Papa Bear had the water going to dip him in but I wanted to save some of the feathers before they got stinky wet. I started pulling out the tail feathers and they were coming out so easily that we decided not to scald the bird. The hardest feathers were the wings and Papa Bear pulled those out with pliers.
It was getting really warm outside so I brought him into the kitchen sink to get out the small feathers under the skin that were just beginning to form. Those scrape out pretty easy with a knife if you stretch the skin tight.
I am now going to put on a fresh t-shirt and go get the apple juice for my brine.
Tom dressed out at 22 pounds!
Nice bird! Glad it worked out so well! Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help Phelan. He is now in his apple juice bath.
ReplyDeletewow! did you take any pics of pulling the feathers? I would have loved to seen that. So what do you do now? I need some new ideas for our turkey.
ReplyDeleteNo pictures of the feather plucking. It was really warm outside so we were trying to work fast so we could get the bird cool. I am going to do another real soon and I will try to take pictures. I'll just have to delete a lot of PETA comments again...LOL
DeleteIn the post below I was talking about soaking it in a brine of honey, salt, vinegar and water but at Phelans suggestion it is now just in plain apple juice in the cooler. When I roast it, instead of using a rack I will put whole carrots, celery sticks and chunks of onions under the bird as it roast. The veggies caramelize as the turkey roasts and are outstanding.
okay, so tomorrow I will start soaking mine in apple juice. and then add the veggies when I cook it. How long do we cook it for? mine is a little 13 pounder.
DeleteGlock Mom...Here are some directions I got somewhere. If yours is in a wrapper you can just go by the instructions included.
DeleteI think a rule of thumb is 13 minutes per pound in a preheated 325° oven. Baste every 45 minutes with juice in the pan. I never stuff my bird. I make a pan of dressing on the side from the pan drippings. I think the time changes if you stuff the bird. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 - 20 minutes before carving.
THANKS YOU! Got ole TOM defrosted and he is ready to sit in apple juice. Got all the veggies too. While its not my first ever turkey, I hope it will be my best one. Normally I coat with mayo and roast it.
DeleteGood job !!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks TL...I don't think we did too bad for rookies!...LOL
DeleteWe've butchered lots of chickens but this was our first turkey.
Awesome, it sounds like it is going to be a tasty Thanksgiving,
ReplyDeleteK...the absolute best thing is the only thing I've purchased for the dinner is a bag of potatoes and the apple juice I am soaking the turkey in. I already had on hand celery, carrots and onions. This past weekend I made sweet potato pies from potatoes I canned a couple of years ago. They are now in the freezer. We have green beans, corn and peas from this years garden and I have fresh greens growing right now that I will harvest and cook. We will truly be thankful for our harvest this Thanksgiving..
DeleteAh, that poor little 'ole bird....
ReplyDelete'snicker'
Looks good huh? Gonna look better after his "tanning session"
DeleteI've been attacked by enough turkeys to know they are damn mean s.o.b.s. But I just wouldn't be able to pull the feathers, pin feathers, or de-gut the darn thing.
ReplyDeletelj...Papa Bear said he remembers growing up and his Grandma having mean turkeys that would try to attack. We have a heritage breed and the one Palm Turkey and they are really docile. 5 of them need a wing clipping so they won't stay in their pen. They follow Papa Bear around like puppies.
Deletecongrats to you and Papa, Mamma - woohoo - a job well-done and not too difficult is the best! that bird looks deelishous! we are celebrating American Thanksgiving on thursday, too. we already celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving for 3 days in a row - bahahahah! but it is our favourite holiday! and when we say Grace on thursday, we'll be giving thanks for your friendship! and saying a happy prayer for you and all of yours!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
(oh it sounds like you got all of the fixins for a great meal!)
kymber...we will certainly be thanking the Father for all of our cyber friends on Thanksgiving Day. We are thankful to have you and Jambaloney as friends and look forward to reading another year in the life at the manor!
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your celebration!