4 Day Turkey
Not bad for a first time!
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This last year I was honored with the task of being in charge of the turkey for Thanksgiving. I had never been in charge of the turkey, or actually cooked a turkey on my own before, so while I was thrilled, I was also a little nervous. I knew some research was needed. So, I took to the web to find a recipe that would be fool proof and fun while also not taking 10 hours to cook the bird. What I came up with was to cut cook time I would need to spatchcock or butterfly the bird, this would help to insure a more even cook and in the process help to keep the whole bird moist. Next, a dry brine was perfect for a guaranteed moist bird with crispy skin. Thankfully Alton Brown has the perfect tried and true recipe that I was able to build off to make what turned out to be an amazing Thanksgiving bird.
We had our bird, and thankfully we had picked it up early and it was already thawed, because I had landed on this method almost exactly 4 days before Thanksgiving. I immediately set about getting my ingredients ready, and my mom started to turkey proof her newly renovated kitchen.
Spice it up!
The spices were easy throw them all together and grind. Or so I thought. Our mortar and pestle was a bit small for the amount of spices I needed to grind together so I had to do them in batches but I made it through.
If I can tell you one thing, get some good poultry shears. I was hacking at this bird for ever trying to get through, my hands, arms, and the poor knives I had a rough time removing that backbone. So if you can get some good shears. My mom was glad she turkey proofed the section I was working in after this struggle.
After removing the backbone and flattening the bird - don’t be afraid to really put your weight into this part, the bones are going to snap on the bird to flatten it so really go for it - I covered the bird like it was snowing! Then realized I needed to put some of the spice mixture on the underside as well. Thankfully there was quite a bit of the mixture so I was able to spread it around just by rubbing it over.
The foil and plastic wrap in the background are my moms turkey proofing.
Into the fridge the turkey went and sat there undisturbed for the next 4 days. Then came Thanksgiving and an anxious Keisha went to remove the turkey from the fridge. It really didn’t look that much different, so I figured it was all good, and went full speed ahead. butter rub made and spread all over the bird. it was ready to bake.
into the oven he goes
Into the oven went the bird, along with some potatoes to raise it off the pan. I will note, turkeys always take longer than the recipes say they will., so this turkey came out a few hours later than I had originally planned (it was also a 20+ lb bird). Extra time and the 4 day wait was worth it in the end and this bird turned out amazing! This will definitely be my go to way to cook a turkey!
carved and gorgeous!
This recipe is built out with a large bird in mind but if you pair it down this also works great for a smaller bird like chicken.
4 day Turkey Recipe
Turkey Brine (15 lb bird)
4 tbsp salt
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
5 whole allspice berries
Butter Rub
1 stick of softened butter
1 handful fresh rosemary
1 handful fresh thyme
Instructions
Make sure your turkey is thawed 4 days before the dinner.
Take all the dry brine ingredients and use a spice grinder to grind them all together. Then set aside.
Grab your thawed turkey and some good poultry shears or knives that can handle bones. Set your bird breast down and make sure to pull out all the giblets that might be stuffed inside and set those aside. Cut the back bone out by cutting up one side, turning the bird, and then cutting the other. Set the backbone aside with the other giblets to make a stock later.
Flip the bird onto a large backing sheet (with a lip) breast side up and open the bird as much as you can, then pressing the heals of your palms into the breast on each side push down hard to flatten the bird more.
Lightly pat the bird down with a paper towel, you don’t have to dry the bird.
Grab the spice mix you had set aside and generously spread on all sides of the bird, making sure the bird is breast side up at the end.
Set the bird uncovered in your fridge for 4 days.
This can be done in advance of the dinner. Take the giblets and backbone and put into a stock pot with 8 cups of water, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and let that go for at least an hour. Set this stock aside to make a delicious gravy day of.
The day of the dinner, remove the turkey from the fridge to sit at room temp for an hour. While it is sitting, get your softened butter, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary out. Put the butter into a bowl and finely chop up the thyme and rosemary. Mix them all together.
Preheat the over to 425 degrees F.
While your turkey is sitting, rub the butter mixture over the underside of the bird, and then push and spread it up under the turkey skin as far as you can get it.
if you have a wire rack for your backing sheet has a wire rack that fits in it place the turkey on that, if not small potatoes work great to lift it off the sheet itself. Place into the 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes drop the temp to 350 degrees F and cook until the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees F. This will be at least another 60 to 70 minutes.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let sit for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Grab your turkey stock and a sauce pan. Melt 4 tbsp butter in the pan at medium heat and once it is starting to turn slightly brown add in 4 tbsp flour whisking constantly. Once fully combined, slowly start pouring in your turkey stock while constantly whisking. Once it is fully combined your gravy is ready!
After 30 minutes carve your turkey and serve up with all your favorite sides! Don’t forget to add in any drippings from the turkey after carving to the gravy for extra flavor.