Instant Turkey

In the kitchen, the general Rule of Thumb is, When in doubt, throw it out. As I cut open the plastic on my turkey this year (a 20 pound Butterball), believe me, there was no doubt. I pinched my nose and backed away quickly. Everything else was prepped. The celery, onion, sausage, and water chestnuts were ready to be added to the bread cubes for the dressing. The sweet potatoes were already topped with their marshmallows. The corn was creamed, the red peppers and green onions were sliced for the beans, and the cranberry sauce was chilled. So I grabbed my purse and headed out to find a turkey substitute. 

When I think back on it, it's pretty amazing, really. I looked in the turkey section of the meat counter. Legs, breasts, and ground turkey were the only options. Nothing that would produce the drippings needed for gravy. I turned around. A lot of the freezer section was blocked off by items being readied for Black Friday. I peeked between two stacks that were at least nine feet high, and Oh, Happy Day, there were two bags that read Freezer to Oven * No Thawing * Oven Ready Jennie O Homestyle Turkey. I'd never seen one before. And it happened just that quick.

It was expensive, costing $19 for a twelve pound turkey.

I think the reason this turkey can be cooked frozen is because it comes in a cooking bag that steams it. You put it in your roasting pan, cut six 1/2 inch holes in the bag, and pop it in a 375 degree oven. It comes with a popup timer hidden in there somewhere, but it's been my experience that with most of those turkeys that have the popup timer, by the time it pops up, the turkey is already over-cooked and dry. So I check often. I pull on the leg to see if it breaks away easily. I couldn't pull on the leg of this one because it was in the bag. I also couldn't see through the bag in order to find the little timer once it became spattered by the juices. So I stuck a meat thermometer in, and it was done. 

You have to let the bag sit for a few minutes if you don't want a steam burn. When I finally split it open, the turkey was brown on top, but the sides were still as white as if it hadn't been cooked at all. Not very appetizing. I looked for the timer, but couldn't find it. And the breasts looked as flat as my grandma's. 

That's when I realized I had cooked the thing upside down.  

So I flipped it over (yes, the timer had popped). Again, the turkey was brown on top (although not crispy), but white on the sides. The legs looked like they had been skinned from halfway down, and they had stuck to the bag, so when I pulled it free, part of them were left behind. 

Here's the picture Jennie O uses on their website:

Here's the reality:

With all this said, now I will add that the turkey was delicious. It was well-seasoned and moist, and probably one of the better turkeys I've ever eaten. I would definitely buy it again, but not for a dinner when company was coming, except in an emergency. 

It also comes with a small bag of gravy, but I have never liked the gravy that comes with a turkey. It usually tastes too much like the giblets (there were no giblets in this turkey, by the way, in case that's important to you). I also don't like turkey gravy from jars or powdered mixes. I make mine with drippings and corn starch. The gravy that came with the Jennie O turkey tasted like it had been made from a vegetable stock, including onions, celery, and carrots. My guests also preferred my gravy.

Jennie O's gravy:

My gravy:

I have never been a huge fan of cranberry sauce. As a kid, I wouldn't eat it. As an adult, after a certain number of cranberry juice-based cocktails, I acquired more of a taste for it, but it was still something I could take or leave. However, now I have found a recipe for cranberry sauce that I will make every year, and probably many other times throughout the year.  It's a cranberry-pear-walnut-brandy sauce that someone entered in a competition, and if it wasn't the winner (I have no idea), then it was a travesty because it is one of the best things ever put on a Thanksgiving feast table! 

It's described as all silk and fragrance, and that's true. 

It's not something you can serve to recovering alcoholics, but practicing boozers will snarf it up in a hurry. This stuff is Y-U-M-M-Y. I can picture having it with a pork loin, as well. It tastes just as nice warm, too. I'd pay good money for a cookbook written by Amanda and Merrill if their cranberry sauce is an indication of how all the other recipes would turn out. Try this one at home! (Please let me know if the link becomes broken.)


UPDATE: The cranberry sauce did win the competition. I'm not sure who Amanda and Merrill are. The cook who created the sauce is here. And her blog is here.