Impress Your Guests with Perfectly Braised Whole Turkey This Holiday Season

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This recipe has been used twice in the last week, and everyone at the party ate every bite. They said they had never had turkey that was so tasty and moist. I simplified the process a bit: cooked the vegetables as directed, then divided them between two roasting pans. Put the dark meat in one pan and put it in the oven for 90 minutes. Then I added the second pan with the white meat and vegetables and put it in for another 40 minutes. In 130 min both dark meat pan and white meat pan were perfectly done. Perfection!.

Made this with two very large thighs which cooked considerably faster than predicted. (90 mins to 160). Used mushrooms, celery, yellow peppers, and some celery root (no carrots on hand) and it was excellent. Remaining braising liquid was an excellent start to a gravy. Rather than mess up additional pans I roasted/braised in the same large saute pan as the browning. Worked great.

I use a stick blender to blend the vegetable with the drippings and extra stock if necessary. Make a luscious gravy and everyone eats the vegetables knowingly or unknowingly. I make a similar gravy for brisket roasted atop vegetables. sometimes use a diced rutabaga with the rest of the vegetables.

This recipe makes Thanksgiving very easy & delicious. The butcher cut up the turkey for me. If I get it on Monday, I can make the stock on Tuesday. Braising it in wine makes it particularly tasty.

I used a mixture of stock, vermouth and water and yum. We used rosemary, which smelled great but was a bit too strong. Thyme might have been a better choice. Fabulous with a bottle of 05 Chinon.

I use this recipe often in the colder months, not just Thanksgiving. What you put in can be changed. Diced turnips and parsnips taste good. What you put in can also be changed. You can do just thighs this way and roast the breast separately on top of some dressing. You can also brown everything on the stove and then put it in an electric tabletop oven, also known as a Nesco roaster. The big oven can be used for all the sides.

Look no further: This is the perfect way to cook turkey. We make two turkeys per Thanksgiving, roasting both breasts in one pan and the dark meat in another. We add mushrooms to the braising base. We add the braising ingredients to cooked wild rice to make an instant side dish. The leftovers from braising are mixed with sausage, duck, or other proteins to make ragus. The ingredients for the braise could be used in a soup or, what the heck? eaten straight out of the spoon.

I made this with a boneless, skinless turkey breast that I had coated in a lot of salt and pepper. I wiped off the marinade and then braised the meat in white wine, vegetable stock, celery, carrots, fresh sage leaves, and salt. It was baked at 350º instead of 300º, which was a mistake. It was (over)done in 30 minutes, but it was still great. Taken out the vegetables,

They key really is to take it off at 155ish and let it come up to temp. I also think you should add a few whole garlic cloves. When it’s done, you can use them to make a tasty meat spread.

correction to my note. Sorry. This recipe calls for four times as much for the braising vegetables, not 8 times as much. Still overwhelming amount, I think.

I haveBitttmans original recipe from the Times. For one turkey, it calls for 1/2 pound of carrots, 1/2 pound of celery, and 1 onion. It also calls for 1/2 pound of shiitake mushrooms and 1/2 ounce of dried porcinis. This recipe calls for 8 times each vegetable. Ive made the original since it was first published; the amount of vegetables is perfect. I think that 2 pounds of carrots and 1 bunch of celery would be too much for everything else. Obviously, its not chemistry, and those amounts could easily vary, but not by that much.

It might depend on the size of your turkey. I cooked a 15-pound bird with leg and thigh pieces in for an hour, then added the breasts and wings and cooked for another 50 minutes. Dark meat was a little dry. The next time, I’ll do 45 for dark meat and 50 for white meat. Also, keep in mind that dark meat is best at 175-180 degrees. That’s when it’s “done,” but to get the most tenderness, you want the dark meat a little hotter than the white. Excellent recipe!!.

Tried with Turkey legs only, and they cooked very fast and got overdone. Part of the issue may be the long (10 min) browning time. I’d try it again, perhaps at a lower roast temp and not do as hard of a brown. Think thighs would be a better choice for cut, too, if they are available.

This was the gift that kept on giving. I used just turkey thighs and added some boneless, skinless chicken breasts halfway in. It was tasty, and the leftovers can be used to make soup (just add more broth). I’ve also scrambled eggs with the vegetables that didn’t have any liquid added to them. This is a keeper!.

I did not find the turkey legs continued cooking after I took them out of the oven. I had to cook to the temperature needed. Possibly a large turkey, which people usually cover after cooking for some time might continue increasing in temperature.

Look no further: This is the perfect way to cook turkey. We make two turkeys per Thanksgiving, roasting both breasts in one pan and the dark meat in another. We add mushrooms to the braising base. We add the braising ingredients to cooked wild rice to make an instant side dish. The leftovers from braising are mixed with sausage, duck, or other proteins to make ragus. The ingredients for the braise could be used in a soup or, what the heck? eaten straight out of the spoon.

I’m not a big fan of turkey, so this recipe appealed to me as an easy way to please my family members who do. It was so delicious, easily the best turkey Ive ever had. Im planning to make it again for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and craving it already. I will make the dark & light meat separately as recommended by another reader. I can cook the thighs in my cast iron Dutch oven and the breasts in my big deep skillet this way. I might add a third breast since we will be 8.

I left the celery and carrots mostly whole (cut in half) and quartered the onion. For the breast half, I used a single bone, so I added it after 60 minutes on the thighs. I then did the whole thing for another hour and a half. Everything was well flavored and the meat wasnt dry. The gravy from the broth turned out wonderful!.

I made this in an instant pot. I had to do two batches with the amount of ingredients listed in this recipe. For the first batch, I added two cups of water and white wine until it hit everything. I used the wine and water from the first batch instead of adding more to the second batch. The gravy afterwards from this was amazing.

There is something wrong with this recipe. I made the recipe faithfully, except I used all turkey thighs. As another reviewer noted, I expected a quicker cooking time than 120/165 minutes per recipe. BUT at 60 minutes in they were 175 degrees. The timing made the rest of the preparation chaotic at best. We got through it, but, why the huge discrepancy in time. And these were huge thighs. When the breasts go in, do the thighs come out? Or does it take 120 minutes to cook the thighs?

Thanksgiving 2020, just the two of us. Ordered a fresh 11 lb. turkey. Cut it apart and made turkey stock from the backbone and wings. I made this recipe with the thighs and drumsticks. Used the stock and half cup of vermouth with the vegetables. Lots more stock left for soup. The meat was delicious and I thickened the vegetable sauce with some flour and water. It was delicious, too.

I made this once, but one thigh was done at 45 minutes and two other things were done at 60 minutes. Both times I used the left-over braising liquid and veggies to make a pureed soup. In order to make the sauce more concentrated, I will cut back on the vegetables and broth a little the next time I make it. There will be a next time because it is delicious. Im also going to leave the veggies larger to serve with the turkey. Private notes are only visible to you.

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FAQ

Should you braise a turkey?

What is the best way to cook a turkey without drying it out?

How do you tenderize a whole turkey?

Is it better to cook a turkey covered or uncovered?

Is braising a good way to cook a Turkey?

Braising is a wonderful way to cook meat: it cuts down on the work when energy is low and is the perfect substitute… Once you have it started, it is virtually worry free, even for turkey. All you have to do is let your bird slowly cook while it makes its own delicious gravy. How to braise in the oven?

Why do you braise a Turkey?

The secret to why this turns out so well is that the olive oil and salt still manage to crisp up the turkey skin while the steam from the broth actually braises the turkey, not roasts – and braising is one of the best ways to cook any meat.

Should you roast or braise a Turkey?

It keeps the meat incredibly moist and tender. Roasting turkey tends to dry it out, especially the breast meat. With braising, even the dark meat becomes fall-off-the bone tender. You get more concentrated flavor. Braising turkey allows the meat to take on all the aromatic flavors from the vegetables, herbs and braising liquid.

What is a braised Turkey Leg?

Pork shoulder simmered in its own fat till it’s at once fall-apart tender and crispy? That’s what braised turkey legs are like. They’re rich, they’re juicy, and they pull apart with just the tug of a fork. Unlike the dark meat on a traditional roasted turkey, you don’t need to saw at this stuff.

Should you Brown a turkey breast?

You may need to break or remove some of the bones to make it fit. Since this is a braise, browning the turkey breast is not to add color, as that will get lost in the cooking process, but is solely to create a fond – those lovely browned bits that develop in the bottom of the pot and add tons of flavor to a dish.

How do you cook a turkey breast in a Dutch oven?

In a large Dutch oven pot, heat olive oil of medium heat. Season the turkey breast and thigh on all sides with salt and pepper. Add the turkey pieces to the pot, and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the turkey from the pot and transfer to a plate.