I find it absolutely remarkable that with only five days to get the ruddy thing thawed, people were at the local grocery store buying frozen chunks of bird. Are they stupid, or just sadists? Do they not realize that the chances of getting that thing thawed out Turkey Day are slim? In the refrigerator you need at least a week on the safe side. Maybe they are employing the "put in under a trickle of water all night" method? And even if that's the case, what are they doing to boost the flavor of that tom? Won't be able to inject a whole lot of flavor in such a short time. But it is far more likely that they are just going to leave the thing out on the counter and hope for the best.
I won't eat at those houses.
Roasting whole birds is stupidly easy, but people act like it's more difficult than rocket surgery. I think the problem comes from the fact that the average American (and Canadians a month earlier) only do it once a year. Anything that you do only once a year is likely going to swing wildly as to the success of the the end product. So, how can we up the odds of success?
1. Make a few birds throughout the year, don't wait until the holidays.
2. Keep a notebook or jot things down in your cookbooks so you know what works and what doesn't.
3. Birds usually go one sale right before and immediately after the big day, take advantage and stockpile for those others you'll make later on.
4. Get a chest freezer if you don't already have one. (How else are you going to keep those extra birds?)
5. Start planning a month in advance of the big day. Running around madly the week before trying to get things ready is only going to add to your stress.
6. Make as much of the rest of the meal ahead of time as you can. Reheat or finish off those little last minutes things while the bird is resting.
7. LET THE FRAKING THING REST! Unless you like turkey floss.
For me, things are tracking and on schedule. The 27-pounder in the fridge is already showing that it'll be ready come the big day. The hard part is the fact that it's so big that I doubt I can squeeze it into my big orange cooler, so I'll likely end up putting it in the brine within an ice chest (unless I dismantle part of it). Then of course there is the issue of having to transport the blasted thing 100 miles to the in-laws and cooking it there.
Is it too late just to order Chinese?
3 comments:
Are you a stuffing in the bird guy or a dressing to accompany the bird guy or neither?
Wow - I always start thawing my turkey (usually 20-22 lbs) 5 days before Tday and I've never NOT had it thawed out. Maybe it's a weird Orange County thing?? Birds thaw faster here?
Twenty-seven pounds? Crikey - do you have a tapeworm??
I scored a thirteen pounder, but was looking for a smaller one - seems the don't make 'em small, any more. Ah, another monument to excess.
Is it ridiculous that I have a two-week T-Day prep schedule typed up and taped to the cupboard? Yesterday was bread baking day (what, you don't bake your own bread for the dressing??) and dishes (why do I have dishes I only use twice a year, so I have to wash them before I use them because they get dusty in their cupboard??)(and I'll give a prize to anyone who comes up with self-polishing silver)(never mind...I like polishing silver). Today is veggie, casserole, and shred-the-bread-for-dressing day. Tomorrow is pie day...mmm...pie.
Meanwhile, how long do you let your bird rest?
Shade and Sweetwater,
K (who doesn't brine, but can we still be friends??)
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