We cooked this bird for about 6 hours in our electric roaster. We use it every year for many years now. We basted the bird once in a while and hubby added some wine toward the end. It made very very good gravy. I would do it again. the best part of this bird was that we didn't have to do much carving on it. We used our large hand like tools to life out the bird and his legs fell off into the pot. then when hubby almost got it over the tray the breast bone fell off. He was left with both sides of the breasts in his grabbers. We were shocked. When we began to eat it we found it was so so moist. I have never in my life had a turkey that was so good. It was the best. I feed poor hubby the turkey for days until one day he came home and said, "Honey, Please don't feed me anymore turkey?" The poor thing.I made it every which way but it's still turkey. So the next day I made canned turkey soup, dark meat in broth and just clear broth. Turkey all gone till we feel like soup or turkey on gravy on toast. Oh yum....
That's the way I wish my turkey would be every year. I came close this year as the legs and thighs fell off but not anything else.
Ohh...turkey delicious soup!! To be hidden away till turkey day is a distant memory. I don't know if anything fell off our turkey as the host did all the carving. While a couple of expletives were uttered from the scullery we were oblivious to the causes. The meal was excellent and no one left hungry. My wife did notice that the gathering was divided into two camps.....the ladies in the kitchen and the guys in the living room. The ladies hashed over the latest gossip, recipes and takled about relatives not present. The guys either cheered or groaned with each football play as 22 players fought their way across the TV screen. At the end of the day we were still able to squeeze into our cars and find our way home. Hmmm...and we get to do it again on the 25th. Jerry
The broth in the jars is so dark because I used onion, skins and all when cooking the bones with the celery and carrots. After it cooks down, forever, I strain it and then add carrots, celery and other veggies to the jar, adding that the dark clear broth in the end to hot pack it. I just started doing that in the last few years. It really makes a nice color especially when making gravy with it.
That looks so delicious! Hubby isn't a huge fan of turkey so it isn't long and he is begging me for anything else, as long as it's not turkey! I love it, but this Christmas the turkey is tiny and there will also be a small roast of beef. That should make everyone happy
Looks like you made good use of your bird Barb! We roasted our turkey in the electric roaster too. It was similarly moist, juicy, tasty, and fell off the bones. Yummo
I see @Petronius found my old thread about self carving turkeys...You know I have always made the most out of turkey and chicken. All my friends saved their turkey bones in plastic bags and sent them to me. I made beautiful bone broth from them and shared it with them in soup form. I hope they liked it as I don't do it anymore. I had got so many free turkey from the grocery store. My sister and boyfriend had so many points for turkey. I had turkey canned in ways you never thought about. The best was large thick sliced breasts. I think one was in each quart jar. It was beautiful. I can it raw and you don't add water or broth, makes it's own juices. I roasted and boiled the bones I used vinegar, making bone broth. I cooked them with red onion, skin and all with celery, and carrots, for 2 or 3 days. When I was done, there was just MUSH left...no solids at all. My chickens ate every little bit of it...I think that is getting full use out of a meal. I canned up about 60 pints of clear broth alone with allot of quarts of soup that year.
With all you can,, I am wondering how much of the state you invite for dinner ? I really like chicken better than turkey so mine is chicken broth,, both flavored and plain ! 60 quarts would do the two of us for years ! I have one huge freezer and the one on the side by side and we can`t eat all of whats in them ! And I cook every day ! No Burger King or McD`s here !
Mart, Last year our whole area was out of electric for 2 weeks...I round up everyone on my little street and we all camped out at my house for the whole time...no problem... We have 2 generators, one for the greenhouse and one for the house..Gas stove without electric start...lighters work fine for that. We all ate high on the hog the whole time...it was great..everyone else in the area were struggling and we were close but well taken care of....we even had a flushing toilet as long as we hauled in water from the pond....LOL Having the pantry with all the home canned food will go down in local history for sure...
.we even had a flushing toilet as long as we hauled in water from the pond....LOL LOL ! Been there and done that ! Well,, At least yours doesn`t get wasted ! I do not have a gas stove,,wish I did but,, ours is electric ! I do have a nice large gas grill outside and I know more than one way to cook in a pinch !
@waretrop only just seen your thread...I find turkey very dry but to drop on one so moist must have been lovely...god knows what we'll be having this year. Four years on the trot we had Christmas dinners out but for the price the foods not as good as doing it yourself, so i'll wait to see what hubby wants
