Loosen Those Belts ...

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And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: tasty recipes (and tips) for your turkey feast, plus how to repackage your leftover bird:

Chef Jim Coleman’s Thanksgiving Turkey with Apricot and Herb Stuffing

Brined Roasted Turkey
The brining process—i.e., saturating with water and salt—is a favorable way to prepare turkey, resulting in a moister product. Salt has been used in poultry and meat processing for centuries to add flavor and provide extra moisture.

During the soaking process, the water is locked within the turkey. As the cooking process begins, the heat seals the proteins and forms a barrier to keep the liquids from escaping.

Since brining does not preserve the turkey, along with the fact that it is raw, it must be kept below 40 degrees F throughout the entire brining process. If refrigerator space is limited, the brining process should be done with the use of ice packs to ensure the turkey stays below 40 degrees F during the brining time. Another trick is to brine the turkey in salted ice water in an “ice cooler,” which can even be put outside. Since we live in the northeast, many times the temperature will be below 40 degrees outside, so you can just brine the turkey in a large stockpot on a backyard table (just make sure it doesn’t freeze!).

The Brine:
2 gallons water
2 cups kosher salt
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

• To make the brine, combine the water, salt and brown sugar in a stockpot. Add more water, if needed. For every extra gallon of water, add one more cup of salt, but not sugar. 
• Store in the refrigerator overnight, if the turkey can fit; otherwise, the turkey can be stored outside overnight in a cooler with ice or in a container large enough to hold turkey (make sure the temperature is 38 degrees F or below, and that the turkey is well covered).
• In the morning, wash the turkey off.

The Turkey:
1 16-17 lb. turkey
1 large onion, halved, cut into 1-inch-wide wedges
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1-inch-wide wedges
6 bay leaves, crumbled
7 tbsp. butter, room temperature, divided

• Set a rack at the lowest position in the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle main cavity with pepper. Place onion wedges, apple wedges and crumbled bay leaves in the cavity. Starting at the neck end, carefully slide your hand between the skin and the breast meat of the turkey to loosen the skin. Rub 4 tablespoons of butter over the breast meat under the skin. Place the turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Rub remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If needed, base with chicken broth.
• Place the turkey in the oven and, after 45 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast the turkey one hour, basting once with pan drippings. Roast until a thermometer that's inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting once with pan drippings and covering turkey loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about one hour longer.
• Transfer the turkey to a platter; cover loosely with foil. Let the turkey rest 20-30 minutes (the internal temperature of the turkey will increase 5-10 degrees). Serve turkey with gravy (recipe below).
 

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