Friday, November 26, 2010

Barded Turkey

Barded Turkey

In all the years of cooking turkeys, this is BY FAR the best we've ever eaten!  We saw this on the TV show Cook's Country.

When meat is wrapped in strips of fat while it cooks, the practice is called barding.
The result is a rich, flavorful cut of meat which is also moist and tender.

Ingredients:
•12-14 lb turkey
•1 lb salt pork (not bacon, unless you're looking for a smoked turkey flavor)
•9 foot square piece of cheese cloth (3ftx3ft), folded in half and then half again so it's about 18in x 18in
•V- rack
•Meat thermometer

Turn oven to 325 (any higher and the salt pork will smoke and give the turkey an off flavor)

If you don't have a wire holding legs together then tie with kitchen twine
Remove automatic turkey timer


Cut salt pork into 1/4 inch slabs
Poke all over turkey breast and legs with fork
Cover breast and legs with salt pork slabs
Wet cheese cloth in 1 quart of water
Lay cheese cloth over turkey/salt pork to hold it all in place
Fold cheese cloth back to expose cavity of turkey
Pour the rest of the quart of water all over cheese cloth
Cover the cheese cloth area with foil, tight to pan, leave cavity exposed

325 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the turkey reaches 140 degrees in the breast meat
Take foil, cheese cloth, salt port and throw away
Back in the oven at 425 for 40-60 min until turkey is 165 in the breast meat and the skin is a beautiful crispy golden brown.

Rest for 20-30 minutes

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