Turkey is always the star of the Thanksgiving menu. If you’re looking for a recipe to jazz up your holiday turkey this year, check out these Blue Ribbon recipes. Today I’m sharing five different methods on how to prepare a turkey … each one is just as delicious as the next.
First up is smoking it. “This is the only way I do turkey for Thanksgiving and have been using this recipe for at least 10 years now,” explains Georgi Johnson (Springfield, IL). “It is time-consuming but so worth it.”
Thanks to the brine, the meat in Georgi’s My Favorite Thanksgiving Turkey (Smoked) is very flavorful. It does take some prep time, but it’s mostly hands-off with the turkey soaking in the brine. Butter in the baste makes this extra delicious.
I love Michelle Teel’s (Danville, KY) method of making her turkey – grilling it!
“Our oven quit working the night before Thanksgiving so I had to improvise and decided to cook our 28 lb. Turkey on the Grill,” shares Michelle. “It cooked in half the time it would have taken in the oven and what a wonderful idea it turned out to be… my whole family loved it. It was the juiciest and most tender turkey I have ever cooked!”
The turkey comes out perfectly moist… and tasty, too! It’s a very easy way to cook a turkey and frees up space in the oven. The skin is a beautiful golden brown and crispy. After one bite, you may prepare your turkey this way every year.
Want to try frying a turkey? Then check out Aneisha DeArman’s (Washington, DC) Cajun Fried Turkey. It’s so good.
“Mine was so tender it fell apart,” shares Aneisha. When we prepared it, ours was too.
This is a different take on fried turkey. Rubbing the spices under the skin and marinating overnight lets the flavor permeate the meat and make the skin crispier. Wrapping the turkey with plastic wrap while it sits in the fridge keeps the seasoning flavor and the trick that makes the turkey superb. It’s spicy and savory in every bite.
If you’ve never injected a turkey, Tammy Brownlow’s (Dallas, TX) Apple and Herb Infused Roast Turkey is a great recipe to try the method.
“It is so flavorful and moist,” thinks Tammy of her recipe. “My family loves the infusion of fruit and herb flavor.”
The mixture that is injected into the meat is mild and has all the flavors you expect in a holiday turkey. You’re hit with little bursts of flavor in the slices of turkey. Stuffing the cavity with apples, rosemary, carrots, and onions infuse additional flavor into the turkey. With perfectly crisp skin, the meat is tender and just falls off the bone.
Preparing the turkey in an oven cooking bag is the fifth method. Cindi Bauer’s (Marshfield, WI) Herb Roasted Turkey is a recipe to try.
“For years I’ve been roasting all my turkeys in those oven cooking bags,” reveals Cindi. “Those oven cooking bags are a lifesaver and I can roast a whole turkey in less than 3 hours. I just can’t imagine cooking a turkey any other way.”
The meat was practically falling off the bone it was so tender. It’s juicy and succulent, while the skin gets slightly crisp. The herbs and veggies used to stuff and season the turkey is the perfect combination and make a difference in the overall flavor of the meat. The juices are so yummy and delicious they’ll make the perfect gravy.
If you try one of these turkey recipes for your meal this Thanksgiving, make sure to take a picture and leave a review. We love to see what members are making. Happy Pinching!