Portuguese Roast Turkey
Submitted by amberlee
Portuguese roast turkey brines in cold salted water, then packs a garlicky bread paste directly under the breast skin. Self-basting result with none of the hands-on oven time.
YIELD
15 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
4 hrsThe Portuguese approach to roast turkey produces one of the most tender, flavor-packed birds you will ever carve, and the technique is worth learning even if you never throw a Portuguese dinner. Two ideas set it apart: a long wet brine in heavily salted cold water, and stuffing that goes under the breast skin rather than in the cavity.
That under-skin stuffing is the whole game. A paste of chopped French bread, garlic, butter, olive oil, chicken stock, and egg yolks cooks down in a pot until it holds together, then gets pushed by hand between the meat and the skin of the turkey. As the bird roasts, the stuffing bastes the breast from the inside while melting into the meat, producing a self-basting effect that makes traditional basting unnecessary.
The oven does the rest. A hot bird, breast up, no rack, no basting, no cover. After about 2½ hours the skin turns deep mahogany and the leg moves freely in the joint. Rest 20 minutes, carve, and serve with the drippings on the side.
Pro Tips
- Use a thick, airy French bread or country loaf. White sandwich bread turns the stuffing gluey and lacks the structure the paste needs.
- Rinse the brined turkey thoroughly, three or four changes of cold water. Leftover salt on the skin guarantees an over-salty bird.
- Work the skin free slowly at the beginning. Once you open up a gap near the neck, the rest of the skin lifts easily.
- Do not tear the skin. Small tears let stuffing ooze out and the self-basting effect is lost.
- Skip basting, seriously. Every time you open the oven you drop the temperature and extend the cook by 5 to 10 minutes.
Variations
- Stir chopped fresh parsley, thyme, or rosemary into the stuffing paste for additional herbs under the skin.
- Add 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan to the stuffing for a rich umami lift.
- Swap some of the stock for white wine for a brighter, slightly acidic stuffing.
Ingredients
Directions
REMOVE THE GIBLETS from the turkey for another use.
Fill the neck and body cavities of the turkey with coarse salt, then rub the skin well all over with salt.
Place the turkey and remaining coarse salt in a large deep kettle, adding enough cold water to just cover the bird.
Set in a cool spot for 3 to 4 hours.
Put the butter and olive oil in a large heavy sauté pan, or better yet, a kettle, and place it over moderate heat.
When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until limp.
Meanwhile, tear the bread into small chunks.
Add the bread and the fine salt and pepper and toss well.
Pour in the chicken stock and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture is pastelike.
Turn the heat to its lowest point, cover the kettle and steam 15-to-20 minutes until the bread absorbs all the liquid.
Add the egg yolks to the stuffing mixture and beat hard until smooth.
Remove from the heat and reserve. Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Drain the turkey and rinse several times in cool water so that all traces of salt are gone.
Place the bird on the counter with the neck cavity facing you.
With your hands, begin working the skin free from the breast.
Proceed gently, taking care not to tear the skin.
It’s slow going at first, but once you begin to free the skin, the job goes quickly.
Loosen it all the way down the bird to within about 1 inch of the tail end, down both sides.
With your hands, push the stuffing bit by bit far down under the skin and continue, packing it in lightly, until the breast is covered with about a 1-inch layer.
Next fill the neck cavity, skewer the neck skin flat against the back to enclose, and truss the bird.
Place the turkey breast-side up in a large shallow roasting pan without a rack and roast uncovered for about 2½ hours.
Do not baste. When the bird is richly browned and a leg moves easily in the hip joint, remove from the oven.
Let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes.
Drain drippings into a sauce boat and keep warm.
Remove trussing string and skewers and serve at once on a warmed platter.
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