For Thanksgiving turkey, there’s nothing better than roasting it in buttered cheesecloth! It produces a juicy, crispy-skinned turkey that is flawlessly golden brown.
Put an end to dry turkey breasts—roasting your bird in buttered cheesecloth will fix all of your issues! To enhance its taste and juiciness, this turkey is also dry-brined.
You won’t want to prepare turkey any other way once you try this one!
The Best Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey
The Thanksgiving season of 2023 for So Much Food begins today! I’ll be posting all of my brand-new Christmas recipes from now on, certain to make this season even more memorable.
I love to spend a lot of time studying dishes for the upcoming holidays, and one technique I’ve always wanted to try is buttered cheesecloth turkey. The quality of this turkey really surprised me!
As you may have seen if you’ve been around for a while, I’m not really a turkey gal. Almost often, I’d like roast chicken or prime rib. But maybe the turkey with buttered cheesecloth changed my mind!
Thanks to the cheesecloth, this Thanksgiving turkey came out to be moist and tasty, with the most exquisite golden brown skin. It had the ideal amount of seasoning and was even better the next day.
What is Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey
Cheesecloth is a loosely woven cotton fabric that resembles gauze and is mostly used in cooking and cheesemaking.
This buttered cheesecloth turkey cooking method involves smothering the bird with a savory butter below its skin and all over its outside. Next, we thoroughly cover the turkey with a cheesecloth that has been dipped in melted butter.
The cheesecloth acts as a sort of baste, retaining moisture as the bird cooks. The breasts remain juicy and require less frequent basting.
Dry Brine vs Wet Brine
A mixture of water, salt, and sugar that has been flavored with a few herbs and spices is called a wet brine. Before cooking, you immerse your meat in the brining solution, allowing it to absorb moisture and flavor by osmosis.
Meat is mostly seasoned on the surface; the interior does not really take up the taste. By brining, on the other hand, you flavor the meat from the inside out.
However, wet brining may be quite labor-intensive for bigger cuts of meat as well as entire birds and turkeys. That’s when I decide to use a dry brine.
All of the ingredients (salt, sugar, pepper, spices, etc.) are added to a dry brine, but no water is added. The concentrated and delicious liquid is reabsorbed by the meat after the salt in the dry brine draws moisture from it and dissolves the salt and sugar on the exterior. Dry brining produces additional crispy skin and tenderizes the meat.
For this buttered cheesecloth turkey, I’m using a dry brine, which is my favorite method because it eliminates the need to locate a big container to immerse the bird in liquid.
How to Make Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey
The end product is amazing and puts together quite simply with buttered cheesecloth turkey! The best method to make sure the turkey is cooked to perfection is to use a thermometer, which is something I strongly advise.
TOOLS NEEDED
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Probe Thermometer
- Roasting Pan
- Cheesecloth
- Turkey Baster
- Drippings/Fat Separator
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- The Turkey. Although frozen turkey can be used, it is still preferable to use fresh; just make sure the turkey has enough time to thaw.
- arid brine. We combine white pepper and kosher salt for our dry brine. brown sugar, and buttermilk powder. Easy!
- Cream. Butter to make a garlic-herb butter to put over the turkey and to soak the cheesecloth with.
- Plants. You may use any herbs here, but traditional choices include thyme, sage, and rosemary.
- Onion. It tastes so good with fresh garlic in butter. If necessary, dehydrated garlic can also be used.
- Zebra zest. The herb butter tastes so nice with a citrus punch.
- fragrances. I enjoy packing the cavity of the turkey with aromatics like sliced lemon, herbs, and a whole head of garlic.
THE PROCESS
- Prepare the bird. To ensure that your frozen turkey cooks evenly, be sure to fully thaw it before using it. Take off the giblets and neck from the cavity, keeping the neck aside. Using paper towels, pat the turkey extremely dry all over, even within the cavity, as a dry bird retains the brine better. Fold the tips of the wings under the body.
- Stir in the dry brine. Mix the kosher salt, white pepper, brown sugar, and buttermilk powder in a small bowl until thoroughly blended.
- Give the turkey a dry brine. Arrange the turkey, breast side up, on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet with a rim. Apply the dry brine over the whole turkey, including the cavity and below. Carefully remove the skin off the meat, being sure to evenly distribute the dry brine below it. Store, uncovered, in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 48 hours.
- Prepare to cook your bird. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator two hours before cooking.
- Mix butter with herbs. Combine the two sticks of melted butter, minced garlic, fresh herbs, lemon zest, and pepper in a small bowl. Apply butter to the entire turkey, including the underside. Stuff a half-lemon, a half-head of garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs up if you’d like.
- Set the cheesecloth aside. After folding the cheesecloth to a thickness of four sheets, cut it into a broad rectangle that will cover the turkey entirely. The last stick of butter should be melted in a small microwave-safe basin. Make sure all of the melted butter has been absorbed by the cheesecloth by soaking it in it. Cover the turkey with it, making sure it’s fully covered.
- Turn the turkey over. Find the thickest area of the turkey thigh to insert a probe thermometer inside. With 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of the roasting pan, place the turkey on the rack. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting every 45 minutes or so, or until the thigh registers between 160 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a tiny piece of foil over any region of the turkey that is too browned.
- Slice and rest. Take out the cheesecloth and the bird from the oven. Before slicing, tent it with foil and let it rest for half an hour. To make gravy, set aside the roasting pan’s bottom drippings.
Selecting the Right Turkey
It’s crucial to know how much turkey to prepare for your occasion!
Purchasing one pound of turkey for each guest is a decent general guideline. Aim for 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person if you want plenty of leftovers. To guarantee that everyone has enough for the meal and extra to go home, a 15 kg turkey would be needed for a gathering of ten people.
Making food for a lot of people? Choose to prepare two medium-sized or smaller turkeys to reduce cooking times. In a bigger roasting pan, you may cook them side by side and get two turkeys instead of a large one in less time.
Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey Cook Times
The size of your turkey and your oven will determine how long it takes to cook in a greased cheesecloth.
These are some average cook times according to weight and size. Although these are only guidelines and may change, they serve as a useful beginning point. The best approach to monitor the bird’s doneness in terms of temperature is to use a probe type thermometer, which is what I strongly advise doing.
Make sure the thigh’s temperature is at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the turkey will continue to cook as it rests, you may pluck it a bit earlier.
- 10 to 12 pounds: 2 ½ to 3 hours total
- 12 to 14 pounds: 2 ¾ to 3 ¼ hours total
- 14 to 16 pounds: 3 to 3 ¾ hours total
- 16 to 18 pounds: 3 ¼ to 4 hours total
Making Gravy with Turkey Stock & Drippings
Say goodbye to the packaged turkey stock and hello to truly fantastic stock, which makes the ultimate Thanksgiving gravy! You now have all the necessary ingredients to create a superior and more elaborate version at home.
To make rich and delicious turkey stock and make exceptionally good gravy, keep the neck of the bird.
More Recipes You Might Like
- Moroccan Chicken
- Chipotle Chicken Marinade
- Easy Roast Chicken
- Lebanese Baked Chicken
- Classic French Chicken Stew
BUTTERED CHEESECLOTH TURKEY
Ingredients
TURKEY
- 12 – 14 lb fresh whole turkey
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk powder
- 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 head garlic cut in half
GARLIC HERB BUTTER
- 3 sticks 12 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- cheesecloth
Instructions
- Prepare the bird. To ensure that your frozen turkey cooks evenly, be sure to fully thaw it before using it. Take off the giblets and neck from the cavity, keeping the neck aside. Using paper towels, pat the turkey extremely dry all around, including within the cavity.
- Stir in the dry brine. Mix the kosher salt, white pepper, brown sugar, and buttermilk powder in a small bowl until thoroughly blended.
- Give the turkey a dry brine. Arrange the turkey, breast side up, on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet with a rim. Apply the dry brine over the whole turkey, including the cavity and below. Carefully remove the skin off the meat, being sure to evenly distribute the dry brine below it. Store, uncovered, in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 48 hours.
- Prepare to cook your bird. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator two hours before cooking.
- Mix butter with herbs. Combine the two sticks of melted butter, minced garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, lemon zest, and pepper in a small bowl. Apply butter to the entire turkey, including the underside. Place the chopped lemon, garlic head, sage, and rosemary into the turkey cavity. Tie the legs up if you’d like.
- Set the cheesecloth aside. After folding the cheesecloth to a thickness of four sheets, cut it into a broad rectangle that will cover the entire turkey. The last stick of butter should be melted in a small microwave-safe basin. Make sure all of the melted butter has been absorbed by the cheesecloth by soaking it in it. Cover the entire turkey with it after spreading it out.
- Turn the turkey over. Find the thickest area of the turkey thigh to insert a probe thermometer inside. With 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of the roasting pan, place the turkey on the rack. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, basting every 45 minutes or so, or until the thigh registers between 160 and 165 F. Place a tiny piece of foil over any region of the turkey that is too browned.
- Slice and rest. Take out the cheesecloth and the bird from the oven. Before slicing, tent it with foil and let it rest for half an hour. To make gravy, set aside the roasting pan’s bottom drippings.
Notes
- Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.