Aired November 24th, 2009 on How To and Seasonal. 
By now, everyone probably has their Thanksgiving game plan set in motion, so what better timing to look at the many different approaches preparing the Thanksgiving centerpiece: The Turkey. There are many factors that go into turkey prep such as kitchen space, timing, and of course, recipes. Here are some unconventional options for turkey prep that could save time and effort on that all important day of the fowl.
Brining a turkey is a great way to combat the greatest enemy of the thanksgiving meal: A dry bird. The idea is to submerge the uncooked bird in a salty, spicy bath for at least twenty four hours before cooking. More than infuse the bird with flavor, allowing the bird to sit in the brine bath creates some sort of moisture equilibrium within the bird as it cooks. Ask Alton Brown about the details, but the result is a truly moist bird. Also, if you follow his technique in cooking the brined bird, it doesn’t take as long of a time to cook, freeing up your oven for those yummy side dishes. The only downside is that you shouldn’t cook your stuffing in the bird using this method, it musses up the moisture.Have a fowl fry! Deep-frying a turkey is another option. You really can’t get more American than this. You can bet that if the Pilgrims had the option, they would have fried the shit out of some turkeys as the Indians shed silent tears. But if you’re not morally opposed to deep frying a Thanksgiving tradition and dropping around a hundred bucks, this is truly a time saving option. Deep frying a turkey is perhaps the fastest way to prepare what is classically the part of the meal that takes the longest time to cook. The fryer frees up oven space and a could allow your family more time to gather around the television and bask in the wholesome light of football.You could also grill the bird. This is going to be a little more hands-on than the other two options of cooking, because in order to cook it fully without burning, the grill needs to be kept at a low temperature for a long time. For those of you rocking the classic Weber grill, that means multiple changes of charcoal. Even if you’re cooking over propane, it still takes some serious planning. On the upside, grilling a whole turkey is really cool and much like the other techniques, could save precious oven time.That’s our three cents. Take them for what they’re worth or even mix and match. For instance, A brined bird would do well on the grill. One final thing to consider is that your thermometer is your best friend; don’t rely on those button popper deals on the turkey. Happy turkey cooking, Philadelphia!
If you cook up a bird of your own in an interesting way, take a picture and we’ll share it with the rest of the Phoodie universe. Send them to phoodieinfo@gmail.com.
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