Artisanal Thanksgiving 2014: Caramelized Onion Brined Turkey
ALEX POPE | Local Pig in East Bottoms and Westport
Pope rarely cooks a turkey the same way twice.
One adventurous twist included a pepperoni-stuffed turkey that appears in this month’s Food & Wine magazine. He has also made a confit with turkey legs and completely deboned the bird. But those moves are more for a chef/butcher than a home cook.
With a growing business — Pope opened another location, this one in Westport (formerly Bridger’s Bottle Shop and Preservation Market), last month, and he has recently taken his branded sausages into area Hen House markets — he finds a day devoted to “just cooking is so relaxing.”
To help those who tackle the turkey only once a year, Pope advocates brining: “It’s good if you overcook the bird. It’s a little more error-proof.”
And drying the skin out in the refrigerator for a few days after brining helps make for a deliciously crispy skin.
This year Pope will sell heritage turkeys of rare genetic stock, as well as Broad Breasted Whites that have a little more breast meat than heritage birds but are still raised humanely on local farms, without growth hormones and antibiotics.
Caramelized Onion Brined Turkey
Makes 1 (10- to 15-pound) turkey
For the brine:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large yellow onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sherry wine
3 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 gallons cold water
1 3/4 cups kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh sage
3 large garlic cloves, smashed
Feathery stalks from 2 medium fennel bulbs
1 (10- to 15-pound) turkey
For roasting the turkey:
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
11/2 cups chopped herbs, a combination of thyme, sage and rosemary
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
To make the brine: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat. Melt butter and add the onions and cook until they start to turn light brown, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the salt, continuing to cook the onions, partially covered, for about an hour, or until they caramelize, turning a rich, dark brown. Add the sherry wine and deglaze the pan. Cook the onion mixture for another 10 minutes to marry the flavors.
Meanwhile, toast peppercorns in a dry skillet until they just begin to smoke, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove peppercorns from pan and set aside.
When the onions are caramelized, add water, salt, sugar, thyme, sage, garlic, fennel and peppercorns and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Cool the brine completely in either the freezer or the refrigerator.
36 to 48 hours before: Add turkey to the stockpot or transfer brine and bird to a plastic container or oversize ziptop bag, adding more water if necessary to completely submerge the bird; place container in the refrigerator.
24 to 48 hours before: Remove turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on a tray in the refrigerator to dry the skin out.
To roast the turkey: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix butter with the chopped herbs and garlic. Using your hands, carefully insert 8 tablespoons of butter mixture between the skin and the breast. Rub the turkey with remaining 4 tablespoons butter and place breast side up on the rack of a roasting pan. For a prettier presentation, tuck the wings and tie the legs with kitchen twine. Roast for 30 minutes to get a brown skin, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue roasting for another 1 to 11/2 hours, or until the temperature on a meat thermometer not touching the bone registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
Allow to rest 30 to 40 minutes before carving so the juices can be redistributed into the meat. Make your favorite gravy from the drippings while you wait.
Per serving, based on 8, dark and light meat with skin: 655 calories (39 percent from fat), 27 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), 264 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams carbohydrates, 89 grams protein, 777 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Artisanal Thanksgiving 2014: Caramelized Onion Brined Turkey."