Meats – Page 2 – Chris Taylor's Recipes

Roasted Turkey

Category: Meats

Whole turkey (not brined)
Fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, etc.)
1/2 of an onion
1 red apple
1 cinnamon stick

Brine:

1 gallon vegetable broth (not low- or no-sodium)
1 c kosher salt
1/2 c brown sugar
1 T whole black peppercorns
1/2 T whole allspice berries
1/2 T crystallized/candied ginger

Combine all brine ingredients in large pot, bring to boil. Stir to dissolve contents, then remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, until completely chilled.

Early in the morning of the day of serving, pour the brine into a large, clean bucket. Add a gallon of heavily iced water.

Remove giblets and neck, if present. Compost that shit. Gross. Place bird breast end first into bucket and soak for 6-8 hours. Flip bird over once, half way through soaking.

Heat oven to 500°.

Remove bird from brine, rinse thoroughly, inside and outside. Soak in a sink or bucket of clean water for 15 minutes, then pat dry. This is to help reduce the amount of salt near the outside of the turkey, to cut down on the saltiness of the gravy made from the drippings.

Microwave onion and apple in some water on high for five minutes. Add cinnamon stick, allow it to steep for a few minutes.

Place bird on a rack in a roasting pan; tuck the wings under themselves.

Place apple, onion, cinnamon stick (not the water) and herbs in the cavity. Coat the bird with canola oil to Read more...

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Turkey Gravy

Category: Entrées, Frosting, Sauces & Toppings, Meats

Pan with drippings from roasted turkey
24 oz low- or reduced-sodium chicken stock
8 oz red wine
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (thyme, rosemary or oregano)

Place roasting pan on range over medium heat, using two burners if necessary. Once hot, deglaze the bottom with chicken stock. As the liquid boils and reduces, scrape the bottom with a wire whisk to loosen and dissolve any flavorful bits that may be stuck there.

Pour the liquid into a fat separator; pour the non-fatty liquid into another container. Pour the fat back into the roasting pan, stir in flour. Whisk quickly to coat the flour granules with fat, which will keep the gravy from lumping. The heat will cook out the raw cereal flavor. Keep mixing until the mixture starts to smooth out and thicken just a little bit.

Pour the reserved liquid back into the pan and continue whisking. As it comes to a boil, the flour granules will gelatinize, thus thickening the liquid.

Whisk in the herbs.

Remove from heat while gravy is still a little too runny, because it will thicken more as it cools.

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Roasted Chicken

Category: Entrées, Meats

1 roasting chicken (5-6 lbs)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 T butter (1/4 stick)
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 blub of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

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Fried Chicken

Category: Entrées, Meats

1 egg , beaten
1 c buttermilk
One 3 pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t ground oregano
1 t chili powder
1 t dried sage
1 t dried basil
1 t dried marjoram
2 1/4 t pepper, divided
2 t salt
2 T paprika
1 t onion salt
1 t garlic powder
Crisco or cooking oil

Place buttermilk, 1/4 tsp. pepper, salt and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Submerge chicken. Cover bowl and chill 30 min – 2 hours.

Heat oven to 250° for holding cooked chicken.

Combine flour and remaining herbs and spices in large bowl. Coat chicken.

Heat Crisco/oil to 350° in skillet. Fry chicken 10 min covered. Flip chicken and fry 10 min uncovered, or until juice runs clear when pierced with knife.

Drain chicken on paper towels or rack. Hold in oven until ready to serve.

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