1-800-butterball

Horse, all will be well - at the best, you will have yummy turkey, at worst, your kids will have much fun recounting how daddy totally lost his **** because of a small, featherless bird :D

As a Brit, I think roast dinners are in my blood, and a roast beef or chicken is still my 'go to' meal to cook for guests, especially when I don't have a lot of time (weekday supper type idea, or at short notice). I can throw the meat in the oven while I prep the veggies, and whatever I am doing for pudding, and in under an hour I can have the roast on the table feeding hungry mouths.

Or, to put it another way, if the spotty 17 year old at the grocery store can cook a chicken, so can you!

Omni Turkey cooking clinic
 

Horse, there is nothing like a home roasted chicken, and the smell oh the smell of the house. Emma's post was funny. You will be fine and you create memories for your kids. Nothing like those memories.

Next year we will start getting you ready earlier.

Now enjoy all the cooking and don't forget the glass of wine, it makes it fun.

Happy cooking and eating.

And everyone happy tday.

Just noticed this

Isn't there another thread where this belongs :p

Old Threads: "Last Tango in Paris" Reviews, Marlon Brando Career Retrospective????

how often are you doing the basting?

If you spread the butter mixture under the skin before you put it in the oven...no basting is necessary. It self bastes. Usually the back of your oven is hotter..put it in feet first.
And if it has one of those pop up thermometers--ignore it. If you go by that thing you will have turkey jerky. Use an instant read thermometer--you don't leave it in the turkey.
If you put stick of butter inside of cavity...doesn't it just melt and you have a pool of butter on the bottom of the turkey where there really isn't any meat? Never tried that.

Only 2 or 3 times. I like the flavor the pan drippings drizzled on the turkey.

Corky I never have had a problem with a pool of butter the bottom of the pan. It enhances the flavor of the pan drippings for me. :)

I was trying to keep the instructions simple, I felt like TH was getting so many instructions he would get lost if they combined them all!

thanks,

in the end I took the dry brine recommendation and your simple turkey for idiots instructions and will probably add the flip the bird instruction (hmm maybe there is another way to say that LOL) and will run with that

I do appreciate all the input though. We will see if I made the right choice although it will be my execution of the process that will be my downfall if it doesn't come out right

Horse, cooking it is the easy part. Wait til you try to figure out how to cut the thing up into presentable pieces.

Gravy makes even the driest meat juicier (tip from those who may, at one time or another, have forgotten to set a timer on their meat...)

Sharp knife, cut only breast meat off in front of people, save the rest of dissection for private! Drumsticks can be taken off relatively easily, if your kids fancy recreating a medieval feast experience :D

His kids won't mind about presentation - they will be too ready to "dig in" :)

Ahhh haven't seen that movie in a long time, I think I need to see it again.


Happy cooking Horse, and please we need pictures….

Even of the process.

If you brined....no flipping of the bird is necessary unless you want to flip us all off for all the complicated instructions! Seriously, It is so hard and messy to turn over a hot, greasy, heavy turkey. don't make it harder on yourself.
Be sure to post photos when done!!