Recipe: Sarah Masoni's Umami Turkey
As the director of Product and Process Development at the Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center, Sarah Masoni uses her uniquely-qualified taste buds as a "food designer." She offered "Sunday Morning" her own take on a holiday staple.
Sarah Masoni's Umami Turkey
Ingredients:
1 12-14 lb. turkey, thawed
1 bunch of fresh sage, chopped
1 bunch of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 bunch of fresh thyme, chopped
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
½ lb. of butter, at room temperature
4-6 stalks of celery
3 carrots
2 oranges, sliced in rings
1 lemon, sliced in rings
2 apples, sliced in rings
½ cup of frozen berries of your choice (raspberry, blackberry or marionberry)
2 lbs. of extra-thick-cut bacon
Your favorite brine
Instructions:
Make the brine per instructions on package and chill overnight. Then to complete add sliced oranges, lemon, apples, and berries.
Put the turkey in the chilled brine for a minimum of 8 hours and as long as 36 hours.
Before the turkey is removed from the brine create a compound butter. Mix 3 tablespoons of sage, 3 tablespoons of rosemary, 3 tablespoons of thyme, and all of the garlic with the butter.
Remove turkey from brine and rinse. Place turkey in baking pan. Insert all of the compound butter under the skin of the breast meat as far back as you can place it without tearing the skin.
Insert carrots, celery, rosemary, and fruit from the brine into cavity of turkey and place bird into the oven. Cook at 500°F for 30 minutes.
While the turkey is cooking in the oven, prepare a lattice of bacon. Place a piece of plastic film on your counter to build the lattice on. Place 7 strips of bacon next to each other. Then take an additional strip and weave it through the lattice. Repeat until lattice is complete.
Remove turkey from oven. Using the plastic film, place bacon lattice on top of turkey with one corner at the front of the turkey breast. Wrap turkey legs in bacon.
Insert thermometer into thickest part of the turkey through the leg and into the breast. Place turkey into outdoor smoker for one hour at 170° to cold smoke it. Then turn heat up to 375° and cook for an additional 2 ½ to 3 hours. The turkey is done when the meat thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Remove turkey from smoker and let it rest for 20 minutes before cutting.
For more info:
For more recipes from "Sunday Morning" visit the 2018 "Food Issue" Recipe Index