Seven chefs across The Feast universe, from NY to LA, flaunted their Thanksgiving turkey-making chops on camera, showing us how to do it right. For bird-cooking footage, click through the gallery. Their secrets to a perfect bird, below.
Top 10 Tips For Cooking The Perfect Bird
1. The secret to a moist turkey is the brine. Combine salt, sugar and water, and submerge the turkey in the mixture for 24 hours prior to cooking it. - ABC Kitchen's Dan Kluger
2. Ideally, cure the wings the night before, and if you have duck fat or lard in your freezer, confit them. The day-of roast them again so they get super crispy like a buffalo wing. [Confiting, for the layman, is cooking something slowly in fat.] - Toro's Jamie Bissonette
3. Take apart the turkey, and cook the legs and breast separately. The legs need more time. When they're perfect, the breast is overcooked. When the breast is perfect, the legs are raw. - Solea's Michael Gilligan
4. Take the giblets out and use them to make your gravy. They're in the stomach cavity, and always check the neck for a surprise. Sautee them with carrots and celery. But don't overdo it: You want your turkey to taste like turkey not like vegetable soup.
5. Roast the carcass, and use that to fortify your chicken stock to make the gravy. -Jamie Bissonnette
6. The best, most succulent part of the turkey is the oyster. It's the plump piece of meat affixed to the carcass. Don't forget about it. -Jamie Bissonnette
7. Confit the gizzards and put them in your stuffing. -Jamie Bissonnette
8. Don't overstuff your turkey. The stuffing won't cook properly, and then the turkey takes too long. - The Grape's Brian Luscher
9. Halfway through cooking your turkey, turn it over to get a crispy skin on the breast. -The Goddess & Grocer's Debbie Sharpe
10. After you pull the guy out of the oven, let it rest for 20 minutes, minimum, before carving it. - Brian Luscher
[The Feast]
