novel34

  Ahhhh . . . turkey, that holiday centrepiece that is so beloved by many . . .   a family tradition for Thanksgiving (if you are a North American) and Christmas (if you are a Brit).  An annual favourite and not all that hard to cook, but so often done wrong.  Today I shall attempt to put to bed some of the mysteries which surround the cooking of this fabulous bird and hopefully help to make yours this year to be the best turkey ever! I like to purchase a top quality bird for my holiday feasts, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This is the one time of the year I will splurge and get a higher cost bird, and it goes without saying that I always choose free range and fresh if I can get it.  I may eat turkey minced, or in bits the rest of the year . . . but it is only this once a year that I cook the whole bird, so it is a real treat for us! (Christmas for us.) A lot of people swear by Brining . . . and others by dry brining.  I have tried both...