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How to Braise Turkey for Maximum Tenderness and Flavor

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Last Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted a heritage turkey. Reading about the selective breeding1 and the bland tasting meat of commercial turkeys compared to wild and heritage turkeys. So, I asked The Fiancé. Prices may vary, but they are such that it is wise to ask your significant other for permission prior to purchase. She said, “yes” because she rocks.

When Thanksgiving morning arrived and my turkey had not, I worried. I called the farmer to ask when I should expect it. She told me, with concern in her voice, that the turkey had already been delivered – FOUR DAYS AGO. Like a condemned man, I went to my apartment building’s front office to ask if they had forgotten any packages for me. I knew my fears were confirmed as I opened the office door – I COULD SMELL IT.

The office smelled like spoiled meat. When the office worker found the package she proclaimed, “I got this a few days ago, I must have forgotten to give you a notice.” In what I think was a steady voice, I said, “That’s my Thanksgiving turkey.” Without missing a beat she replied, “We were wondering what that smell was.” To cap off the comedy2, the management office’s remedy was that they would buy me a new turkey – FOUR DAYS AFTER THANKSGIVING! I told them where they could stuff their turkey.

As a result, I found myself shopping for turkey on Thanksgiving day, without time to thaw a full turkey and cook it before dinner with my future mother-in-law. Clearly, the only thing to do was to make THE BEST TURKEY EVER.

As I studied the turkey thighs I had selected as my whole turkey substitute, I pondered the sense in roasting a turkey. Due to its enormous size, it’s hard not to dry out some of the meat. And it hit me, the braise. The century old technique for softening tough meats to delectable tender goodness. And was it the best turkey ever? Well, the attached recipe is what I did last year and, by request, this is the recipe that we will be doing this year for Thanksgiving.

Those who have followed these posts will not be surprised that I am going to talk about browning…again. I am not going to go into the science of browning again, only emphasize how important it is. If you want to know more about the science of browning, you can learn all about it in this previous post. Are you ready for the emphasizing? I’m going to use italics just to be extra emphatic. Brace yourself.

I don’t really care about the other things, but I am not okay with you serving bland food, so we are going to do some browning. To do this we are going to start by removing the skin from the turkey thighs. In a braise, the skin is not going to contribute and it will block the meat from getting browned in the pan.

“But Ben,” you say, “I love the crispy skin.” Well hold your horse there, Buffalo Bill. We can still make crisp skin. We’re simply going to lay out the skin on a sheet pan, sprinkle it with a bit of salt, and cook it in a 400F oven until browned and crisp (about 30 minutes). There we go, we just made turkey cracklins. Serve that over your finished braise for that crisp brown skin flourish. Now, back to the turkey.

With the skin off, we are going to heat our braiser3 over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Yes, we are using the pan we will eventually braise in. That way, any little bits of food that stick to the pan or browning that forms in the pan will make it into our braising liquids.We sear the turkey thighs on each side until well browned then get them out of the pan. Next we’ll do our vegetables. A quick saute over high heat to develop some browning on the outside. We are not going to eat these vegetables, they are simply providing flavor to our braising liquid. Now that we have a pan chock full of delicious brown flavors, on to the main event: the braise.

The braising technique is a simple one and absolutely ideal for creating tender meat. In its original French iteration, braising was to cook something in a closed pot (a braiser4) surrounded on all sides by hot coals. Now the term means to cook in a closed pot with a small amount of liquid. While braising can be done on the stovetop or in the oven, I prefer to do mine in the oven because the less direct heat reduces the risk of evaporating all off the liquids. For our turkey, we are simply going to add our liquids (cider, stock, and wine) into the pan with our sautéing vegetables, along with the aromatics (herbs and garlic). The turkey thighs are going to nestle right on top, the lid goes on, the whole shebang goes into the oven and physics does the rest.

So the obvious question is, “What is happening in the pot that makes the meat so tender?”

As the pot hits 212F, our liquids are going to start converting into vapor, which will fill our pot. This helps our cooking process because steam is more efficient at transferring energy than air. This means that we are actually cooking our meat faster, even though it is at a lower temperature (212F as opposed to 325F). Don’t believe me? Try this experiment at home: Cut 8 new potatoes of the same size in half. Place 8 halves on a sheet pan in a 325 degree oven and the other 8 in a steamer basket over boiling water with a lid on. Test each for doneness with a skewer at after 5, 8, 10, and 15 minutes. Which finished cooking first?

Here is the surprising part…this actually makes our meat less juicy. Now before you go all Transylvanian torch and pitchfork toting villager on me for drying out your meat, it doesn’t matter if the meat in your braise isn’t juicy. Juiciness is a measure of the water content of the meat. Once the meat is done braising, we stir it through the liquids in the pan, rehydrating it and rejuicifying it. So loosing the juices isn’t really a concern. What we want to focus on is the tenderness, which is a measure of how easily the meat comes apart. Despite what Otis Redding might tell you, holding her and squeezing her is not the best way to get tenderness. The best way, scientifically speaking, is low, prolonged heat. Low, slow heat is the best environment for collagen, the connective tissue that holds meat together, to convert into gelatin. The gelatin will solidify when chilled, which is why leftovers of braises can have a jello-y substance surrounding them, but while hot it will remain liquid. If you have ever been subjected to meat that I think can only be described as crumbly, what you have had is a long cook in a dry oven. The same conversion of collagen to gelatin will occur, only over a longer period of time. However, without the liquids there to rehydrate the meat, you are left with fall apart meat that is extremely dry, much like saw dust.

With our turkey awash in gelatin and swirled through the juices in the pan, we have that perfect meaty combo of tender and juicy and we are ready to serve up some turkey that even the mother-in-law will be impressed by. Happy cooking and a Happy Thanksgiving.

CHEF’S NOTES 1. The turkeys we buy for Thanksgiving cannot naturally procreate anymore – they have to be artificially inseminated. 2. I use comedy here not in the modern ” ha ha, that’s so funny” sense, but I the ancient Greek “how ironic that everyone died horrible, yet fitting deaths” sense. 3. A wide 3-4 inch deep pan with tight-fitting lid. 4. Not to be confused with a brassiere, though I wouldn’t put it past the French to find a way to cook in one of those as well.

Braises turkey is hands down the most flavorful and tender way to cook turkey. With braising, the meat literally falls off the bone becoming incredibly succulent. If you’ve only ever roasted a whole turkey trying braising just the leg and thigh portions will be a game changer.

I’ve braised turkey multiple times and through trial and error learned how to achieve turkey perfection through braising In this article I’ll share my tips and tricks for how to braise turkey so you can make this delicious dish at home

Why Braise Turkey?

There are a few key reasons why braising turkey is superior to roasting:

  • 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. It’s deeply seasoned in a way roasting can’t achieve.

  • The skin gets crispy. I know one thing that deters people from braised turkey is they assume the skin won’t crisp up. But it does! The final high heat broiling step crisps up the skin perfectly.

  • It’s less finicky. A whole roasted turkey requires careful monitoring of both the white and dark meat. With braising just the leg and thigh sections, it’s far easier to nail the doneness of the meat

  • You can use the braising liquid for gravy. The flavorful braising liquid provides an easy base to make the most delicious gravy ever

How to Choose Your Turkey Pieces

For braising, you want to use bone-in turkey leg or thigh portions. I prefer thigh meat since it has a bit more fat and stays juicier, but drumsticks work beautifully too.

You can braise a whole turkey, but for home cooking I’d stick to parts which make the process far more manageable. Look for turkey legs and thighs available at your grocery store meat counter or butcher shop.

For 4 servings, you’ll need about 2 pounds of turkey pieces, or 2 leg quarters cut into thigh and drumstick sections. Make sure the skin is intact for maximum flavor and crispiness.

Aromatics and Seasonings

One of the keys to amazing braised turkey is packing the aromatic vegetables and herbs into the braising liquid. Here are some good options:

  • Onions: Diced onions are a must. They add a savory depth and sweetness. Go with yellow, white or red onions.

  • Mushrooms: Meaty mushrooms like cremini or shiitake add great umami flavor. Slice them thickly.

  • Carrots: Diced carrots sweeten the braise and add color.

  • Celery: Chopped celery provides an earthy component.

  • Garlic: Mashed garlic cloves give warmth and fragrance.

  • Herbs: Woody herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage pair wonderfully. Use a few sprigs.

  • Pepper: Don’t be shy with the black pepper to spice things up.

For a deeply flavored braise, saute the vegetables first to caramelize them. Then add your turkey pieces to brown before submerging everything in the braising liquid.

The Braising Liquid

The braising liquid is what gives this dish its succulence and also turns into a luscious gravy. Opt for chicken or turkey stock to keep it meaty and savory. Adding a bit of wine, like a dry white or red wine, also provides acidic brightness. Alternatively, use water and wine alone if you don’t have stock.

Make sure the turkey pieces are about two-thirds submerged in the braising liquid. Bring it to a gentle simmer on the stovetop first before transferring to a 300°F oven. Maintain the simmer, replenishing with more liquid if needed.

How Long to Braise Turkey?

The braising time can vary based on the size and thickness of your turkey pieces, but plan on:

  • Turkey thighs: 60-90 minutes
  • Turkey drumsticks: 90-120 minutes

The meat should become extremely fork tender when it’s done. Use an instant read thermometer to confirm it reaches 185°F for perfectly juicy thighs and 175°F for drumsticks.

If the turkey seems done early, tent it with foil to keep warm until the full time is up. This ensures super tender, pulled apart meat. Don’t worry, the skin will still crisp later under the broiler.

Crisping the Skin

Here’s the brilliant step that will make your braised turkey skin as crispy as the best roasted turkey: broiling.

Once the turkey is fall-apart tender, remove it from the oven, take off the lid if using a Dutch oven, and crank the heat to high broil. Return the turkey pieces skin side up. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the skin bubbles and crisps up. Watch closely to avoid burning.

The high heat browns the skin beautifully without overcooking the already tender meat. It’s the best of both worlds!

Making Turkey Gravy

One of the big bonuses of braising turkey is it provides the base for incredible gravy.

After removing the turkey pieces, pour the braising liquid into a saucepan (defatting first if desired). Bring to a simmer and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry or flour.

For extra richness, you can brown the drippings first in the pan before making the gravy. Season with black pepper and fresh herbs.

The braised turkey gravy boasts way more flavor than plain pan drippings gravy. It’s deeply savory and satisfying.

Serving Suggestions

  • Shred the ultra tender turkey meat right off the bones with two forks to serve.

  • Pour the gravy over the top or serve it on the side for dipping.

  • Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or herbs.

  • Serve it over mashed potatoes, polenta, or egg noodles to soak up the delicious braising sauce.

  • Pair it with simply roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts or broccoli.

  • Toss braised greens like kale or collards in some of the gravy for extra flavor.

Pros of Braised Turkey

  • Infuses turkey with rich flavor
  • Yields fall-off-the-bone tender meat
  • Keeps the meat incredibly juicy and moist
  • Allows skin to crisp up beautifully
  • Provides built-in gravy from the braising liquid
  • Easier to nail perfect doneness than roasting a whole bird
  • More forgiving cooking method than high heat roasting

Tips for Perfectly Braised Turkey

Follow these tips for flawlessly braised turkey every time:

  • Choose bone-in turkey thighs or drumsticks with the skin on.
  • Pat the turkey pieces dry before seasoning generously with salt and pepper.
  • Brown the turkey first to build flavor and render some fat from the skin.
  • Saute the vegetables like onions, carrots and mushrooms before braising to caramelize them.
  • Use chicken or turkey stock for the braising liquid to keep it savory.
  • Maintain a gentle simmer and replenish the liquid level if needed.
  • Braise until extremely tender and the meat reaches 185°F (175°F for drumsticks).
  • Crisp up the skin at the end under the high heat broiler.
  • Let the turkey rest 5-10 minutes before serving for the juices to absorb back into the meat.
  • Make gravy from the flavorful braising liquid.

Delicious Braised Turkey Recipes

Once you know the basics, try out these tasty braised turkey recipes:

  • Basic Braised Turkey – The classic simple braise with vegetables
  • Stock Braised Turkey Legs – Crispy carnitas-style braised legs
  • Cider Braised Turkey – With hard cider, fennel and citrus
  • Mole Braised Turkey – With a rich Mexican mole sauce
  • Turkey Ragu – Turkey braised into a hearty pasta sauce

Braises turkey is the ultimate way to cook turkey for maximum tenderness and concentrated flavor. Follow the tips above for braising turkey perfection at home. The succulent, fall-off-the-bone meat with crispy browned skin is so worth the extra effort over roasting. Give braised turkey a try this holiday season!

how to braise turkey

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How to Cook a Turkey

FAQ

How to braise the turkey?

Directions
  • Sear the Turkey: Start by browning the turkey breast in a heavy-bottomed pot for a golden crust.
  • Build the Braise: Add your apple cider, broth, fresh herbs, and aromatics to the pot.
  • Low & Slow: Cover and cook gently in the oven, letting the flavors meld and the turkey become perfectly tender.

What does braising a turkey mean?

Braising will convert this connective tissue to tender gelatin, which helps lubricate meat, making it ultra-moist and tender. Braising is idiot-proof. A roasted turkey leg can overcook. And, fair enough, so can a braised turkey leg. But it’s much much harder to overcook a braise.

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

Brining involves immersing the turkey in a salt-water solution (called a wet brine) or dry-brining in salt for a day or so before cooking. The end result is moist, well seasoned white and dark meat and perfectly crispy skin.

How to braise meat in the oven?

Add the braising liquid and put into the oven: Add enough braising liquid to cover your meat. Water or broth will work. Bring that liquid to a boil and then pop it into a preheated 300 F oven for 3 to 7 hours, depending on your cut of meat (the exception here is chicken. I would check it after an hour).

How do you braise a whole turkey?

Pour braising liquid into a fat separator to remove excess fat. Make a gravy by simmering liquid to reduce slightly then whisking in a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken. You can braise a whole turkey or just turkey parts. Dark meat like thighs and drumsticks are especially well suited to braising.

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.

Why do you braise a turkey leg?

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?

How big should a Turkey be for braising?

A 12-15 lb whole turkey is ideal for braising. Going much bigger makes it unwieldy. You want a turkey that can fit snugly into your braising vessel, preferably a heavy pot with a lid like a Dutch oven. Make sure your turkey is fully thawed before braising. I like to spatchcock the turkey which means removing the backbone and flattening it out.

Why is braising Turkey better than roasting?

There are a few key reasons why braising turkey is superior to roasting 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.

Can You braise turkey thighs?

To do this we are going to start by removing the skin from the turkey thighs. In a braise, the skin is not going to contribute and it will block the meat from getting browned in the pan. “But Ben,” you say, “I love the crispy skin.” Well hold your horse there, Buffalo Bill. We can still make crisp skin.

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