If you’re spending Thanksgiving in Costa Rica, the basics of a good turkey don’t change: crisp skin, juicy meat and lots of gravy. What does change is the setting — maybe you’re in shorts, the windows are open, and the oven is working a little harder in the tropical heat.
This classic recipe from Jeff Holley walks you through roasting the bird, making a cornbread and pecan stuffing and turning the drippings into home-style gravy. Current food-safety guidelines say turkey and stuffing are safe at a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C); this recipe cooks the bird a bit higher for a more traditional, well-done result.(Food Safety and Inspection Service)
Below is the original recipe with light updates for clarity and temperatures.
Roast Turkey
There is an art to properly cooking your Thanksgiving turkey. A perfectly roasted bird should have a rich, golden skin and tender, succulent meat. An eight- to 12-pound turkey should easily feed a hungry family of six. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (about 163°C), then place the bird in a roasting pan with a wire rack to allow proper air circulation during the cooking process.
If you choose to stuff your bird, do so just before putting it into the oven to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Stuffed turkeys require a longer cooking time – about half an hour more – and the center of the stuffing should reach at least 165°F (74°C).
For an unstuffed turkey in the 8- to 12-pound range, plan on about two hours and 45 minutes to three and a half hours. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and breast, avoiding the bone. Current guidelines say turkey is safe at 165°F (74°C); this recipe takes the bird closer to 175–180°F (about 79–82°C) for a more traditional, well-done texture. The temperature will climb a little as the turkey rests.
Regular basting will help retain moisture. To avoid over-browning, you can loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil during the last hour or so. A meat thermometer will ultimately determine doneness, but you’ll know you’re close when the legs move freely.
Cornbread and Pecan Stuffing
This stuffing is richer if cooked inside the bird itself but is still very tasty baked in a casserole dish. I use the meat from the neck and giblets along with chicken stock to create the best results. Here’s the recipe:
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 red pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (about four twists)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 16 oz pre-seasoned cornbread stuffing mix (or create your own sage-and-thyme seasoned, crouton-sized cornbread cubes)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the neck, gizzards, heart and enough water to just cover it all. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, checking your liquid levels occasionally so nothing burns, then add the liver and cook for another 15 minutes. Strain the broth, pull the meat and discard the bones, saving the broth for the gravy later on.
Sauté the giblets with four tablespoons of butter or bacon fat, then remove the giblets. Cook the vegetable mixture in the same pan over low to medium heat until caramelized. Chop the giblets and combine all ingredients evenly with the stuffing mix and parsley.
Now you are ready to stuff your bird. Take care to properly close the “flap” or the “hatch,” or whatever you want to call it, but make sure it’s closed. The leftover mixture can be baked at 325 degrees (about 163°C) for 30 minutes in a standard casserole dish. Check that the center reaches at least 165°F (74°C).
Home-style Turkey Gravy
A turkey dinner just wouldn’t be the same without home-style turkey gravy, and here’s the science to show you the way. Honestly, there is little science here; just make sure there aren’t any lumps. Here goes:
Remove the rack from the roasting pan and sieve your drippings into a big measuring cup. Then add some of the broth created from cooking the neck and gizzards into the pan to loosen up the brownish specks of flavor stuck to the bottom (“deglaze” would be the proper culinary term). Let stand until the fat separates and floats to the top for easy removal.
Keep two tablespoons of turkey drippings and make a roux, adding a couple of tablespoons of white flour and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (because it tastes better) and cooking over medium heat until you see a golden color and bubbles.
Gradually add the remaining broth and enough additional liquid, preferably a turkey or chicken consommé or water, stirring continuously. This should make about three to four cups of gravy.
Courtesy of Jeff Holley
