Bacon Basted Dutch Oven Turkey Food

BACON-BASTED DUTCH OVEN TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the turkey well and pat dry with paper towels. Put the 1T of bacon grease in the cavity along with the herbs, apple, onion, celery and carrot. (if it won't all fit, just throw any leftover chunks in the pot when the turkey has been browned and is ready to braise)
• 2. Rub some of the remaining bacon grease between the skin and the meat of the breast. Rub the turkey all over with the rest of the bacon grease, then salt and pepper well.
• 3. Add 1T of butter or olive oil to a heavy dutch oven, heated on med. heat. Place the turkey in breast side up and brown the bottom of the turky(about 6 or 7 min.) Flip the turkey breast side down, put the lid on the dutch oven tightly and cook for 30 min. Pour 1c of chicken stock(or water) around the bird, lower the heat to med-low, replace the lid and simmer for about 2-2 1/2 hrs., until very tender, basting once or twice during last half hour of braising.
• 4. Remove to a platter, let rest 10 min. or so, then carve or pull meat from bones.(Mine was practically falling off the bone, and, other than the breast, did not need carved with a knife!)
• 5. Drizzle some of the cooking liquid on the meat and cover until ready to serve. Thicken the rest of the liquid for gravy.

BACON WRAPPED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 325°F
• Remove giblets and neck from Turkey. Rinse turkey with cold running water and drain well. Blot dry with paper towels.
• Chop Onion and Garlic and mix together. Once chopped and mixed, stuff the Onion and Garlic mixture into Turkey.
• Tie up the Turkey's wings, legs, and drumsticks with Kitchen Twine as desired.
• Chop Sage and mix in with softened Butter.
• Rub Sage/Butter mixture under the skin and over the skin of the Turkey.
• Salt and pepper Turkey to taste.
• Place uncooked, Bacon slices all over the skin of the uncooked Turkey. They will stick onto the buttered Turkey.
• Insert an Oven-Safe Meat Thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast of the Turkey but not touching the bone.
• Place Turkey in a roasting pan and use Foil to tent the uncooked Turkey.
• Remove foil tent for last hour of cooking Turkey.
• Continue to let bacon cook on Turkey for an additional 15 minutes, then remove. (OPTIONAL - Bacon can then be chopped and placed in a separate dish of your choice).
• Remove Turkey from oven once 160 degrees is reached internally in the Turkey.
• Allow Turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes, then carve (during the rest period, Turkey will continue to cook to 165 degrees).

BACON ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Using a boning knife, remove the legs and thighs in one piece from each side of the turkey. Cut the meat away from the thigh bone. Holding the thigh bone, use your other hand to carefully cut the meat from around the leg-thigh joint without cutting through the skin. Use the blade of the knife to scrape away the meat from the leg bone up to 2 inches from the tip end. Using a cleaver, break the leg bone, leaving the tip end intact. Remove the leg and thigh bone in one piece. Refrigerate until ready to stuff. Remove the breast meat, with the skin intact, from each side of the turkey; set aside. Using the cleaver, chop all of the bones into 3-inch pieces and set aside
• For the breasts: Lay 15 slices of bacon horizontally and overlapping slightly, on a clean work surface. Repeat with remaining 15 slices of bacon (the bacon should be equal in length to the breasts). Sprinkle the bacon with sage, rosemary, orange zest, sea salt and the peppercorns. Center each breast, skin-side down, vertically on the bacon. Wrap the slices around each breast very tightly to enclose. Using kitchen twine, truss each breast to secure the bacon to the breast. Chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• For the legs: In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, apples, chestnuts, garlic, orange zest, rosemary, sage, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and coriander. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the reserved chopped liver and gizzard. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, combine in a large bowl the bread, raisins, and almonds. Add the cooked vegetable mixture. Gently stir in eggs. Add chicken stock, slowly, until the stuffing is moist but not wet. If necessary, add more chicken stock to moisten. Sprinkle with parsley; stir to combine.
• Firmly press about 1 1/2 cups of the stuffing into the center of each leg. Wrap the meat tightly around the stuffing to enclose. Truss with kitchen twine to enclose. Chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Transfer any extra stuffing to a buttered baking dish, and bake, covered, for 30 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes more in 400 degree oven.
• Roasting the breasts and legs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the racks in the lower third and upper third of the oven. Combine 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and reserved turkey bones in a large roasting pan. Transfer to the bottom rack in the oven and roast until well-browned, about 45 minutes.
• In a large saute pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chilled turkey breasts, and cook until golden brown all over. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the chilled legs; reserving any accumulated fat in the saute pan. Remove the roasted turkey bones from the oven, and set wing pieces aside. Add wine to the roasting pan; stirring to loosen bones from the bottom of the pan. Add shallots, celery, carrots, herbs, and zest to the roasting pan, stirring to combine. Place the browned breasts and legs on top of the roasted bones. Return to the oven, and roast for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes, with the pan juices. Remove the breasts; set aside and keep warm. Continue to roast the legs, basting and turning, until the legs are cooked through, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. When done, remove the legs; set aside and keep warm. Strain the pan juices through a fine sieve, skimming off any excess fat, and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, prepare roasted vegetables. In a large heavy-bottomed roasting pan over medium-high heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add the reserved wing pieces, squash, endive, onions, celeriac, mushrooms, and herbs. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved fat, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned. Drizzle with honey. Transfer to the top rack in the oven, and roast until the squash and the endive are fork-tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove the twine from the breasts and legs. Slice crosswise into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on the platter with the roasted vegetables. Drizzle with the strained pan juices. Serve remaining juices on the side.

BACON-WRAPPED TURKEY

Steps:

• Add 2 cups water to pan. Roast, uncovered, until bacon is lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, about 90 minutes longer. Cover loosely with foil if bacon browns too quickly., Remove from oven. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAGE, SMOKED BACON, AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack.
• Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper.
• In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the sage butter, add the onions, cook and stir for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and scrape the sauteed onion mixture on top. Add the egg, heavy cream, and just enough chicken stock to moisten the stuffing without making it soggy (about 1/2 cup.) Toss well to combine, season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go. Fill the bird with the cornbread stuffing without packing too tightly; cook the remaining stuffing separately in a buttered baking dish. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, and put into the oven.
• Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat.
• Skim off the excess fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain to remove any particles. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey and cornbread stuffing.

MUSTARD BUTTER-BASTED ROAST TURKEY WITH BACON

Steps:

• Weigh your turkey and calculate the cooking time by allowing 40 mins per kg for the first 4kg, then 45 mins for every kg of turkey over that weight. As a guide, a turkey this size should take 3½-4 hrs plus 30-45 mins resting time.
• To make the mustard butter, beat the butter with the mustards, thyme and some ground black pepper until soft and well mixed.
• Gently push your fingers under the skin of the turkey, starting from the neck, until you can push your whole hand in down the length of the breast - take care not to tear the skin. Spread the butter under the skin so that it covers the breasts. Lay the streaky bacon on your work surface in 2 rectangles of 6 overlapping rashers (for extra flavour, you can brush the bacon with a little wholegrain or English mustard first), and carefully push each rectangle of bacon under the skin to cover and protect each breast. This can be done the night before, but take out of the fridge for 1 hr before roasting so that it comes back to room temperature.
• On the day, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lift the turkey into a roasting tin, massage the olive oil into the skin and season well with flaky salt and pepper. Put the onion, thyme and bay inside the cavity of the turkey, then pour in the wine. Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for the calculated cooking time. For the final 30 mins, remove the foil and pour off all of the cooking juices (use for the gravy; recipe in 'goes well with'). Increase the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and roast for 30 mins more until the turkey is golden and the juices that run out of the thigh are clear, with no sign of pink, when pierced with a skewer. Leave to rest on a warm platter covered with foil and tea towels - it will keep like this for up to 45 mins.
• To serve, carve the turkey and arrange the meat on a hot platter with a little of the hot gravy poured over, or bring the whole turkey to the table garnished with herbs. To fill the platter, you could surround the turkey with potatoes, if you like. Any leftover meat can be frozen in the gravy.

BACON AND HERB ROASTED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a shallow roasting pan or baking dish with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil.
• Place bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat; cook until bacon is crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon fat. Let bacon cool.
• Finely chop bacon and transfer to a small bowl, along with garlic, sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a small spoon, mix until a paste is formed.
• Using your fingertips, gently loosen the skin on both sides of the turkey breast so that it is separated from the flesh. Divide herb paste in half and gently spread half of the paste between each half of the breast. Season turkey with remaining teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brush skin with reserved bacon fat.
• Place turkey in prepared pan and roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the breast reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove turkey from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving. Serve with any pan drippings.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the onion and a large sprig of bay in the cavity between the legs. Now pack half the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it towards the breast. Secure the neck skin in position with skewers and tie the turkey legs together at the top of the drumsticks to give a neat shape.
• Weigh the turkey and calculate cooking time at 20 mins per kilo, plus 90 mins. (You may need to use your bathroom scales.)
• Put a large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin, then put the turkey on top. Smear the breast with the butter, grate over half the nutmeg and season well. Cover the breast with bacon, pour over the wine, then loosely bring up the foil and seal well to make a parcel.
• Roast in the oven, then 90 mins before the end of cooking, open the foil, discard the bacon, and drain off excess fat from the tin. Leaving the foil open, return the turkey to the oven to brown, basting with the juices several times. Then 30 mins before the end of cooking, place pigs-in-blankets and stuffing of your choice around the turkey, or cook in a separate lightly oiled tin.
• To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear. If they are pinkish, cook for 15 mins more, then test again.
• Transfer the turkey, stuffings and pigs-in-blankets to a platter, cover with foil, then a couple of tea towels and allow to rest for up to 30 mins before carving. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat, ensuring that the turkey will be juicy. Garnish with sprigs of bay.

BACON WRAPPED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sprinkle sage and garlic powder over the entire turkey. Wrap turkey completely with bacon. Place turkey on a roasting rack and place roasting rack in a large baking dish. Pour water into the base of the dish.
• Bake turkey in the preheated oven, basting every 45 minutes with juices in baking dish, until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).