(Not so) Dry Run on Thanksgiving Dinner

Sunday was the designated Thanksgiving Dinner Dry Run Day. I purchased a fresh 14 pound bird, to go with corn and mashed potatoes (using Russert Potatoes). I happened to be watching Alton Brown give turkey tips yesterday and was intrigued with his recipe.

I rinsed the bird and applied a liberal helping of thyme-butter (Alton used sage-butter.) under the skin all over the breast area. I put the bird in the oven (legs first) at a whopping 500 degrees for 30 minutes. After 35 minutes (I was watching football and let the timer ring for 5 minutes), this is what is looked like:

Next, I covered the breast (and a bit more) with a vegetable oil rubbed piece of foil, set the thermometer for 161 degrees and turned the oven down to 350 degrees:

The internal temp of 161 was attained after about two hours. Here it is:

I let the bird rest for 25 minutes (keeping on the foil). Here is the meal all plated and ready to go:

The verdict? Well, my 8-year old, who is not a huge turkey fan, loved it. In fact, she sat at the counter and nibbled from the platter while I carved it. (The carving is an entry for another day.) Indeed, the turkey was moist and flavorful. Was it me? No, of course not. Rather, it was Alton Brown's temperature game plan, as well as the thyme-butter which led to the moistness.

Happy Veterans' Day!