Folks are big on turkey here in the South. After all, we have several of the slots in the top 10 of the states for turkey production.
Turkey is NOT Just About the Full Bird
When people think about cooking turkey, they often think of the traditional full turkey in the oven. Nothing wrong with that. An oven baked turkey is hard to beat. But, there are so many other ways to use turkey now, so cooks thinking only about the full big bird are behind the times. Turkey is way more than the centerpiece for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, although it is a great holiday pick.
How to Cook Turkey? Ah – The Many Ways . . .
It’s impossible to provide just one way to cook turkey, because turkey is cut and processed in so many ways these days. You can get ground turkey and use it as you would ground beef or get turkey bacon and do that for a healthier breakfast meat in place of pork bacon. Turkey cutlets work great on the George Foreman press grill or grilled turkey panini sandwiches for a fast and low fat sandwich.
You can even cook turkey in a crock pot. Just get a turkey breast and add a can of turkey or chicken broth and cook at low for 6 or 7 hours. You can add favorites seasoning like salt and pepper but also things like lemon pepper or seasoning salt and a bay leaf.
Fried Turkey – Out in the Yard or Now Inside
Southerners have gone wild over fried turkey. After all, frying is super popular in the South. But, turkey in a deep fryer is sure hard to beat. The turkey comes out crisp on the outside with a wonderful color and super moist inside.
Fried turkey has not been for the faint of heart prior, because it usually involved a bit vat of fast boiling peanut oil on a tripod stand. Masterbuilt now has an indoor turkey fryer that is much like a home French fryer that is much safer and easier to use.
Turkey in a Smoker or Slow Grilled
The grill crowd in the South has been working on turkey for years. So, you have all kind of ways to slow grill a turkey over wood, charcoal, or even with a gas grill. The real trick it to do it low and slow on temperature and to hit the healthy internal temp on the turkey tested at the thickest part at 165 degrees F according to the USDA.
It’s difficult to give exact directions to smoke or grill a turkey, because it depends on what type of outdoor cooker you own. A dedicated smoker will likely have directions for turkey, since that is a popular slow smoked food. Turkey can be done on the grill, but the coals are offset of one side of the gas grill is heated and the other not with the turkey sitting on the cold side with the lid down on the grill to circulate the heat.
Char-Broil now has the Big Easy out designed especially for those who want to smoke turkeys outdoors. The Big Easy does a great job on turkey but can also be used to boil up foods like Frogmore Stew or Low Country Boil.
Flavoring Up That Turkey
Turkey is a mild meat which means it is great for seasoning in various ways. One tip to great turkey is to brine the turkey. That adds lots of flavor. It’s also possible to use various rubs for new and exiting flavors.
Toppings are great for turkey as well. Most people know that turkey gravy and cranberry sauce give turkey a pop, but cranberry sauce like Bit Butz Cranberry and jam like Sweet Heat Habanera Jam also make turkey even more tasty and fun.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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