Most people seem to eat turkey on Thanksgiving.  Many eat it on Christmas as well.  But apart from these holidays, folks don’t get much practice roasting whole turkeys. So here are some things to think about:

1. If you have a frozen turkey, allow sufficient time for it to defrost FULLY in the refrigerator.  For a large turkey (think 20 pounds), that can take several days.  The last thing you want is to spend Thanksgiving morning going at the turkey with a blow dryer, trying to finish the defrosting.  (Now that you ask, yes, I have done that.)
2. If you are feeding a small group of people and no one is a fan of dark meat, roasting a turkey breast is a good option.  It’s a lovely presentation.  It has plenty of meat for a small group.  And the carcass makes very good soup.  Plus, it can brine overnight and roast in under four hours.
3. Brining a turkey is a beautiful thing.  It makes the meat very moist and especially yummy.  The meat also cooks a bit faster.  You can find all sorts of fancy brining recipes on the Internet, but at its most basic, you add 3/4 cup of coarse salt and 3/4 cup of sugar to a gallon of water.  (It helps to dissolve the salt and sugar in a cup of boiling water before adding it to the gallon of cold water.)  You’ll need enough gallons of water to cover the turkey.  The turkey needs to be completely submerged in the brine for at least 24 hours.  It should be turned once.  The hard part is finding a container big enough to hold the turkey and brine that also fits in your fridge.  (You can use a very large plastic bag or bucket, but you may have to remove a fridge shelf or two.)  You can also brine the turkey in a cooler, but it has to stay at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  Salmonella is not a welcome Thanksgiving guest.  Take the turkey out of the brine and rinse it off an hour before you plan to start roasting it. Do NOT brine a turkey injected with salt water.
4. If the turkey does not have a pop-up thermometer, invest in a decent meat thermometer and make sure that it reads 165-170 when placed in the thigh (the thickest part).  Turkey sushi is not an option!
5. To get that nice golden-brown sheen, turn back the covering foil for the last hour of roasting and spread butter across the skin. It will turn a lovely caramel color as the cooking finishes.
6. As soon as possible after dinner, take the remaining meat off the bones and refrigerate.  Refrigerate the carcass as well to make a simple broth. (I’ll post instructions next week.)