No More Dry Turkey! (+ Recipe)

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October 23, 2024

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! In my opinion (farmer Jesse speaking), the Thanksgiving feast is the best meal of the whole year. And that perfectly juicy, pasture-raised roasted turkey is the star.

Ever wonder how to roast that perfect turkey your family and friends will love? This recipe has been a favorite our family has used for years, and it’s always a hit. No more dry turkey!

Grab one of our Whiffletree turkeys HERE and give this recipe a try! Make sure to let us know how you like it!

Happy eating!

P.S. And stay tuned to our blog! Each week leading up to Thanksgiving, we’ll be releasing info on everything turkey and Thanksgiving related…fun turkey facts, recipes, how-tos…you won’t want to miss it!

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Click HERE to browse our Thanksgiving store!

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ROAST TURKEY AND GRAVY RECIPE

This recipe comes from 'Long Way on a Little' by Shannon Hayes. And is oriented for pasture-raised turkeys. It has worked great for Liz and me!

INGREDIENTS:

1 turkey, any size
1 large onion, quartered
2 carrots, quartered
1 bundle of fresh herbs of your choice, tied with kitchen twine
2 stalks celery, quartered
3 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 T)
Coarse sea salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 F. Set turkey in large roasting pan, breast side up. Insert vegetables, herbs, and garlic into cavity. Melt butter and pour over skin. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 8-10 minutes per pound, until internal temperature of breast is 165. Check internal temperature of legs at that point. If leg meat is not 165 when breast meat is done, you may carve off legs and put them back into the oven to cook longer.

GIBLET GRAVY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

1 turkey neck, heart, and liver (detached and inside the cavity)
3 c chicken or turkey broth
1/3 c flour
1 stick butter (8 T)
1/3 c flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 T butter and coat pan. Blot neck and giblets dry, then put in the pan with once inch of space around each so they can brown well. Sear each for 2-3 min. per side. Pour broth into pan with all giblets, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 40 min. Remove giblets from broth and allow to cool, reserving broth. When cool, remove any gristle and bones from giblets and finely dice all. When the turkey is finished roasting, pour off and reserve the pan juices. Then place the roasting pan over 1 or 2 burners on stove top and heat on Medium. Add 2 T butter to pan and, once it melts and bubbles, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Continue to whisk 1-2 min. more--until the thin paste is browned. Slowly whisk in pan juices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until thickened (about 5 min.), stirring often and scraping up bits from bottom of pan. Add 1 c of broth from cooking giblets and simmer until reduced by 1/3. Stir in diced giblets and enough broth to reach your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

FLOUR-FREE PAN SAUCE ALTERNATIVE

INGREDIENTS:

Pan juices
Giblet broth
Giblets (minced)
Brown mustard
Butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine pan juices and giblet broth in roasting pan and simmer until reduced by 2/3. Whisk in minced giblets, 1 T brown mustard and 2 T butter.

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TURKEY THAWING INSTRUCTIONS

The rule of thumb is 24 hours per 5lbs of turkey to thaw in the fridge. So a 20 pounder would be about 4 days in the fridge. Maybe just add a day to be safe--not every fridge is the same temperature.

If you need to thaw faster, you can do it in your sink (or bathtub or cooler) with cold water. The rule of thumb there is about 2.5 hours per 5 lbs. of turkey. So a 20 pounder would be about 10 hours.

PORTION SIZING INSTRUCTIONS

A good rule of thumb is 1lb of whole turkey per adult for the Thanksgiving feast alone. If you want left-overs, go to 2lb of whole turkey per adult.

Egg Nog Recipe (You'll Never Go Back to Store-Bought Again!)

December is definitely my favorite time of year. I love the holiday season. A huge part of that isn’t just Christmas itself, but everything that happens leading up to Christmas. It’s all the little things…frosty mornings, the first snowfall (I grew up in Minnesota, so snow came early!), the perfect Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate by the fireplace, lights twinkling in the windows… and of course, eggnog. If there’s one drink I love most in the world (except coffee, which deserves its own category!), it’s eggnog. Rich, creamy, smooth...with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla… it automatically makes me think of Christmas. Quite often in December, you can find me curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading a book and enjoying a glass of eggnog. This week, I wanted to share with you my favorite recipe for homemade eggnog. It takes some time to make, but the results are SO worth it! Store-bought eggnog can’t compare to homemade. Whether you want to treat yourself to help get you in the Christmas spirit, or whether you want to have a special treat for your loved ones on Christmas Day, I guarantee you’ll love this recipe! This recipe is a cooked version. While raw eggnog is still mouthwatering, I personally like it cooked better. I think it gets a richer, creamier consistency that is absolutely amazing! One tip for making this recipe is - patience! You can’t rush perfection! Cook your eggnog at a low temp to avoid cooking the eggs too fast. That way it doesn’t get clumps of scrambled eggs or start to taste too “egg-y.” And I promise, the patience pays off! Ready to make your own? Grab the ingredients and follow the recipe below, and bring your eggnog game to a whole new level! Perfect Homemade Egg Nog Recipe What you’ll need: 6 large Whiffletree egg yolks⅓ cup sucanat, coconut sugar, or maple sugar1 cup heavy cream2 cups whole milk1 cinnamon stick1 vanilla bean, or ¼ tsp vanilla extractPinch of salt¼ tsp ground nutmeg (fresh ground nutmeg is the way to go! I just use a lemon zester to grate what I need from a whole nutmeg…otherwise already ground nutmeg works just fine!)Optional: ¼ cup bourbon, whisky or rum Here's how to make it: First, whisk the egg yolks with the sweetener of your choice until it turns a light color and is creamy. Next, add the milk to a medium saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. Once you begin to see steam rising from the milk, measure out one cup of the heated milk. Slowly pour the milk into your egg mixture, whisking the entire time to make sure the milk doesn’t cook your eggs. This helps to temper your eggs, or warm them up so the shock of adding them to the hot milk doesn’t fry them. Next, take the tempered eggs and slowly pour them into your saucepan with the heated milk, again stirring the entire time. Add in the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean, if using. Keep the heat on medium-low. (Don’t get impatient and turn the heat up too high - you’ll cook your eggs too fast and end up with a clumpy mess!) Using a wooden spatula, slowly stir the mixture as it cooks, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to keep bits of eggs from sticking to the bottom. After about ten minutes, you should see the mixture begin to thicken. Test the temperature with a thermometer - you want it to get to 160 F before taking it off the heat. (The mixture will further thicken as it cools in the fridge.) Another way to test the thickness is by dipping your wooden spatula into the mixture and taking it back out - if the egg mixture coats the spatula and doesn’t just run off, it’s ready. But if you’re not experienced making eggnog, use your thermometer to make sure! Once it reaches 160 F, pour the egg mixture through a strainer into a bowl or jar. This will make sure you don’t end up with unpalatable clumps of eggs in your drink. If you used the vanilla bean, cut it in half down the length of it, and use a butter knife to scrape all the vanilla bean seeds from inside the pod. Add that into your egg mixture and whisk to incorporate. If you didn’t use the vanilla bean, add in your vanilla extract. Next, add in the nutmeg. Then cover the mixture and set into the fridge to cool it down. While the egg mixture is cooling, pour ½ cup of the heavy cream into a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks. Once the egg mixture is cold, add in the whipped cream with the other ½ cup of heavy cream and whisk it together to incorporate. Don’t whisk too fast as you don’t want to break the cream down too much…whisk slowly and just enough to mix the two together. If you want to make it alcoholic, add in a quarter cup rum, whisky or bourbon. And there you have it! The best, most delicious eggnog. It’s so creamy and smooth…you’ll never want to go back to store-bought again! Stop on by the farm store, pick up your eggs, and give this recipe a try! Make sure to let us know what you think! Have you ever had homemade eggnog before? Comment below and tell us how you like to make it! Cheers! ~Bethany

SNOW RESPONSE: Deliveries for the following areas are RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY 1/31:
Vint Hill, Manassas, Woodbridge, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, and Culpeper