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Table of Contents
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
