Let's Talk Turkey

This Thursday is Thanksgiving and households across America will be preparing the traditional turkey. About 46 million turkeys will be "gobbled" up according to the National Turkey Federation. Most people want to know how to cook a juicy bird. Simple. Make duck instead.

I don't care what anybody says. Turkey meat, particularly the breast, is not juicy. Of course this depends on your definition of "juicy." For me, juicy is the moisture level in a medium-rare rib-eye steak, braised veal shanks or duck leg confit. Turkey breast, to me, is like gnawing on slightly damp newspaper.

And because America is so obsessed with dry white meat, the industry has selectively bred birds to create abnormally large breasts. In fact, the breasts of most male turkeys have become so huge, they can no longer mate.

The enlarged breast either obstructs mating or would hurt the female. Thus, most female turkeys have to be artificially inseminated. Apparently birds of a feather don't always flock together.

Meat should be juicy, tender, and flavorful. Sparsely used muscles, (such as the tenderloin), produce tender meat since they are softer from less exercise. However, idle muscles have paltry flavor unless they contain significant intramuscular fat.

The filet mignon and rib-eye are both very tender steaks, but the rib-eye has more flavor since it is fattier. Fat is also what renders the meat juicy.

The breast meat on turkey and chicken is very low in intramuscular fat thus limiting its flavor and juiciness. There is nothing you can do to a low-fat meat to make it fattier, and hence juicier.

All you can do is not make matters worse. Thus, virtually all of the tips for cooking a juicier turkey are really just ways to prevent it from becoming drier than it already is. With that in mind, here's the deal:

1) Wild turkeys are a little tougher, (although more flavorful), than commercial turkeys since they get considerably more exercise. But that also means less fat and ergo, less succulence.

2) Younger turkeys will be more tender than their older counterparts. For the most tender, juiciest turkey, pick a young one that's been cooped up in a pen its entire life.

3) Brine your turkey. This is the only way to actually make the meat juicier. Brining means soaking the turkey in a salt-water solution for at least six hours.

Brining works via the processes of osmosis and the tendency for adjacent mediums to equalize their level of salinity. In a nutshell, the turkey will absorb some of the salt water. The meat will be juicier and tastier.

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