Thanksgiving Turkey

It occurred to me I had never written down all my mom's tips and tricks for cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey.  So here it goes.  This is going to include stuffing and gravy. 

Step 1:  Stuffing

2-3 loaves of cheap white bread
2 onions
1 -2 sticks of butter
poultry seasoning
season salt
olive oil

Purchase either 2 loaves for a small turkey or 3 loaves for a large turkey, cheap white bread.  The nice stuff turns into a soggy mess. Cut bread into about one-inch cubes, but don't use the ends of the bread.  Coat the bread in poultry seasoning, until it is thoroughly coated light and evenly.  Next melt butter and brown onion in the butter until thoroughly cooked.  If you add a little bit of olive oil, the butter won't burn.  Once onions are soft, slowly mix the butter and onions over the coated bread, a little at a time until the bread is moistened.  Adding a little milk will help moisten the bread. 

Step 2: Turkey

Make sure turkey is defrosted.  This takes several days in the fridge.  Clean out inside cavities in the front and the back of the bird.  Take out the innards.  Do what you want to with them because they are gross and we don't use them.  Rinse out the cavity and stuff both front and back with dressing mixture.  Place an onion over the ends, directly under the skin to ensure the stuffing won't burn in the oven.  Using meat pins, seal the skin over the stuffing.  Rub bird with olive oil to assist with browning.

Place bird in an oven bag.  Breast up or breast down?  It depends.  Breast up will give you more juice drippings and will brown the bird.  Breast down gives you moister meat.  Also place in the bag about a Tbsp. of flour and 2 pinches of Thyme.  Seal the bag.

Cook bird at 350 degrees in the bag.  (It's 325 without it.)  Sorry, the length of time depends on the size of bird.  You need to do math here.  Sorry.  You really did need it.  It wasn't a waste.

When bird is cooked thoroughly, take out of oven and let it cool for a bit.

Step 3: Gravy

Get the drippings and place in a pan.  Make with flour and chicken broth for extra flavor. Season how you like. 

Step 4: The stuffing

Sometimes the stuffing needs extra cooking. Especially if you cooking it breast down.  Place in a baking dish and cook at 350 degrees until heated through.