====== Assorted tips for cooking a heritage-breed turkey ======

===== Rose and Steve's 2022 plan =====

Brine 24 hours with [[Apple Cider Brine]]

Prep turkey and cook according to [[Slow Roasted Turkey with Apple Gravy and Buttermilk Brine]] :
  * apples etc on bottom of roasting pan
  * stuff cavity with lemon, orange, 
  * fast start at 400 until spotted brown
  * cover with foil and slow roast at 300 ~4 hours until 150F breast, 160F thigh
  * roast uncovered until 155F breast / 165F thigh

===== Steve's approximate 2021 plan =====

  * cover bottom of pan with halved garlic heads, onion, apples if available, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, orange.  stuff additional onion, bay leaves, etc. into the cavity.

  * rub rosemary butter beneath skin of breast, and over the rest of the bird.  use olive oil if more coverage needed.

===== Rose and Steve's 2019 Bird =====
  * brined 24 hours.  apple cider based.
  * oven at 300, for 3 1/2 hours
  * turn oven up to 400
  * 25 more minutes
  * Gravy broth (made from giblets) made the day before

===== Others =====

https://www.yummly.com/dish/992923/how-to-cook-a-turkey
  * Recommended by Sam Gasson, although not specificly about heritage turkeys.
  * on salt brine by volume: 3 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt = 1 1/2 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt. When in doubt, start with the lesser amount, and increase according to taste.
  * Temperature: 325F if over 14 pounds
  * time: 16 lb: 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours unstuffed, another hour if stuffed
  * temp measurement: breast cooks faster, so most recipes suggest measuring in the thigh, but its difficult to find the right location in the thigh.
  * go for 175F in breast, 165F in thickest part of thigh

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/My-Favorite-Turkey-Brine-2510223
  * apple cider and 2 gallons of water!

[[Slow Roasted Turkey with Apple Gravy and Buttermilk Brine]] - from NY Times.  also not explicitly about heritage turkeys.


https://www.windynranch.com/blog/tips-for-cooking-a-heritage-breed-turkey
  * rub butter under loosened skin
  *  Cook at a high temperature (450-475 degrees F) for less time than a regular turkey. Most heritage turkeys will be cooked through in fewer than 3 hours. 
  *   Final temperature of 140-145 F in the thigh.  while resting, should reach 155.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-cook-heritage-turkey-pasture-raised_n_5beaf261e4b044bbb1a95b36
  * 8-12 minutes per pound, but  trust your thermometer, and to check the temperature in both the breast and the thigh
  * recommend low and slow.  325 or below, then turn up to 400 or 425 at the end to crisp the skin
  * cook to 175F both breast and thigh
  * remove breast and keep cooking thigh+leg if needed

 

https://williamrubel.com/how-to-roast-a-heritage-turkey/
  * covering breast with aluminum foil doesn't let moisture out - steams the skin
  * alternate: oiled paper or cloth
  *  better; add fat/butter under the skin
  * otherwise, mostly about smaller birds.   recommends faster, shorter cooking time, like game birds.

 

https://www.localharvest.org/features/cooking-turkeys.jsp
  * "Heritage turkeys should be cooked at 425-450 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 140-150 degrees F"
 

http://nashsorganicproduce.com/recipes/roasted-heritage-turkey/
  * also assumes small 7-9 pound birds
  * rub with butter+rosemary/herbs; this makes the bird self-basting, and avoids letting oven cool off from frequent opening
  * oven at 425-450 F. Roast the bird until the thigh temperature reaches 140-150 F