So here's my saga:
We normally celebrate Thanksgiving day at the Broswick's in Lee's Summit. Then we head over to Salina the following Saturday for Thanksgiving Part 2 with my family. This year, my parents and aunt and uncle decided to spend Thanksgiving in Arizona. So the whole Salina thing was out. I invited my siblings to join us at our place to celebrate. Along with getting the house cleaned and ready for guests, I got the experience of making my first turkey.
I had a lot of anxiety going into this. Cooking a turkey just sounded....hard. But I was bound and determined to make the best damn turkey anyone ever tasted. So I started researching. I have a subscription to both Food & Wine magazine and The Food Network magazine. Between the two, I was able to figure out anything I wanted to know.
I did an orange-bourbon brine on the turkey the night before and may I just say...my house smelled AMAZING. This whole "prep time" was quite humorous as it included me being elbow-deep in a bird's ass and googling "Where are the giblets!?!" In the end, I got it all figured out.
The next morning, I got up early. I rinsed the turkey and basted it with a honey mustard butter and stuffed it with a bunch of random crap. I popped that baby in the oven and a couple hours later....deliciousness. I will say, the skin ended up browning a lot faster than I would have liked. So it wasn't like...beautiful or anything. But it WAS juicy and moist and delicious. And quite frankly, that's what matters, right?
And now, some photos for your entertainment:
The good thing about using a bourbon brine, is you can drink the bourbon.
A cavity search was necessary.
If you're thinking, "Is she using a flashlight to help locate the giblets?" then you're correct.I must say, it was a fun experience.
