# Poll: How do YOU cook a turkey? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286 "2008-11-18T15:22:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/81 "2008-11-19T16:20:00Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > I get you, but it’s my personal nit. Particularly as my wife’s family (at the first Thanksgiving I attended) promised “stuffing”, but gave me “dressing”. I am normally as willing as anybody to allow for a little ambiguity in the language, but not on this subject. 😉 I feel the same way about “barbecue” when people use it as a synonym for “grill” or, even worse, “cooked in an oven and doused with BBQ sauce.” Actually, it’s the latter that peeves me, as I’ve come to accept “barbecue” and “grilling” to be synonyms around here, and ask for further clarification if there’s any ambiguity and it’s useful for me to know (rather than just nit picking for the sake of nit picking.) However, if you cook it in a crock pot and smother it with barbecue sauce, don’t call it barbecue, please. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/82 "2008-11-19T16:47:40Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > **jsgoddess** , maybe it’s a whoosh, but I don’t understand your comment. In this context, “dressing” doesn’t refer to any method of preparing the bird. Dressing is the result of preparing a substance which would normally be stuffed into the bird, but then cooking it in a pan instead. See also _heresy_ and _waste_. 😛 No, dressing is something that is made to “dress” something else. So, the same etymological nitpick you are using against “stuffing” can be used against “dressing” since I don’t “dress” the turkey with “dressing.” I don’t want to call the dish “savory bread side-dish with turkey flavors.” I’ll generally call it stuffing since that’s what it’s called where I live. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/83 "2008-11-19T17:19:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I feel the same way about “barbecue” when people use it as a synonym for “grill” or, even worse, “cooked in an oven and doused with BBQ sauce.” Actually, it’s the latter that peeves me, as I’ve come to accept “barbecue” and “grilling” to be synonyms around here, and ask for further clarification if there’s any ambiguity and it’s useful for me to know (rather than just nit picking for the sake of nit picking.) However, if you cook it in a crock pot and smother it with barbecue sauce, don’t call it barbecue, please. That one used to bug me too, but I gave it up for the additional reason that once you start into barbecue there are all sorts of schisms and sects even within the “all grillin’ ain’t barbecue” crowd - dry v wet, pork v beef, smoke v no-smoke, and don’t even start on charcoal v gas. My personal opinion is that if it’s cooked outside on a grate directly over heat it’s grilled. If it’s cooked slowly over indirect heat and a smoking agent is used, it’s smoked. In either case, if you put a wet sugar-based sauce on it, it’s barbecued, otherwise it’s dry rubbed. As for the meatballs (or whatever) in a crock pot, those are barbecue meatballs (i.e., meatballs in barbecue sauce) as opposed to barbecued meatballs (meatballs cooked with the barbecue method). But I’m perfectly willing to admit that these are not orthodox definitions and could potentially put me in danger of physical harm in certain parts of the country. 😉 **jsgoddess** , okay fair enough. I did say it was a personal nit since I prefer one and not the other and the ambiguity causes unneeded disappointment on occasion. You did cause me to poke around a little bit and it appears that “dressing” only came into vogue during Victorian times and appears to have been used exclusively in reference to a food preparation placed inside another food. The only defense (other than regional) that I can offer for my preference of terminology is that you rarely hear of any other “stuffing” preparation called dressing (think stuffed peppers), it’s called stuffing or a completely generic term (mixture, preparation, etc). My original post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek and I obviously don’t really care what you call it since I probably won’t ever be at your house for dinner anyway. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/84 "2008-11-19T17:41:30Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > **jsgoddess** , okay fair enough. I did say it was a personal nit since I prefer one and not the other and the ambiguity causes unneeded disappointment on occasion. Around here, most of the time if you would say dressing someone might ask if it’s ranch. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/85 "2008-11-19T17:44:18Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Around here, most of the time if you would say dressing someone might ask if it’s ranch. 😃 Heh. It never occured to me that people could confuse it with salad dressing. Silly Yankees. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/86 "2008-11-19T18:22:53Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > My personal opinion is that if it’s cooked outside on a grate directly over heat it’s grilled. If it’s cooked slowly over indirect heat and a smoking agent is used, it’s smoked. In either case, if you put a wet sugar-based sauce on it, it’s barbecued, otherwise it’s dry rubbed. Yeah, my definition is different. Barbecue is a cooking method: low and slow with wood, almost always involving some amount of smoke (this is the flavor of barbecue). Sauce doesn’t have anything to do with calling it barbecue. Barbecue can be made with a dry rub, it can be made with no rub, it can be made with any type of meat, with sauce, sans sauce, mopped, not mopped, etc. “Dry-rubbed” doesn’t describe anything except for the fact the meat was rubbed with a liberal amount of salt and spices. You can roast something dry-rubbed, you can grill it, you can barbecue it, etc. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/87 "2008-11-19T18:32:34Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > As for the meatballs (or whatever) in a crock pot, those are barbecue meatballs (i.e., meatballs in barbecue sauce) as opposed to barbecued meatballs (meatballs cooked with the barbecue method). The problem with this is, you’re assuming people pay as much attention to grammar as you and I do. I really doubt most menu writers or diners will pay attention to that “d.” Also likely, it will simply be rendered as “BBQ” on the menu, still leaving it ambiguous. Besides, I don’t think most people make that distinction. You’re far more likely to hear “barbecue ribs” referring to the real deal than “barbecued ribs” around here. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/88 "2008-11-19T18:35:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, my definition is different. Your definition is probably closer to the “official” definition than mine is, but just seems overly pedantic to me (and yes, I see the hypocrisy here given where this conversation started). You also have the potential issue that it seems to me most people equate barbecue (or BBQ! ;)) more with the sauce and less with the method. Either way, your barbecue is probably delicious - Thursday around 7 sound good for you? I’ll bring beer (and bourbon)! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/89 "2008-11-19T18:50:05Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Your definition is probably closer to the “official” definition than mine is, but just seems overly pedantic to me (and yes, I see the hypocrisy here given where this conversation started). You also have the potential issue that it seems to me most people equate barbecue (or BBQ! ;)) more with the sauce and less with the method. It depends on the part of the US you’re in. Here, anything goes, and for most people, it’s probably sauce that they equate with barbecue. Go to Texas or Memphis and call meat slathered in sauce, cooked in an oven, barbecue and it’s pistols at dawn. As for pedantry, once again, it’s know your audience and local dialect. I personally don’t think the definition of barbecue is any more pedantic than the definitions of roasting, braising, broiling, cold-smoking, etc. I mean, if you order a roasted chicken at a restaurant, you don’t expect it to come out poached, do you? However, for whatever reason, barbecue’s definition has expanded in a lot of parts of the US, hence I’m mildly peeved about what was a useful definition to me becoming less precise and describing very different products, but I can’t fight language. Which brings us back to “dressing” and my reason for capitulating to using the word “stuffing,” since “dressing” will meet you with blank stares from many people around here. edit: Oh, yeah, and anyone who brings beer and/or bourbon is automatically invited to participate in any dinners I may have. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/90 "2008-11-19T18:57:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Which brings us back to “dressing” and my reason for capitulating to using the word “stuffing,” since “dressing” will meet you with blank stares from many people around here. Apparently (as jsgoddess has been gently educating me to recognize). Fortunately as I will never leave this region voluntarily it probably won’t ever affect me to any great degree. I will, however, strive to be more open-minded whenever my poor Northern brethren and sistren use “stuffing” incorrectly. 😃 > [@](#): > > edit: Oh, yeah, and anyone who brings beer and/or bourbon is automatically invited to participate in any dinners I may have. Dude, you don’t know the half of it, I just had my 40th a few months back and since I have a bad habit of buying stuff I fancy regardless of upcoming gift-giving events (a habit my wife may actually kill me for one day), most everyone just got me bourbon. I currently have a fantastic liquor cabinet! Speaking of which, I simply cannot tell you how jealous I am that you have local access to a Whiskey Fest! I am hoping, one of these years, to make the Chi-Town show (but it won’t be 2009 probably :mad:). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/91 "2008-11-19T19:12:56Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Speaking of which, I simply cannot tell you how jealous I am that you have local access to a Whiskey Fest! I am hoping, one of these years, to make the Chi-Town show (but it won’t be 2009 probably :mad:). What? I never heard of such a thing. I just looked it up online, and it looks like we’re up to the 9th annual. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for when the 2009 tickets go on sale. edit: Oh, looks like they are on sale. Hmmm…I think I know what I want for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/92 "2008-11-19T19:20:12Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Tell you what, when I go shopping for a bird tomorrow, I will grab and extra bird on the smallish side. Say 10-12 lbs. > One of these days when we both have a weekend day clear, we will get together and cook. How does that sound? Sounds GREAT! > [@Max\_Torque](#): > > On the “where to brine” question: what I normally do is, put a clean garbage bag in a 5-gallon bucket (the bucket is just never perfectly clean, so it really needs a liner), and put the brine in that. Put the turkey in the brine, cover the bucket, and put it in the garage. The garage is usually plenty cold enough by Thanksgiving, especially overnight, to keep things fresh and bacteria-free. But, you can always add ice to the bucket as needed. This sounds like it would be a great solution that wouldn’t really work for us. We have a detached garage that is actually a converted shed, so it’s not immune to critter invasion. Plus, remember we’re in Southern California where we do have some chilly nights, but nothing I would ever describe as cold enough to keep food out in without concern. And ice would melt too quickly to be of much, if any, help in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/93 "2008-11-19T19:26:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What? I never heard of such a thing. I just looked it up online, and it looks like we’re up to the 9th annual. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for when the 2009 tickets go on sale. edit: Oh, looks like they are on sale. Hmmm…I think I know what I want for Christmas. Sure, rub it in. Rub it in. Seriously, glad I could point you toward it. I have a buddy who used to live in Chicago and he said it’s spectacular (and that the “premium” tickets are totally worth it. He also mentioned that if you join the “clubs” online (I know Maker’s Mark has one, there are probably others), then they often have special events/gifts at the show. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/94 "2008-11-22T19:50:30Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Sounds GREAT! We will have to schedule a turkey throw down for after the holidays. Maybe we could make it a dopefest (otherwise we are gonna have a lot of leftovers) If anyone is interested, here is the [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=396475) to my mods to Alton’s recipe (which I couldn’t find on the Food Network site today) ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/95 "2008-11-22T20:28:15Z")
After a simple brine (kosher salt, dark brown sugar, peppercorns), I just put a little olive oil on the skin and cook according to the time & temp instructions given, taking the lid off the roasting pan about 30 minutes before done. It works great and is even moist the next day for sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/96 "2008-11-22T20:29:55Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Heat the oven to 450. Prepare the bird by inserting butter and herbs under the breast skin. Stuff the cavity. Baste the outside with peanut oil. Stick it in the oven and reduce the temperature immediately to 325. The high heat helps seal in the juices right away. After 15 minutes, tent the breast with foil. Remove the foil near the end to brown. This is very close to how I do my bird. No brine, no turning it upside down, no oven bags. I make a butter-herb-salt & pepper paste that I put under the breast skin, and give the bird a good rubdown of oil/salt/pepper all over the skin. I don’t stuff the bird, but will fill the cavity with aromatics–a few branches each of rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano (all which grow in my garden), along with a half an onion and half a lemon. I stick a probe thermometer deep into the thigh. I preheat my oven to 500, and before the turkey goes in, I fashion a foil ‘shield’ that will fit the breast (if you’ve seen the \*Good Eats \*episode about turkey, you know what I’m talking about). The turkey goes in (sans foil), and I let it roast for 20 minutes at 500 to sear the skin. Then, I drop the temperature to 400, cover the breast with the foil, and leave it alone until the thermometer goes off at 161 degrees. Bird comes out, gets immediately transferred to a platter, and then covered well with foil–and it stays covered and left alone for at least 30 minutes before I even think of carving into it. Roasted meats need time to rest so the heat and the juices can redistribute. I’ve done this for years, and my turkey has always been moist, well-seasoned, and looking picture-perfect. I did try brining before, but **Chefguy’s** is right–it ruins the drippings, IMHO. And, since I don’t cook my stuffing in the bird, and make gravy from scratch, drippings are liquid gold. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/97 "2008-11-22T20:31:40Z")
[Direct link to Alton’s turky recipe.](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/98 "2008-11-22T20:39:11Z")
I do the ultra-traditional roasted turkey, uncovered, in a deep roasting pan. Stuffed of course, although we also do baked dressing in a dish. Bread stuffing with sage. Some water in the bottom of the pan to start with, and baste it every so often until done. I like the crispy bits of browned skin! ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/99 "2008-11-22T21:20:24Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > We will have to schedule a turkey throw down for after the holidays. > Maybe we could make it a dopefest (otherwise we are gonna have a lot of leftovers) > > If anyone is interested, here is the [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=396475) to my mods to Alton’s recipe (which I couldn’t find on the Food Network site today) Looks good, **Rick** , and this is the way I’m gonna do it, but I was just in Kroger today and I couldn’t find vegetable stock. Plenty of chicken stock. Either they didn’t have it, I was looking in the wrong place or I’m missing something. Is vegetable stock pre-packaged like chicken stock is? Also, Alton’s (and Rick’s) brine recipe looks like it’s about 2 gallons of liquid. Is this enough to completely cover a large turkey? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286/100 "2008-11-22T21:27:28Z")
It is usually in the aisle with the soups and other stocks. I find it comes in quart packages just like other stocks. Yes 2 gallons is enough to cover a big bird, especially if you use a bag to brine it in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-a-turkey/473286.md?page=6)