Hey! Quickly before we get started, I wanted to let you know that it's Mobbie time here in the Baltimore area! Yep! Baltimore Sun's annual blog competition, the Mobbies is underway. My goal as a Balimore-based blogger is to let the people of the world know how much this amazing city means to me, and how much amazing food, and how many family-friendly fun there is to be had in Charm City!
I want to let EVERYONE know what it means to Slow Down and Savor. I am nominated for best writing, most creative, most entertaining, most informative, most influential and best blog, and I would be beyond grateful and super honored if you would vote for me by clicking here, finding my name (Slow Down and Savor) under each category and submit! You can vote daily! Now, on with the show!
It's that time of year again. It's TURKEY TIME! Whether you plan on fixing a turkey dinner with all the traditional sides for Thanksgiving next week - wait, next week?! - or you're going to be dressing your bird with care for Christmas in a month, turkey is on the brain.
Last year, if you may recall, my oven broke the day before Thanksgiving. Panic set in. I was an anxiety-riddled mess. I couldn't believe that my oven, the ONE thing I needed to pull my first solo Thanksgiving here in Baltimore, was BROKEN. We ordered parts from Amazon that ended up being the wrong parts, and no one could come out until the next week to help with our kitchen woes. So it was time to get creative. I mean, I couldn't allow my 12-pounder to go bad!
So my husband grabbed Google by the horns, and found out that it is possible to cook a turkey on the stovetop. Hooray! Basically, we'd create an oven out of a giant pot on the stovetop. That's right. STOVE TOP TURKEY.
MacGyver would be proud.
So that Friday afternoon, our Thanksgiving feast was underway a day late. My stock was simmering in a sauce pan, and it was starting to smell a lot like the holidays. I was ready to make stove top turkey.
I seasoned my bird with some olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, stuffed it with onions, carrots and celery, and shoved some butter under the skin. I let it marinate for an hour or so in the seasonings while I let the stock get to a point that I was happy with.
From there, I removed the innards from the stock, transferred it to a huge pot, the same pot we made our beer in. I ensured there was about 1.5 - 2" of liquid in the pot simmering before putting the turkey in.
More like plopping the turkey in. But however it got in, it got in. I secured the lid, and every 30 minutes for the next 3 hours, I removed the lid to baste the bird with the cooking liquid, and to make sure the liquid level didn't drop. Other than that, I let it just sit.
After 3 hours, our 12 pound turkey reached 165 degrees F, and was ready to be removed from it's yummy, yummy bath.
The bird rested for about 30 minutes while I got the rest of our meal ready. I boiled potatoes, and mashed them up with milk and butter for some creamy mashed taters. I sautéed the green beans with garlic and olive oil.
The cranberry sauce was cooked and chilled. I used the drippings/liquid to make gravy, and the stuffing, while more dressing that stuffing since I didn't stuff the bird, was cooked and we were ready to eat.
What an insanely delicious meal. I'm not even kidding you when I say that turkey was WAY more juicy and moist than I've ever had before.
I'm telling you now as I told you then. THIS is the way to cook a turkey. Gone are they days of dry meat, and sadness. Farewell to chewy, flavorless poultry. The moment I put my first bites of this juicy, flavor-rich meat in my mouth, I vowed I'd be making turkey from here on out, working oven or not.
So here we are, 9 days away from Thanksgiving Thursday, and I'm getting my big pot ready.
And yeah, it looked a bit anemic, but you couldn't tell once it was carved and served on the plate. Outstanding. Truly delicious. Holy cow status. I'm so happy that the oven broke for the sole reason that I learned this new way to make turkey. Oh yeah. It's good.
HOW TO MAKE A TURKEY ON THE STOVE:
STEP ONE: Make sure your turkey is thawed!
STEP TWO: Get your stock or cooking liquid in a big pot. The liquid needs to be 1.5" - 2" deep. You can make your own stock by simmering chicken broth, carrots, onions, celery, salt, pepper sage, rosemary and thyme and the innards together for an hour or so and then removing the innards .
STEP THREE: Place the prepared turkey in the pot. (Prepared = seasoned, buttered/oiled, stuffed with veggies)
STEP FOUR: Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and leave the liquid at a simmer. Secure the lid.
STEP FIVE: Simmer the turkey gently. Check the liquid level every 30 minutes. If it's boiling, turn down the heat. If it drops below an inch, add more liquid.
STEP SIX: Start testing the turkey's temperature around 2 hours. Once the turkey reaches 165 degrees F, which should be reached between 3-4 hours, remove it from the pot to a carving board, where it'll rest for 20-30 minutes.
You'll have the most deliciously juicy turkey you've ever had using this method. I couldn't even believe it myself, but it's true. Let me know if you decide to try using this method for your next holiday feast!
