The Best Turkey Recipe of all time!

This is the only Turkey Recipe you’ll ever need.

Thanksgiving is this week and it is a perfect time to share with you the absolute best turkey recipe available. I am not a chef. I am certainly not a cook. I have perfected the correct preparation and cooking time of Freschetta Pizza. I can also order the perfect Chipotle Burrito. However, once every year, I am a Turkey specialist. I make the best turkey in the world… thanks to Alton Brown and the Food Network.

You will receive high praise from all of your friends and family when you use this recipe.

If you don’t know Alton Brown and his show, “Good Eats”, let me give you a bit of a primer. He is a scientist. His show is humorous and perfect for a bit of a geek like me. He explains in great detail why basting a turkey is essentially worthless for making a juicy turkey. He explains the hazards of stuffing a turkey with food you actually want to eat (watch out for salmonella… not fun on Thanksgiving). He demonstrates the physics of brining and the necessity of aromatics. He makes it simple to cook the dark meat without overcooking the white meat (a common problem),

His recipe is simple, but it takes a bit of preparation. Here it is!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 7 hours

Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

“Alton Brown’s Turkey”

Click here to see how Alton get’s it done.

Enjoying the snow in Colorado

Photography in all weather conditions!

Last week, we had a blast enjoying the fresh Colorado snow. With two major snow storms already, we’re ready for many more snow days. The hill near our house provided the perfect location to get snowy, wet, and tired! I was amazed at how brave the kids were, they had NO fear. I love being a father on these days as well as a photographer. Don’t worry, I didn’t spend the entire time photographing the action (and testing the gear in frigid temperatures in the snow). Gina and I took a few rides (and spills) on the snow sled. Looking forward to one more 2009 wedding, then onto the a great 2010 wedding photography season.

Doesn’t Riley look so distinguished in his sweater?