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Flipping the Bird

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Posted by MMLDelete on Saturday, November 30, 2019 10:57 AM

54light15

"spatchcocking?"

 
That's a foul in badminton.
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Posted by zardoz on Saturday, November 30, 2019 10:30 AM

zugmann
The "stuffing" comment was from a TV show. 

What's all this talk about stuffing? You guys got gypped! The turkey we bought didn't need any--it wasn't empty.

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Posted by 54light15 on Saturday, November 30, 2019 10:13 AM

"spatchcocking?" Must be restaurant lingo. 

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Posted by zugmann on Friday, November 29, 2019 3:09 PM

Overmod
You'd be surprised how many people make 'casserole' stuffing and not use the stuff from inside.

Not really.  That's how my mom made it. 

 

The "stuffing" comment was from a TV show.  Was seeing if anyone else would pick up on it.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, November 29, 2019 2:04 PM

zugmann
MikeFF
It does mean that you have to make the stuffing outside the turkey, but that is better for safety.
 Then you'd have to call it something else.

 
You'd be surprised how many people make 'casserole' stuffing and not use the stuff from inside.  We always had 'wet' and 'dry' stuffing (the first made from inside the cavity with some of the giblets, the second type in dishes).  Note that if you are spatchcocking, you'll have some drippings fairly early in the game, and can use those to 'baste' dry stuffing in its dish for the right effect.  (Be sure to measure the right amount so there's enough for the gravy...)
 
The usual problem with spatchcocking Thanksgiving-size turkey is ... who has an oven large enough to fit one of those birds 'unfolded'?  You'd need at least two 36" ovens ... one for the two halves of the breast, one for the other parts ... and then what would you cook the casseroles in?
On the flip side, the very different time to cook the 'dark meat' is easily accommodated with the two ovens, so all the rigmarole with selective basting and those little foil hats can be avoided.
 
Spatchcocking the typical mutant Thanksgiving turkey is also more of an exercise than it is for small birds, because the breast is so grossly oversized.  I suspect you may still wind up using a roasting pan 'in the round' for this part of the exercise, rather than dividing it and trying to cook it butterflied ... breast side down, then inverted to brown the skin.
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Posted by zugmann on Friday, November 29, 2019 12:34 PM

MikeFF
It does mean that you have to make the stuffing outside the turkey, but that is better for safety.

Then you'd have to call it something else.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by MikeFF on Friday, November 29, 2019 12:31 PM

My this forum gets interesting.  The quickest, easiest way to cook a turkey is to spatchcock it–basicaly remove the wings, thighs, legs, split the breast and put in the oven on sheet pans. Restaurants do this all the time.  You can control the cooking of each portion and do a good size bird in less than 1.5 hours. It does mean that you have to make the stuffing outside the turkey, but that is better for safety. It is possible to do a nice presentation by slicing the breast, reassembling and placing the pieces-parts around it on the platter.

Mike

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, November 28, 2019 9:30 PM

Overmod
 
BaltACD
My daughter has had great succes in roasting turkey breast side down - gravity works and the breast meat does not dry out. 

The key is to turn the bird over when you want the browning of the breast-side skin to begin.  We would do that at about 45 minutes before serving. Something else to watch out for is that you need a rack or something like a 'windage tray' to keep the bird entirely out of the bastings -- if you leave the breast sitting in them, you risk getting boiled and not roasted consistency...

It's an interesting railroad-recovery-style problem to turn over a slippery 35-pound bird in what's essentially a well full of boiling water.

It helps that my son-in-law is about 6 foot 5 inches and about 300 pounds when it comes to flipping turkeys.  Former D1 college baseball pitcher.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by SD70Dude on Thursday, November 28, 2019 5:12 PM

Overmod

It's an interesting railroad-recovery-style problem to turn over a slippery 35-pound bird in what's essentially a well full of boiling water.

Use rubber oven mitts with spikies (the kind that goes on the bottom of a boot)!

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, November 28, 2019 5:04 PM

BaltACD
My daughter has had great succes in roasting turkey breast side down - gravity works and the breast meat does not dry out.

The key is to turn the bird over when you want the browning of the breast-side skin to begin.  We would do that at about 45 minutes before serving. Something else to watch out for is that you need a rack or something like a 'windage tray' to keep the bird entirely out of the bastings -- if you leave the breast sitting in them, you risk getting boiled and not roasted consistency...

It's an interesting railroad-recovery-style problem to turn over a slippery 35-pound bird in what's essentially a well full of boiling water.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Thursday, November 28, 2019 2:14 PM

BaltACD

My daughter has had great succes in roasting turkey breast side down - gravity works and the breast meat does not dry out.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

Great idea!!! 

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, November 28, 2019 1:21 PM

NOW ya tell me!  Oh well... there is always next year.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Flipping the Bird
Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 10:39 PM

My daughter has had great succes in roasting turkey breast side down - gravity works and the breast meat does not dry out.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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