RECIPES: No need to get fancy to get good turkey meat

Deep-frying. Wood-smoking. Sous vide. The mind-numbing number of suggestions for mining flavor from the typically unforgiving Thanksgiving bird has swelled in recent years.

This year, leave them all behind.

For tasty fowl on Turkey Day, the new thing can be the old thing: a classic one-two punch of an overnight brine followed by a quick morning rub before the bird goes into the oven for a slow roast.

The good news is that while the process requires a little planning, little hands-on time is needed. And the payoff — white meat that doesn’t need a gravy bath to be choked down — is worth it.

THE BRINE
“It’s a couple of minutes, but you are going to get much more flavor,” Jack Bishop, of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, says of brining, a technique in which the turkey is bathed in seasoned salt water to help it retain moisture during roasting.

“The theory behind brining is that the white meat tends to overcook, and by the time the dark meat cooks the white is dried out. I brine my turkey Wednesday night and in the morning I am good to go.”

Brining is essentially what Butterball has been doing for decades. And that’s the caveat. Don’t brine a bird that’s already been plumped with a salted, seasoned solution, such as a kosher bird, says Bishop. Be sure to read the labels.

The one disadvantage is that the drippings (and even the turkey) can be salty. To moderate this, most people add sugar to the brine. Brent Young, one of the butchers at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn, N.Y., likes brown sugar.

“The sugar balances the salt a little,” he says. “Also, the sugar will penetrate the skin as well. And since sugar browns so well, you get that picture-perfect golden hue to your turkey. Brown sugar is better than regular for a more caramelized flavor.”

BROWN SUGAR TURKEY BRINE
Because a turkey must be refrigerated during brining, you need a bucket large enough to hold the bird (plus liquid), yet small enough to fit in your refrigerator. Alternatively, most grocers sell special bags for brining turkeys. These fit more easily in most refrigerators.
—
Yield: Enough for a 14- to 16-pound turkey

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 quarts cold water

Procedure:
1. In large bucket or brining bag, dissolve salt and sugar in water (for more flavor, you also can add whole peppercorns, cumin, coriander and crushed garlic). Submerge turkey, then cover bucket or seal bag. Refrigerate 6-8 hours.
2. When ready to roast, remove turkey, rinse under cool water, then pat dry with paper towels.

THE RUB
Once the bird is out of the brine, it’s time to rub in some flavor. A mix of spices or herbs diluted in a little bit of fat, such as butter or oil, is rubbed on the meat, both under and over the skin.

The options are limited only by the flavors you enjoy. If using fresh herbs, be sure to mince them well. And there’s nothing wrong with using a purchased seasoning mix (whether or not it’s called a rub). Just be sure to go easy. Too much and you will overpower the meat.

“That’s one of the great things about spice rubs or spice pastes, they are concentrated in flavor. It doesn’t take a whole lot of spice to get a deep and good taste,” says John Willoughby, who was executive editor of the recently closed Gourmet magazine.

But to get those flavors deep into the meat, you’ll need to rub the mixture both over and under the skin, says Bishop. That involves gently lifting and pulling the skin away from the flesh, rubbing the seasonings under it, then patting the skin back down. To give the bird a little kick, lightly dust the outside with ground black pepper.

To make a rub for a 12- to 14-pound bird, you will need about 2 tablespoons of low- or no-salt seasoning (such as dried herbs) mixed with 1/4 cup of oil or butter. Be wary of any purchased seasoning mixture that contains salt; the brining adds enough salt.

Need some ideas? Try toasted cumin, ginger, coriander, smoked paprika and orange zest diluted in a neutral oil, such as canola. Or try finely chopped fresh sage and garlic mixed into brown butter.

THE ROAST
There are many theories about the best roasting technique. Some advocate an even temperature — usually somewhere 325 and 400 degrees — throughout the cooking. Others crank the heat to 425 degrees at the beginning, then finish at a lower temperature.

For a good basic roast for a 12-pound turkey, start it at 400 degrees for an hour, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, tent it with foil and roast for about another 1 1/2 hours.

Whatever your approach on temperature, prepping the bird for the oven is key. Wrap the wings in foil and tuck them behind the neck. This helps prevent them from burning. Also tie the ends of the legs together with twine to help contain the juices.

When roasting, it’s also important to cook the turkey on a rack set into a roasting pan. This ensures that the bird roasts evenly. Fill the pan with a few large chopped carrots and onions and a bit of liquid (water, wine or broth) to give the drippings added flavor.

Roast the turkey, basting every 30 minutes with juice from the pan, until the breast registers 160 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170 degrees. About midway through, tent the bird with foil to keep the skin from burning.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let the bird rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

BROWN SUGAR AND CIDER TURKEY RUB
This wet rub gives turkey a rich and sweet flavor that is a nice complement to the saltiness of a brine. When you combine the ingredients, the mixture will appear curdled and messy. It’s fine. Just rub it over and under the turkey’s skin.
—
Yield: Enough for a 12- to 14-pound turkey

2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup whiskey
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Zest of 2 oranges

Procedure:
1. Combine all ingredients in blender and puree for about 1 minute. Mixture will be loose and a bit watery.
2. Carefully separate turkey’s skin from flesh, trying to avoid breaking the skin. Use your hands to work mixture under skin, covering flesh. Replace skin, then rub mixture over outside of the turkey’s skin. Roast according to your recipe.

Source: Adapted from Brent Young, a butcher at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn, N.Y.

LEMON-THYME RUB
—
Yield: Enough for a 12- to 14-pound turkey

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Procedure:
1. In small bowl, use spoon or silicone spatula to mix together all ingredients.
2. Carefully separate turkey’s skin from flesh, trying to avoid breaking the skin. Use your hands to work mixture under skin, covering flesh. Replace skin, then rub mixture over outside of turkey’s skin. Roast according to your recipe.

Source: Adapted from the November 2007 issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine