The day before Thanksgiving it was -5 (had been for days) and we resigned ourselves to the fact we were going to have to clean birds in the house again. It is so much messier so I was dreading it. Then our one local real-deal farmer Tim Meyers (if you ever get a chance check out Meyer's Farm) saved the day. He said to just kill them and bring them over. SWEET!
WARNING!!! If you are a reality check away from becoming a vegetarian you might want to skip the video clip.
(Also...if it ever turns out that my husband is a serial killer and I give any sort of interview where I am that shocked wife who says "I had no idea"...there are videos on this sight that may be used to prove otherwise. He is a good sport and only messes with farming because of me... but he really seems to like my Papaw's cleaver.)
Tim has one of the only basements in Bethel and had one set up for butchering turkeys and his older layers. He let us bring our turkeys over there and we got to clean them inside. Ron Reardon showed up and even helped. He looked more like a slasher in his butcher outfit than my hubby does! Ron grew up on a farm and really knows how to eviscerate a bird too. We were very thankful for the skilled help.
The trick with plucking is dipping the birds in water that is about 160 degrees for a minute or two and then the feathers just fall right off. Gutting is the nasty part. We have apparently always done it backwards. Ron showed us that we should start with cleaning out up around the neck. You get all the food out of the gullet and loosen the windpipe so it is easier to pull out when you get into the body cavity. He also showed us how to clean out the gizzard and peel off the tough (kind of icky) layer of skin on the inside. We had to cut the gland off the rear and he also showed us the stinky internal gland we should never puncture. It was a pretty good lesson. It is also not every day that you get to hang out in a basement (in a town with no basements) with a giant blood covered guy in a slasher outfit. Good times!
After we were done we came home and I got the birds in brine. One old school and the other is still in one with more Asian flavors. The big white bird marinated over night then I pulled him, injected some butter and seasoning and then stuffed him to the brim in body and neck cavities. I make my own stuffing and while the germ-o-phobs don't like stuffing I am a fanatic. It seasons the meat from the inside out. And stuffing is sooooo much more delicious than dressing. I just flat leaf parsley, turkey stock, celery, a green apple, carrots, onions, rosemary and sage. Mix it in with good chunky bread crumbs and I am off and running.
I bake in a convection oven at 300 degrees. I also dip paper towel in butter and put it over the bird and make sure I cover the stuffing. I then tent with foil making sure to cover the ends of the legs and wings. I leave the towel and foil on until the internal temp hits about 125 or so then I pull it off so the skin browns. I use a digital thermometer and I cook to about 145-150...I know USDA says to cook to 160-175 but then you get your classic DRY cardboard turkey. Mine are so moist I will even eat the white meat. We were eating it within 24 hours of it running around the yard so I just take my chances.
I also did a smoked turkey (this was a store bird) that I brined for 3 days and then injected with cuban mojo sauce. I stuffed its body cavity with red onion and an orange. I smoked until I got a temp of 160 with the probe on my smoker. I used maple, apple and cherry wood. Also delicious.
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