Cider-Braised Turkey

Zutaten

8 pounds bone-in turkey thighs and/or drumsticks, trimmed

1½ tablespoons fine sea salt, divided

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 onion, chopped

1 (3-inch) piece ginger, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds

3 cups apple cider

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

6 sprigs fresh sage

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons cider vinegar, plus extra for seasoning

Anweisungen

1. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with 1 tablespoon salt. Transfer to large platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, ginger, and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cider, mushrooms, and sage and bring to boil. Transfer cider mixture to roasting pan. Arrange turkey pieces in even layer in pan. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil, transfer to oven, and cook for 1½ hours.

3. Remove pan from oven, flip turkey pieces, and re- cover pan tightly with foil. Return pan to oven and continue to cook until meat offers no resistance when pierced with fork and is beginning to fall off bones, about 1½ hours longer.

4. Remove pan from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Using slotted spoon, transfer turkey skin side up to large platter. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over 8-cup liquid measuring cup or large bowl. Discard sage sprigs.

5. Transfer strained solids and 2 cups braising liquid to blender. Return remaining braising liquid to now-empty roasting pan. Process solids in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Add blended mixture, mustard, and vinegar to braising liquid in pan and whisk to combine. Nestle turkey pieces skin side up into sauce.

6. Return pan to oven and roast turkey, uncovered, until skin is well browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer turkey to serving platter. Season sauce with salt and extra vinegar to taste and transfer to gravy boat. Serve turkey with sauce.

Notizen

To Make Ahead Turn off oven after removing pan in step 4. Follow recipe through step 5, letting turkey and sauce cool completely in pan. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, cover pan with aluminum foil and heat in 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until skin is well browned and turkey registers at least 165 degrees, 30 to 45 minutes.

You can use any combination of bone-in turkey thighs and drumsticks you like; look for pieces with an average weight of about 1 pound each. You can substitute vegetable oil for the sunflower oil and table salt for the fine sea salt if desired. We developed this recipe using our winning roasting pan, the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 16″ Roasting Pan with Rack (we did not use the rack), but it can also be made in a heavy-duty disposable aluminum pan; be sure to place the disposable pan on a baking sheet for extra support. Note that the turkey needs to be salted for at least 12 hours before cooking.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS We were inspired by Chef Sean Sherman’s recipe for cider-braised turkey in The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen (2017) to braise rather than roast our turkey. But we used a different method and flavor profile. We sought to transform tough turkey legs so that the meat practically fell off the bone. We started by salting the turkey legs overnight to season the meat all the way through and tenderize it. After braising, we blended the solids (onion, ginger, and porcini mushrooms) from the braise into a mixture that thickened the final sauce. To achieve picture-perfect turkey skin, we browned the turkey legs in the finished braising liquid in a 400-degree oven before serving.