Toronto, Thanksgiving long weekend is just around the corner. With grocery lists to check off, several tasty seasonal dishes to prepare, and guest lists to finalize, one must wonder how to make the perfect showstopper: a turkey.
From spatchcocking to deep frying to Instant Pot prep, there are many ways to serve up the traditional main dish with a twist, with something for everyone, from the kitchen amateurs to pros.
Now Toronto spoke with Executive Chef Adam Ryan to get his take on these fun cooking methods to help you find yours, while sharing which recipe he serves up most.
Here are seven unique ways to cook and prepare a Thanksgiving turkey that will impress your guests this holiday season!
APPLE CIDER BRINED TURKEY
This recipe might be the perfect idea to bring in the fall vibes, and will have your house smelling just like the golden season.
Apple cider is known as a fall flavour, and adding it to your Thanksgiving bird is a surefire way to keep the meat moist while it cooks. Brining, which uses a combination of liquid and salt, is most often found in recipes where the protein is lean.
The high salt content of the vinegar brine acts to break down the muscle fibres in the meat, allowing it to absorb the flavours in the brine, which works itself into the meat as it cooks.
You will need a brining bag or bucket, salt, herbs (fresh or dry), aromatics like onion, celery and carrots, garlic, and the star of the show: apple cider vinegar.
Note that you will want to plan ahead for this recipe, as soaking the bird in the brine can take between one to two days.
This is one of Chef Ryan’s favourite techniques, as he loves to use fresh apples and apple cider vinegar in his stuffing, integrating fall ingredients and flavours into his bird.
“I love apple cider. Apple cider vinegar is probably [the] most used vinegar, and I think it’s very festive to use apples. I mean, it’s apple season right now.”
To learn how to brine your Thanksgiving turkey, click here.
SPATCHCOCK TURKEY
Spatchcocking, a term used to describe the removal of a turkey’s backbone, is a technique used to get the bird to sit flat as it roasts in the oven.
The method prevents the turkey from drying, and by flattening the bird, helps it to achieve a more even and juicy cook, cutting traditional oven time in (nearly) half.
In order to complete this recipe, you will need kitchen shears, a chef’s knife, rolling pin, and large sheet pan with a wire rack for roasting. Seasoning is optional, though you can add tons of garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme for a turkey made of classic flavours.
This might be a good recipe for those looking for a stress-free, fool-proof, and easy approach to making turkey, although Chef Ryan says he has not tried it yet.
To make your spatchcock turkey, click here.
INSTANT POT TURKEY
Want to avoid having too many dishes post holiday? For this recipe, all you will need is an Instant Pot.
Ready in two hours, and leaving free space in the oven for other dishes and desserts, this recipe uses simple seasoning, while the turkey, held together with a kitchen string, is placed on top of a wire rack into the Instant Pot, and pressure cooked for about 50 minutes while resting for 15.
Although it is an easy way to make the dish, note that this method only works with smaller birds, which are between seven and eight pounds, since anything larger might not fit into the pressure cooker.
To learn how to make this instant traditional dish, click here.
DEEP FRIED TURKEY
While this recipe has gone viral for some of its explosive and horrific results, it can be done safely, and is a fantastic way to create a crispy and tender bird — if prepared correctly.
To make a deep-fried turkey, you will need an electric fryer, a completely thawed turkey, oil, marinade, dry rub, and steady hands to lower the turkey into hot oil. Once in the fryer, this recipe will take 50 minutes (approximately 3-4 minutes per pound), giving you time to prep your other delectable dishes.
Having tasted the dish but not having prepared it himself, Chef Ryan says the method could be suited for those who want the turkey to be very crispy, and do not mind a little dryness.
“I find that the turkey itself is crispy all over, the skin I find is very, very crispy. But I find that the meat is a little drier than a traditional roast turkey, in my opinion.”
He explains that the dryness may stem from overcooking the meat, noting that deep frying makes it harder to cook the turkey evenly.
“What happens is the meat dries out once it’s overcooked. So, if you overcook the bird, you’re ending up with a drier result when the meat is done.”
To make a deep-fried turkey for your loved ones this thanksgiving, click here.
NO-BASTE CHEESECLOTH TURKEY
This recipe will have you mouthwatering over a golden result.
To make this self-basting, mummy-like recipe, you will need to soak a large cheesecloth in an aromatic butter of your choice, covering the turkey while it cooks.
By using the cloth, you will save time by not having to manually baste your bird, allowing for the turkey to cook faster. With the oven door closed, heat is conserved, and a 12-pound recipe ready in approximately two hours.
Chef Ryan says the no-baste cheesecloth method sounds like a smart way to “set it and forget it,” noting that the skin remains moist within the cheesecloth as the bird cooks.
“The oil and the fat that are running out of the bird, are getting absorbed into your cheesecloth, and they’re keeping the skin and the meat moist, and essentially preventing it from drawing out.”
To learn how to make this recipe, click here.
LARDO-CRISPED ROAST TURKEY
Looking for a crispy twist to a traditional dish? Try out a Lardo-crisped roast turkey!
This recipe, made in a roasting pan, aims to fully flavour the turkey, self-baste it, and make it especially crispy, using very thin layers of cured Italian pork fat, known as Lardo, which are pushed beneath the bird’s skin. By combining fat and heat, the softened Lardo allows the turkey to self-baste as it cooks in the oven, resulting in a deliciously moistened turkey breast.
Other ingredients in the recipe include bay leaves, lemon zest, thyme, garlic, black pepper, sea salt, Lardo (or fatback as a substitute), extra-virgin olive oil, and sweet onion.
For Chef Ryan, using bacon is a fantastic alternative to Lardo, which can be harder to find at the local grocery store.
“If I’m going to use bacon, I’ll render it down and put it either in one of my sides, like, obviously, Brussels sprouts, and bacon is a classic. So, I’ll do that quite often as a side with my turkey, or I’ll do it in the stuffing as well. Then, I can integrate all of the rendered bacon fat to add flavour to my gravy.”
The executive chef recommends either wrapping the turkey in bacon or stuffing it under the skin for best results.
“It’s similar to your cheesecloth method, where you don’t have to baste it as frequently because you’re now adding all this extra fat that’s seasoning and keeping the meat moist and safe from the elements.”
To learn how to cook the Lardo-crisped roast turkey, click here.
CHEF ADAM RYAN’S TURKEY
Want to cook your Thanksgiving turkey like a chef? Ryan shared his signature recipe, so you can master the dish like a pro. The chef says he likes to begin prepping his bird by deboning it a couple of days before the big celebration, placing the uncovered turkey on an elevated resting rack or parchment paper, leaving it in the fridge to allow the carcass to dry out slightly.
He then saves the bones and cuts them into small pieces, so they brown while roasting.
“I’ll take all the bones, roast them, and then usually fat will render off from the bones when you’re roasting it. I’ll save that usually to thicken the gravy, or make a roux,” he said.
With the remaining meat, the chef says he will make a marinade (like a gremolata) using sage, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, and grated lemon zest, and set it aside. When it is time to cook, Ryan says he adds salt to the turkey breast and lets it sit for 30 minutes before cooking.
“And then I sear them in a pan with some hot canola oil. And then, once they’re seared, I’ll rub them with that gremolata (marinade) mix and a little bit of olive oil, and then I roast them in the oven on a resting rack at a lower temperature, like 325 C, for 45 minutes (or) 60 minutes until it’s cooked all the way through.”
For the legs, Ryan says he usually slowly confits them in duck fat or canola oil at 300 C for three to four hours. “That way you have some nice tender leg meat to accompany your roasted breast.”
“Just like in a restaurant, get everything prepped ahead of time, and then that way, when it’s time to actually eat, you don’t have 50 things on the go, and you don’t have as much to clean up. Your stock is already made, your gravy is already made. Your turkey’s already butchered and cleaned.”
And the chef’s best advice?
“Don’t burn your house down!”
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