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Bob Hart's Roast Turkey

Posted by: Bob Hart | 10 November, 2011 - 2:33 PM

Whether we like it or not, it's probably time to think Christmas. Can we bear it? I know I can...

I love Christmas and, despite the weather, still prefer to embark on the classical British/European/American style of winter celebrations.

It makes no sense at all to eat roasted birds in blistering heat. But what's so great about making sense?

In recent years, I have cooked Danish-style loin of pork and a British roasted goose. Both of which I like very much.

But this year, the Americans win: I'm planning to cook a turkey. Which is a challenge, of course.

The thing to remember about roasting a turkey is, if you want it to be moist when you carve it, make sure you brine it overnight, and ideally for longer, before roasting it. There's nothing easier.

We have discussed this in the past. But let's revisit, and make plans now. It makes all the difference in the world to roast turkey, which in turn delivers just the sort of flavour a traditional Christmas dinner requires.

Order a pretty large bird, ideally from a specialist dealer who will be able to get you a fresh bird, rather than one of those silly ones with the pop-up thermometer who have usually spent far to much of their life in the freezer.

Make a brine with a cup of sea salt and half a cup of brown sugar, dissolved in warm water, with the total volume then made up to four litres with cold water. I then add a splash of bourbon, as well as the zest and most of the juice of an orange. Prick the skin in a few places with a knife point to let the brine in, and give the bird 24 hours in this mixture - ideally in a very large ziplock bag, and always in the fridge - before removing it, patting it dry and roasting it in the usual way.

And if you are not quite sure what the roasting process involves, stay tuned: we will run through the perfect Christmas roast, and look at a few additional twists, in the coming weeks.

3AW Food - Eating Melbourne

3AW is Food: Melburnians love to eat so it's fortunate we live in the culinary capital of Australia. On this dedicated food page you will find the latest recipes by Bob Hart as well as Tony Leonard's Pub of the Week reviews. La Luna head chef Adrian Richardson also serves up a dish from his own cook book and food reviewer Ela Carte visits one of Melbourne's hottest eateries weekly.

Blog comments

I listened with great interest to your method of marinating a turkey in brine before roasting.
As a diabetic I am unable to use the brown sugar you list as one of the ingridients of the marinade.Any suggestions using alternative (non-sugar) sweeteners?
What would happen if the sugar is left out of the mix?
Regards,
Rob

robert mark Thursday 10 November, 2011 - 3:41 PM