I've been wanting to make one myself. Just never the time.
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Or as WE like to say,
"You can't drink all day unless you start early in the morning" :-)
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As far as basting, you can always pull the gizzards out of the main bird
on Wednesday & cook them for stock then. That way you can still baste
the extra breast if you choose, then refrigerate the remaining stock for
the 'main attraction' on Thursday. Same with the dressing - just drizzle
on the gizzard stock Thursday before you put it in the oven.
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My best tip is to pull out the spine and cut off the leg-thighs so it cooks faster or more even. I generally cook the stuffing separately. Stir in pan drippings when transferring to a serving bowl. You'll have three easy pieces of turkey to deal with and much easier to carve.
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The one recommendation I'd make is a simple one. Cook the bird with the breast down. As the gobbler cooks, the breast will absorb the juices and you'll never again worry about having dry white meat. The first time I tried this, it looked a little funny cooking an upside down turkey. But after tasting the difference both in flavor and texture of the breast meat, I was a convert.

And as already stated, brining the bird the day before is mandatory for me.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I suppose it's about time for me to start the defrost process.
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Last week or so....for the first time, I keep hearing about roasting the turkey upside down - at least for first couple hours. Never heard it or tried it, but it makes sense, I guess. Anyone do it that way?
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I've done it that way the last 10 or so times I have made turkey, I start with it upside down in a V rack, cook for about an hour or so then flip it over and cook right side up. This not only helps to keep the breast juicy and tender, it helps the dark meat cook faster than normal so that your bird is done more 'even', usually the dark meat at the bottom takes longer to cook so by the time the dark meat is at temp the breast is a bit over-cooked and dryer.

Gooble gooble
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One word: Spatchcock :-)

http://qz.com/301003/the-story-of-sp...iving-forever/
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Just two of us this year, so my wife bought a turkey breast. Ok by me, but....can I buy just neck and giblets for stuffing and gravy? Probably need to get to a butcher....easier said than done around here.
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Just buy a whole chicken and use the neck and giblets from it.
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There should be enough pan dripping for gravy or just use chicken broth to add in. A darker rue before adding the broth will give some color.
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Peter, don't forget you have two sides to that turkey.
Make the inside a way that everyone will like it, and stuff the breast with whatever you want to try yourself.
We always have a few kinds of stuffing, but the girls don't make the other ones in a bird. That way they can make more exotic stuffing without wrecking a whole bird if nobody likes it.
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Good point, Scott.

Right now it's coming down to traditional method or spatchcocking. I'm really intrigued by butterflying the bird and removing the leg quarters.
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I'll never cook a turkey again any other way. Jacques Peppin does it that way and it makes so much sense. Might not give you the Norman Rockwell presentation, but cooks a hell lot quicker, juicier, less hand holding and skin renders fat better. Can season under skin easier.
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Moses, that's exactly why I'm so convinced to do it that way. I don't care about the presentation, because I never carve the bird at the table.

I'm simmering a vegetable stock right now. Thought about icing the stock and throwing the bird pieces in a lower-salt brine for 6-8 hours.

Is this method better with a brine? Or should I just forget about it?
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Well, I made the vegetable stock this morning for a quick brine session for the bird. added a can of chicken broth, and maybe a cup of kosher salt (didn't measure, just poured some in. Added ice, then water so it was totally covered. Only brined it for 6 hours. I had nothing else to do this morning.

I decided to do it this way:

Image

Image

My four year old thinks it's hilarious.

Now thinking about a dry rub or something to work its magic until it hits the oven in a few hours. Salt, pepper, marjoram, sage, rosemary mix maybe?
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How'd it turn out, Peter?
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http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/v...nksgiving.html

did our turkey this year...
chopped the spine and neck bones into 3 inch chunks for the gravy...
bird was juicy under crisp skin...the best!
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forgot did I store bought brine for 14 hours.....(14lb bird)
rinsed off brine and patted dry..
salt/pepper/butter all over skin....baked @ 400 degrees for 90minutes
succulent!
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I'm converted. It was AWESOME. Crispy, delicious, seasoned skin, super moist breast meat. The gravy was one of The best I've ever made. After cutting out the back (serrated knife is WAY easier than shears, btw), I also removed the rib bones. All that went into the giblet stock.

Glad I only brined the bird for 6 hours. The salt level of the gravy was perfect. I didn't need to add anything but pan drippings (allspice berries removed), a bunch of giblet/turkey stock, and corn starch slurry (made with potato water) to thicken it up.

I rubbed the "inside" with kosher salt and pepper. Skin side I did the same, but added some crushed rosemary, rubbed sage, and marjoram. Then threw a few sprigs of fresh sage and rosemary between the wing/breast for aromatics. Also tossed some allspice berries into the bottom of the roasting pan for an added flavor to the drippings. I don't know if it was the rub or the herbs, but the breast had awesome herbal flavor. Probably the rub from the skin. I cut the whole breast filet off the bird, then sliced across the grain so everyone gets skin with the meat.

Wish I would've taken an after picture, but I served dinner an hour behind schedule. I bought a guitar on a whim yesterday, and the guy who delivered it stayed for over an hour instead of the 10 minutes I expected. Didn't know the guy is a recording artist. So we ended up playing for a while. He wants me to put down some backing piano tracks on a record he's working on now. I'm pretty excited about going into the studio. But I digress...

ALMOST all the picky eaters loved it. But my SO saw how much onions go into the stuffing, so she wouldn't touch it. Her loss, and more stuffing for me today :-)
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