Baked Turkey for Thanksgiving

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving the fourth thursday of November, so tomorrow day 25th is the second biggest day in USA after Christmass.

The turkey becomes de king of the celebration. Most usually it is cooked at the oven inside a bag and stuffed with fruits or vegetables. Here is another similar way to prepare it.

INGREDIENTS (4/6 people) :

• 1 turkey of the necessary weight according to diners (calculate about 250 grams / 9 oz for each one, without bones). The minimum weight turkey is usually about 3 kg (6.5 pounds) being the normal between 4 and 6 kg (9 to 13 pounds). So if your calculations with the lower weight turkey you will have meat left over, be prepared to eat turkey until next Easter.
• Celery
• Carrots
• Red or fresh onions
• Salt
• Pepper
• Bunch of aromatic herbs (optional)
• Chicken soup
• Red wine
• Lard

First of all, we wash the turkey well both inside and out. We wash and cut the vegetables into julienne. I have not given the quantities because they must be enough to fill the bird and also be able to make a "bed" on the tray where we bake it. Once we have filled it - do not forget to season the interior - also introducing the bunch of herbs, we close the opening with the help of wooden toothpicks.

Now we are going to put the lard to the ointment. To do this, we put about 150 grams (5 oz) in the microwave and at maximum power we keep it for a few seconds. The result should be solid but malleable, enough to spread it smoothly on the turkey's skin. The Americans paint it with oil or butter but the lard gives it a very crunchy and tasty touch.

With the help of a brush, we paint the entire skin of the bird with the semi-melted butter or lard and then rub it with plenty of salt and powdered black pepper. If you want - although it does not appear in the American recipe - you can also rub it with minced garlic.

It is likely that if the turkey is large you will need help to paint it well and rub in the salt and pepper, but once it is placed on the tray on the bed of vegetables, no more movement is needed than taking it into the oven.

This next thing is VERY IMPORTANT: 

the turkey is baked with the breasts facing up, never facing down. And while it is baked, logically, due to its size, it does not turn over. This has an important problem and that is that the breast, which concentrates a large part of the animal's meat, can become dry and inedible. 

There are two ways to fix it. The first is the "french" solution. The technique is called "a la poule" and consists of wrapping the breasts with bacon in such a way that its fat prevents the breast from drying out. 

The Americans fix it differently. They carefully separate the skin from the meat in the breast area and fill it with butter (in our case with lard). Then they do the same on the skin and cover the area of ​​the breasts - and only these - with a sheet of aluminum foil. Both systems work and one or the other you have to do if you don't want your turkey to become inedible.

Now we are going to bake it. I have already told you other times that if you like preparations in the oven, it is always best to get a thermometer, but if you do not have one, think that for each kilo (2.2 pounds) of turkey it takes 45 minutes of oven at 190 degrees (375 F), approximately. Therefore, for a 4 kg (9 pounds) turkey, it will take 3 hours. The turkey should go to the center of the oven with heat up and down. If you already have a thermometer, it must indicate 80 degrees (176 F) to consider it well done (which is the only possibility for turkey, there is no other option).

We are going to go by parts. Once we have wrapped the turkey with bacon or butter, we place it with the breasts facing up on the bed of vegetables. We fill the tray with chicken broth - or water - and a cup of wine. This liquid will prevent it from drying out during cooking and we may need to replenish it from time to time. In turn, it is convenient that using a ladle we pour the liquid over the bird from time to time, with the same purpose of avoiding dryness.

We preheat the oven to 190 degrees (375 F) and add the turkey.

About twenty minutes before the end of the cooking time, we raise the temperature to 250 degrees (482 F)  and also connect the grill so that it takes on an intense golden color. If you have put aluminum foil sheets, remove them so that the skin browns evenly.

Once we take it out of the oven, we let it rest for twenty minutes. This is important for the meat to settle and finish. Never take meat to table without resting time. Just protect it to get cold, but resting time is very important.

It is chopped and served on the table, if you like with the vegetables on the bed and those inside, although it is not usually done since they are basically used to give flavor, not to eat them. There are other accompaniments that can accompany the turkey and that are prepared separately.

Turkey meat is slightly dry, so it is usually always served with gravy.