enough flour has been added cook the roux on medium low heat until a dark peanut butter color is achieved, about 30 minutes.