Elizabeth Heiskell’s grandmother had a problem: Her Thanksgiving turkey was getting too brown, too fast. That just wouldn’t do. « It would drive her crazy, » Heiskell, a food contributor and cookbook author who lives in Oxford, Mississippi, told Fox News Digital. She said her perfectionist grandmother « really had to have that Norman Rockwell look » for her bird. Her resourceful grandmother’s solution? Wrap the turkey in a pillowcase, soak the pillowcase in alcohol and put the whole thing in the oven.ARE THANKSGIVING TURKEYS BEST ROASTED, FRIED, SMOKED OR GRILLED? EXPERTS REVEAL THEIR CHOICESWhile this may sound completely bonkers, Heiskell swears by it – and continues to make her turkeys this way after all this time. On Thanksgiving eve, Heiskell and her family gather to celebrate — and they’ll be finding a pillowcase, ripping it up and proceeding to prep their holiday turkeys. « It’s like a team sport, » she said. The pillowcase has to be « 100% cotton » and clean – « not one you slept on the night before, » she said. It does not, however, have to be brand new, Heiskell said — noting that her grandmother would use pillowcases that were « maybe not in the best shape » for the task of cooking the turkey. (Some people use cheesecloths instead.)RETAILERS ANNOUNCE ‘INFLATION-FREE’ THANKSGIVING DINNER DEALSHer grandmother « would take the turkey, rub it in butter, put all of her seasonings on it, and then she would wrap it in this pillowcase and put it in her roasting pan » on top of a V rack, Heiskell said. « Then she would pour red wine, cognac, whatever she had there, melt the butter and saturate that pillowcase and then bake it until almost done. And then she would flip it over, brush it with the butter wine mixture again and then put it back in the oven to brown. » « The bottom line is the bird needs to be completely covered by the pillowcase, » she said. « Then it needs to be completely saturated. » The end result, Heiskell said, is « the most incredible turkey » – one called out by the Better Homes & Garden test kitchens and others. Serves 10-12 people100% cotton pillowcase, clean, cut up if necessary to fit around turkeyV rack for roasting panRoasting panFor turkeyTurkey (12-15 pounds) 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped1 lemon, quartered 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 8 smoked bacon slices2 cups red wine, plus more as needed1½ cups chicken broth, plus more as neededCONSIDER COOKING YOUR THANKSGIVING TURKEY IN ONE PARTICULAR WAY, SAYS CHEF6 whole peppercorns10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley1 bunch fresh thyme2 bay leavesKosher salt and freshly ground pepperFor gravy2 cups liquid from turkey roasting panRed wine, if needed2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons all-purpose flourKosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Rinse the turkey and remove the giblets and neck. Stuff the cavity with the onion, celery and lemon. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Spread one stick of the butter evenly over the skin and liberally season the entire bird with salt and pepper.THANKSGIVING FOOD DEBATE: DO YOU PREFER HOMEMADE OR CANNED CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH YOUR FEAST?
3. Unfold a large, clean pillowcase. Cut into a square large enough to wrap the entire turkey. Place a V-shaped rack in a large roasting pan. Drape the pillowcase over the rack and arrange 4 of the bacon slices in a single layer on the cloth. Place the turkey, breast side down, on top of the bacon, arrange the remaining 4 bacon slices on top of the turkey and fold the pillowcase up over the turkey so it is fully covered. Completely saturate the pillowcase and turkey with the wine and 1 cup of the broth. Scatter the peppercorns, parsley, thyme and bay leaves in the bottom of the pan. Roast the turkey for 20 minutes.4. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium heat, combine the remaining two sticks of butter and the remaining ½ cup broth with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Heat, stirring, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat. After the turkey has roasted for 20 minutes, liberally baste it with some of the butter mixture, making sure the pillowcase is still completely saturated.5. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, registers 165 degrees and into the thigh registers 175 degrees, 2½ to 3 hours more. Baste the turkey every hour with the pan juices, making sure the pillowcase remains saturated. If the pan dries out, pour in equal parts wine and broth.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
6. Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the pillowcase from the turkey and flip the turkey over so it is breast side up. Brush the breast with the remaining melted butter mixture and continue roasting until the skin is crisp and browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let it rest at least 20 minutes before carving.For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle8. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy alongside.This recipe is owned by Elizabeth Heiskell and was shared with Fox News Digital.
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Publish date : 2024-11-28 01:00:31
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