While side dishes and desserts are an important staple at Thanksgiving, it’s the bird himself that takes center stage each November. Will there be stuffing or no stuffing? Will the bird be roasted, fried, smoked or broasted? This week’s column features four different ways to ensure the star of the show is tasty, juicy and delicious. Traditionalists will like the simplicity of Basic Roast Turkey or Upside Down Turkey. For those more adventurous, try Brined Turkey (my sister Donna Reynolds’ recipe) or Cajun Fried Turkey (just make sure you keep a close watch on the fryer to avoid holiday mishaps). Happy eating!

Next week: perfect endings to your Thanksgiving meal.

Basic Roast Turkey

1 18-lb. whole turkey
1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 quarts turkey stock
8 C. prepared stuffing

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in the lowest position of the oven. Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey well, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Loosely fill the body with your favorite stuffing. Rub skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Make an aluminum foil tent and position over the turkey. Place in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the bird every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 180 degrees or about 4 hours. Let turkey set for at least half an hour before carving to retain juices.

Upside Down Turkey

13 lb. whole turkey
1/2 C. butter
1 C. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse turkey and remove giblets. Pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey upside (breast) down in a roasting pan. Place1/4 cup butter inside the turkey. Place remaining butter in several pieces around the turkey. Pour water into the pan. Cook covered in the preheated oven 3 to 3 1/2 hours until the internal temperature of the thigh has reached 180 degrees.

Brined Turkey

10-12 lb. turkey
Brine, see recipe below
4 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 large vidalia onion, cut into eighths
1 large orange, cut into eighths (with rind)
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
1/2 bunch sage
4 sprigs parsley
2 C. turkey stock for basting

Remove the neck and giblets and reserve for gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out very well with cold water. Prepare brine and soak the turkey, covered and refrigerated for 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Place turkey, breast side down, in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, sage and parsley. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup turkey stock. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Brine

1 C. salt
1 C. brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme (or two tsp. dried)
4 sprigs rosemary (or 2 tsp. dried)

Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a nonreactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, foodgrade plastic storage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: If you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

Cajun Fried Turkey

15-lb. turkey
1 stick butter
1 1/2 C. Italian dressing (lowcal is not recommended)
1 handful Cajun seasonings
Garlic and onion powder to taste
*Peanut oil – enough to fry (Be mindful of any peanut allergies of your guests)
You’ll also need a turkey fryer and injector kit

Two days prior to cooking, defrost the turkey. On the night before cooking, strain Italian dressing to catch items too big to fit through injector needle. Melt butter and add to dressing. Add a handful of Cajun seasonings to the marinade and onion powder and garlic powder to taste. Use injector to insert marinade into breast, thighs and wings by sticking the needle all the way into meat. As you slowly pull the needle out, slowly press and inject the marinade into the turkey. Inject at multiple angles for maximum juice. Rub dry seasonings on the outside of the turkey, under the skin and inside the cavity. Place turkey, legs up on fryer holder and place inside an oven roasting bag. Keep overnight in an ice chest with a small amount of oil.

On the morning of cooking, fill fryer one-third full with oil. Dip turkey while in the plastic bag in the oil and fill or drain as needed (the oil should just cover the top of the turkey). Make sure you have a hole at the top of the plastic bag or the bag will expand with air preventing an accurate reading. Take turkey out of oil and place back in cooler. Heat oil to 375 degrees (this takes about half an hour). Remove turkey from plastic wrap and place in oil. The temperature should drop to about 350. Never let the temperature go below 325 degrees. Cook 2-3 minutes per pound and do not cover the pot with the lid and never try to fry a turkey larger than 20 pounds. Remove the turkey from the oil and let rest for at least half an hour before carving.