I'm cooking tom. and thought I would go to amish country and try one of thiers.. It's 20 pds. and thought some people would try different ways... thanks Jim

-- James (onemaur@olg.com), November 21, 2001

Answers

We used to make it a Thanksgiving tradition when the boys were still home to get afresh turkey every yr for Thanksgiving. I just cooked them as I did the store turkeys. But the flavor was so much better. I even remember after we moved to VA we traveled 40 miles to frederiskburg to get a fresh one for Christmas.

The following yr we got a wild turkey and I cooked that, it was really good but it was floppy in the roaster pan, had to prop it and then I gave up and turned it a lot. I gave up fighting and went to my "Bible of country cooking" Carla's book. In the section about cooking a turkey i read about someone who sent her a letter for cooking a juicy turkey for their wedding. they injected a garlic herb butter solution under the skin with a syringe. Soooooo i tried it, that was the best turkey ever.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), November 21, 2001.

Hi James i just got through injecting mine and will deep fry it tomorrow morning. funny this is the first time ive made my own marinade and i made it almost like Bernice made hers . i just added some franks hot sauce that i keep around for hot wings. looking foreward to tomorrow my new great grand daughter will be here ,shes 5 mons now so i can hold her. i dont like to hold them when there so little like she was the last time she was here. happy thanksgiving everone. Bob se,ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@kans.com), November 21, 2001.

We raise Cornish Crosses (chickens) and Bourbon Red's (turkeys) every year. A suggestion is slaughter 'em the day before you eat 'em, the place in a cooler full of ice and water. Immerse for 24 hours or so, then freeze of cook. Makes for a very moist, tender bird.

-- Charlie P. (webducks@uswest.net), November 21, 2001.

Depends on precisely when the bird was slaughtered. The best tenderness seems to come from a bird that is slaughtered and then allowed to "rest" in the refrigerator for twenty four hours or so before it is cooked. We prefer to brine our birds so they're always juicy.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (live-oak@atlantic.net), November 21, 2001.

Speaking of brines.....Live Oak, do you have a recipie for that brine? The other night on caprine chat as we were chatting a lady posted the ingredients for a brine, she said it was the best turkey ever she made. I didn't quite catch it all or want to cause it was a Martha Stewart recipe and she had some fancy ingredients in there.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), November 21, 2001.

I brimed my turkey this year he is in the smoker right now. Here is how I brimed mine.

1 gal. orange juice

2 cups rice wine viniger

2 cups apple cider viniger

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup kosher salt (no subsitutes)

2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

3 cinninon sticks crushed

12 whole star anise

2 tablespoons whole black peppercons

6 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tablespoon whole cloves

2 bunches of cilantro chopped

1 bunch green onion chopped

Place all ingredients in large pot bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Let it cool completely. Place turkey in foodsafe 5 gallon bucket and poor cooled brime over it. Refridgerate covered for 3 days. If turkey is not completely covered with brime rotate every 12 hours. Before placing turkey in your smoker, pat dry the whole bird inside and out. Rub with olive oil and coarse ground black pepper.

I made one a few years ago and it was great! I will let you know how this one turned out. I am going to my cousins for Thanksgiving their should be about 25 people there. We are haveing 1 roasted turkey, 1 deep fried turkey, 1 fresh baked ham and my brimmed and smoked turkey.

-- Mark in N.C. Fla. (deadgoatman@webtv.net), November 22, 2001.

You definitely want to let a turkey (or meat chicken) cool for about 24 hours before cooking it. Otherwise, you may have trouble sticking your fork in the gravy. And a rule of thumb for fresh (as opposed to those dreadful "Butterballs" or other adulterated birds) turkeys is to cook them about 15 minutes per lb. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), November 27, 2001.