Martha Stewart is one of America’s most beloved chefs, yet she’s not planning to chow down on Turkey this Thanksgiving. In fact, she’s not even going to be in the country for the upcoming holiday!
She has her own livestock at her property in Bedford, New York, and her farm in Maine. Nonetheless, Martha will be going the vegetarian route this year.
“Although I raise my own turkeys, they have been pardoned this year,” she said during a recent appearance on Today.
Martha detailed how she has a lot of vegetarians in her family, so her recipe for Brioche Stuffing-Filled Roasted Pumpkin, which she shared in the Today segment, satisfies everyone.
Instead of celebrating Thanksgiving in the States, she will be going to Rome with her grandchildren as well. She even put together a packed itinerary for her family to see a bunch of sites.
“We have such an itinerary. My grandchildren will get mad at me. They think they’re going on vacation for five days, but in fact, we are going to see everything. I’ve planned quite a trip,” Martha explained.
But while she may be skipping turkey this year, most Americans aren’t. Thankfully, Martha has already shared her recipe for the Perfect Roast Turkey in the past.
To try out Martha’s technique for yourself, which involves using a cheesecloth to keep the bird moist, check out the recipe below.
First, Start With The Brine
Alexander Raths – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
To make Martha’s turkey brine, you will need a large five-gallon brining container, like a stockpot or tub, a large brining or oven-roasting bag, and a refrigerator. You can also use a cooler with ice in a pinch.
As for ingredients, the brine will call for seven quarts of water, one bottle of dry riesling, two thinly sliced medium onions, and plenty of seasonings. These include:
- 1 and 1/2 cups coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons of whole coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon of dried juniper berries
- 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon of black or brown mustard seeds
- 6 bay leaves
- 6 crushed cloves of garlic
- 1 bunch of fresh thyme
You should make your brine one day before you plan to roast your turkey. Begin by bringing one quart of water, as well as the salt, bay leaves, and spices, to a simmer. Be sure to stir until all the salt has dissolved, and then allow it to cool for five minutes.
Next, grab your brining or oven-roasting bag and use it to line your chosen brining container. This step will save you cleanup later on!
Once the container is lined and you’ve added your turkey, add the salt mixture, the remaining six quarts of water, and the rest of your ingredients.
Finally, tie the bag shut and stick it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Throughout this time, you should flip the turkey one time. And if your bird isn’t fully submerged in the brine, you can use a plate to weigh it down.
Martha Stewart’s Perfect Roast Turkey
Now, before you’re ready to roast your turkey, you should remove it from the brine and pat it dry. Don’t forget the inside, too!
Then, you can move on to Martha’s Perfect Roast Turkey recipe, which uses the cheesecloth method. Cheesecloth is extremely porous and absorbent, which means it will help retain moisture and keep the basting liquid in close contact with your turkey.
For Martha’s recipe, the cheesecloth is soaked in a butter and wine mixture. What’s more tasty than that?
Cheesecloth helps protect the turkey’s skin from direct oven heat, too, so it won’t brown quicker than the meat cooks. And since it allows for evaporation and air circulation, your turkey will truly roast instead of steam, unlike with foil.
This recipe calls for three sticks of unsalted butter that are melted, as well as four tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature. Additionally, you will need:
- One 750-ml bottle of dry white wine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
To get started, allow your turkey to rest for two hours at room temperature. This will help your bird warm up and evenly cook in the oven later.
Preheat your oven to 450°F and ensure your oven rack is at the lowest level. As your oven heats, you can combine the melted butter and white wine in a mixing bowl.
Next, grab a large piece of cheesecloth and fold it into quarters. You should cut it into a 17-inch square that has four layers.
Once it’s cut, you can submerge the cheesecloth in your butter and white wine mixture to let it soak.
As it’s soaking, put your turkey on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan breast side up. You should fold the wing tips under the bird, and if you choose to stuff your turkey, now is the time!
When finished, use kitchen string to loosely tie the turkey legs together. You can also use toothpicks to fold and secure the turkey’s neck flap under.
Now, rub the softened butter on top of your turkey and sprinkle the salt and pepper on top. Upon completion, you should remove the cheesecloth from the butter and white wine mixture.
You can squeeze it a bit, but the goal is to leave it quite damp. Then, spread the cheesecloth evenly on top of the turkey and about halfway down the sides of the bird.
With your cheesecloth properly positioned, it’s time to begin the roasting process! Stick your turkey in the oven legs first and let it cook for 30 minutes. After the first half-hour, baste the cheesecloth and the other exposed parts of the turkey with the butter and wine mixture.
Following basting, you can lower your oven temperature to 350°F and roast the turkey for two and a half more hours. Remember to baste it every 30 minutes!
Lastly, after the third hour of cooking, you can remove and discard the cheesecloth. At that point, rotate your roasting pan and baste the turkey using the pan juices. And if you don’t have enough pan juices, you can keep using the butter and wine.
Allow the turkey to cook for one more hour, continuing to baste it after 30 minutes.
As you hit the four-hour mark, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh, which should be 180°F. If the legs aren’t done yet, baste the turkey again and return it to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes.
When your bird is fully cooked, you can transfer it to a serving platter and let it rest for around 30 minutes. Some people, like Martha, use this time to make gravy!
All you have to do is add one cup of either dry red wine, dry white wine, or water to the same pan you roasted your turkey in. Grab a wooden spoon and continue scraping the pan as you boil the mixture, making sure to get all the crispy bits off the bottom of the pan.
Once it’s boiling, add giblet stock to the pan and return it to a boil. It will need to cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced by half.
The final step is to add any pan juices and continue cooking the gravy for 10 more minutes over medium-high heat. You can season it to your liking, strain it into a gravy boat, and serve it alongside your moist turkey!
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