Kokomo Chefs’ Thanksgiving Recipes: The Turkey -Blake Kinder
Hey Kokomo! Here we are, at Thanksgiving. For some it’s a holiday that you can look forward to relaxing and eating a ridiculous amount of food. For others, it’s a stressful day because you’re the one in charge of making and preparing that ridiculously delicious amount of food.
Some families have Thanksgiving recipes that go back for generations. But if you’re a novice chef and you’re just getting into the Thanksgiving culinary game, we thought it would be nice to help supply you with some recipes from some of Kokomo’s best chefs!
Today is all about the bird in the room. The Thanksgiving turkey. This recipe is from Blake Kinder, chef and owner of Marble Steakhouse as well as Cook McDoogal's Irish Pub right here in Kokomo. Here is what he had to say about making the the main attraction on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Turkey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and patted dry with a paper towel and organ sack and neck are removed. Bend the wing tips toward the turkey and then underneath the carcass insuring that they stay in place. This helps with even cooking of the inside wing area.
Rub the inside of the carcass with blended oil and season with salt & pepper, stuff with fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme) and lemon halves.
Toss mirepoix (onions, carrots & celery) in blended oil and salt & pepper, place in roasting pan underneath a roasting rack. Rub the outside of the turkey with blended oil and salt & pepper. (If using fresh herbs, chop and mix with softened butter and distribute as evenly as possible UNDERNEATH the skin; especially on the breasts.)
Follow package instructions on cooking time for the size of bird, or keep the provided pop out red tab in place.
Place turkey on roasting rack above mirepoix and place in oven UNCOVERED.
Set timer for 30 minutes, in the meantime melt 1 pound of butter in the microwave. After 30 minutes, baste an even coat of butter over every part of the turkey... continue this process every 30 minutes until all of the butter has been used (usually first 2 hours).
After the all of the butter has been used, change timer to 10 minutes and use the drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan to baste the turkey every 10 minutes (this also helps to make sure you pull the turkey as soon as the red tab pops out) continue to baste until the turkey is done.
When the turkey is fully cooked, remove from oven immediately and place on a cooling rack or cutting board (it will continue to expel juices so be sure to place something underneath) and let rest for at least one hour.
Strain the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan to use for roux to make gravy (make your own stock with the organ sack & neck or use chicken stock.)
After the turkey has rested, remove all major cuts from the dark meat (legs, thighs & wings) and don't forget the oyster (located on the underside where the thighs attach to the torso.)
Lastly, cut the ENTIRE breast off each side, following along the sternum and rib cage with your knife, then place it on a cutting board with breast sitting lengthwise from your left to right.. slice the breast in chunks against the grain of the meat (this ensures the breasts will not dry out)
Enjoy!
A special Thank You to each of our Kokomo chefs for sharing their recipes!
Are you trying Chef Blake’s turkey this year? How do you make your turkey, Kokomo?
