You’ve probably heard that roasting turkey pieces as opposed to the entire bird is quicker, easier, and results in a juicier bird. Now learn how to do it!.
Eating the big Thanksgiving turkey each year is something to look forward to. But the process of thawing, brining, and cooking that whole turkey might be more of a dreaded process. I can give you all the directions for roasting a turkey right here, but if you’d prefer, I can also give you this simpler, kind of genius suggestion.
Partially roasting a turkey: Turkey pieces that are cooked separately taste even better and are much simpler to handle.
The centerpiece of any holiday feast, a perfectly roasted turkey is a culinary masterpiece that evokes warmth, family, and tradition. While the allure of a whole roasted turkey is undeniable, achieving consistent results can be a challenge. This guide delves into the art of roasting turkey parts, offering a step-by-step approach that guarantees juicy, flavorful meat and crispy skin.
The Dizzy Pig Approach: Crispy Juicy Oven-Roasted Turkey Parts
Dizzy Pig, a renowned purveyor of premium seasonings, offers a delectable recipe for crispy juicy oven-roasted turkey parts. This method involves deconstructing the turkey, ensuring even cooking and maximizing flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1 10-20 lbs turkey
- 1/2 cup Dizzy Pig Mad Max Turkey Seasoning
- 1 stick butter, divided
- 2 onions, quartered
- 2 stalks celery, rough chopped
- 2 apples, quartered
Brine (optional):
- 1 1/3 cup Mad Max Turkey Brine mix (or make your own with 2/3 cup coarse Kosher Salt and 1/2 cup light brown sugar)
- 1 gallon water
- 1 brine bag and zip tie (get the brine bag and zip tie for free when you purchase our Turkey Kit)
Instructions:
- Brine (optional): Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add brine ingredients and stir until dissolved. Simmer for a few minutes, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Mix with 3 quarts cold water and cool to below 40°F.
- Deconstruct turkey: Remove wings, legs and thighs. Cut out the backbone and reserve. Flatten breast by pressing with the palm of your hand.
- Brine turkey: Add turkey pieces and brine to brine bag. Secure with zip tie. Keep below 40°F and brine for 12 hours. Remove turkey parts from brine and let drip dry, then pat down with paper towels.
- Roast turkey: Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt half of the stick of butter and brush all over skin. Season with Mad Max Turkey Seasoning on all sides. Place wire rack on baking sheet pan and lay out turkey legs and wings on rack, skin side up. Cut the remaining half stick of butter into slices and place in roasting pan to help build the gravy. Spread out onion, celery and apples in roasting pan. Cook at 425°F for 20-30 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature: Remove roasting pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Optionally, baste turkey with pan drippings. Return to oven and cook until the thickest part of breast reads 150°F, and dark meat is 170°F. Remove each part and rest when the desired temperature is reached. Discard veggies, and reserve pan drippings for gravy.
- Crispy skin: Thirty minutes before serving, preheat oven to 475°F. Return turkey to oven on wire rack/pan and cook for 10-15 minutes to crisp skin.
- Pull and serve: Pull dark meat from legs and thighs. Remove breast meat (with skin attached) from carcass and slice so that each slice has a piece of skin. Arrange on platter and serve!
The Saveur Approach: Fast and Juicy Roast Turkey in Parts
Saveur, a culinary magazine known for its innovative recipes, offers a quick and flavorful approach to roasting turkey parts This method emphasizes even cooking and maximizing oven space.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole turkey, wings, legs, and breast meat removed
- 4 whole medium shallots, halved
- 5 whole medium carrots, halved lengthwise
- 4 cloves garlic, halved
- 2 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tbsp. fresh sage, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 1 tsp. finely ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
- 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 450°.
- Season and roast: In a large roasting pan, arrange the turkey pieces, leaving space between them. Tuck the shallots, carrots, and garlic in the between the meat pieces, then sprinkle everything with the salt, sage, thyme, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Drizzle the olive oil all over and rub the turkey pieces to thoroughly coat. Transfer to the oven and cook until browned, 25-30 minutes.
- Reduce heat and continue cooking: Lower the heat to 400° and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest point in each piece of meat registers 165°, about 20-30 minutes.
- Rest and serve: Remove the pan from the oven and let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, then slice the breast meat against the grain. Transfer all of the pieces to a large platter with the roasted vegetables and serve immediately.
Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a novice in the kitchen, roasting turkey parts is an achievable culinary feat. By following the detailed instructions and tips provided in this guide, you can create a mouthwatering masterpiece that will impress your family and friends. Remember, the key to success lies in even cooking, flavorful seasoning, and a touch of patience. So, grab your favorite roasting pan, gather your ingredients, and embark on a culinary journey that will leave you with a table full of smiles and satisfied appetites.
Where To Get Turkey Pieces
There are a few options when it comes to finding turkey pieces. A turkey can be disassembled by chopping it into pieces, just like you would a whole chicken. However, it can be difficult to cut through a turkey breast bone, so you can ask the butcher at your grocery store or local butcher to chop the turkey for you.
Or, my favorite method, is to simply buy turkey pieces from the meat section of the grocery store. You’ll find turkey pieces sold either with the frozen turkeys or next to where the chicken is sold.
Try my recipes for Turkey Tenderloins or Juicy Boneless Turkey Breast if you’re cooking for a small crowd or just want white meat.
Separate Dark And White Meat
For a turkey to be cooked to perfection, the dark and white meats must be separated because they need to cook at different times. When preparing a whole turkey, the breast may dry out—even if it has been brined—while the dark meat warms up. Cooking pieces eliminates this because each piece can be removed from the oven when it’s ready.
The turkey pieces cook in two phases. Reduce the heat gradually until they are almost done, and then return them to a very hot oven for a brief period of time to finish cooking and crisp and brown the skin. This method gives you the ultimate control over the internal temperature of the turkey pieces.