Guess what, guys? I roasted my first turkey this year. I was SUPER nervous about it. Do you ever get nervous about random things? I do! I’m an over thinker sometimes. But also consider this:
1.) I’m a pescatarian. I do, however, usually eat turkey every Thanksgiving. It’s kind of my cheat day since it’s a holiday. (Feel free to leave your strongly worded opinion about that if you like. Wink.) But I am NOT experienced with cooking meat. I’ve been a pescatarian since 2007, and I didn’t really get into cooking until maybe 2009? No overlap. Cooking meat scares me.
2.) Undercooked meat can make you sick. And the last thing I would ever want to do is invite a bunch of friends and family over for a food poisoning party. Cooking meat scares me. (Did I already mention this?)
3.) Turkey is supposed to be the show stopper. I had bought a giant platter to serve the turkey on (see above). What was I going to put on this platter if I burnt the turkey? Or dropped it? Or barfed on it while I was removing the…uh…insides. (Yeah, I used the word “barfed”, everyone. I’m 26.)It was also really important to me that I purchased an ethically raised turkey. Or (at the very least) the closest thing I could find. The reason I’m a pescatarian is because I do not like many of the practices used in the factory farming meat industry (that produces most of the meat sold in my country). I don’t think it’s good for the animals. I don’t think it’s good for the environment. And I don’t think it’s good for humans. (If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend this book
.)
So I called around and found that since I was needing my turkey two weeks before Thanksgiving, I had only one option. And that option was 20 lbs. and cost right around $75. I wasn’t planning on needing a turkey quite that large. And although I think the price was worth it (can you imagine all the work that must go into raising and, well, getting a turkey to market?), it was easily the most expensive food item purchased for our feast. That added to my roasting anxiety because I knew if I messed up the turkey, I basically wasted $100 (thinking about everything else I had to purchase to prepare the turkey).I stressed myself out about this turkey for close to two weeks. I even had a dream about it. I was REALLY nervous, guys. When I get scared, I try to break things down into steps. First, buy the turkey. A 20lb frozen bird is a funny thing to carry out of a store. I let it thaw for a few days in the refrigerator. The night before, I removed the innards. I couldn’t tell if I got them all because it turned out not to be that hard. I always thought this step would be super gross. I googled, but sure enough it was just a few things you needed to remove. No biggie.
Next, I brined my turkey. (I basically followed this recipe exactly for the whole process.) When you brine, you have to soak the turkey in a broth solution overnight. Where in the world do you find a pot large enough for a 20lb turkey?! Am I supposed to use a bucket? Thank goodness I discovered brining bags.
The day of, I got my turkey in the oven with plenty of time to roast, given its size. The first 30 minutes my instructions recommended I roast the turkey at 500°F and then turn the heat down. Cooking at this high of temperature usually causes some smoke, no big surprise there. But I was cooking at my sister’s house and realized I didn’t know how to use her overhead fan. And I didn’t want to open all her windows because the heat was on. So I smoked up the kitchen while frantically texting Elsie about how to use her fan.
After the first 30 minutes though, things cooled down (ha!). I just watched as my turkey turned deep amber brown. (Is it too brown? Is it burning? I don’t know!) When the recommended roast time had passed, I carefully inserted my instant read thermometer into the turkey to check if it was done (and safe to eat). It was! Hooray! I pulled it out, and my gosh it was heavy. I apparently do not have arm muscles. I thought for sure I’d do something smooth like drop it on the way to the table. That’s really all I was thinking in the above photo (DON’T DROP IT. DON’T DROP IT. DON’T DROP IT.) I didn’t. I made gravy from the turkey drippings. Is there really no better word for it than “drippings”? Ugh. But it was tasty anyway. And I felt proud. I did something new. I did something that kind of scared me. And I didn’t mess it up!
So if you’re roasting your very first turkey this year, my heart goes out to you. Be brave! Don’t drop it. And above all, enjoy yourself. It’s a holiday.
And if you are making your 50th turkey this year and you’re laughing at my rookie ways…well, yeah. What can I say? 🙂
Happy Turkey Day Everyone! xo. Emma
Your article sparked much interest at my office. All my colleagues were debating as I listened. I liked your article more than the big debate.
Emma, I totally understand your anxiety because I don’t eat any red meat, and rarely cook my own chicken, let alone a turkey. I think I’d even panic trying to make a hamburger.
I have a friend who is completely vegetarian and she had a funny first year of marriage trying to cook meat for her husband. Glad it turned out wonderfully!
I roasted my very first turkey this year too! I used Gordon Ramseys CHristmas turkey recipe (he wraps the bird in bacon which helps keep the breast juicy, then the bacon goes into the gravy. Mmmmm.) and it turned out great! 😀 I was super nervous of too but it paid off.
I love that you love to cook! I wish I loved it. I find it’s so hard sometimes. Especially when you have battle scars from Thanksgiving (thank you oven for branding me!).
You’re turkey looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your adventure 🙂
Congrats Emma! I really enjoyed reading this post and experiencing it all with you. 🙂
I’m a pescatarian, too. I do occasionally make exceptions–but most of them are accidents (i.e. ate some pizza that was in the fridge, oops there was turkey hiding under the cheese). But I don’t judge other people for what they eat; I think it’s a personal decision. (I am, however, always willing to share my views if people are open to it. :). I’m pescatarian for the animals, the environment, my health, and even my tastebuds (I’m not a big fan of the taste of seared mammal flesh). My main reasons are health and compassion. I am going to try veganism this December… for the mothers whose calves are stolen away so that they can be milked beyond the point of pain… I consider that cruelty too. I hope that you follow along my journey and maybe get inspired! Going vegan is going to be a big leap for me… but I want to make as much of a difference as possible. and feel good doing it too! 🙂
Much pescatarian love,
~Monica
p.s. my friends claim that my label comes from being a “pesky vegetarian”. XD
Congratulations on your turkey success. I can relate to all the worrying you did. Earlier this year I cooked my first holiday meal – Easter – for my family. I made a giant ham, mashed potatoes, two vegetables, rolls, and gluten free stuffing. It was a huge undertaking and I perma-smiled for about a week after because I didn’t burn anything or drop the ham.
Good job, I hope you’re perma-smiling.
I must say I’m pretty proud of you, it looks delicious! I go through the same anxiety when I make a turkey…
I absolutely love your apron, but don’t know how you manage to eat turkey every year. I think I’d turn inside out in shock. Eating Animals is a fantastic book though, anyone inspired to turn pesci or veggie from Emma’s recipes should just buy it now and thank her later! x
Holy cow, I just laughed my way through this post…not at you, but in relation to my own turkey-cooking fears. Mom and I were terrified! Thanks for this…and it turned out amazing!
Brooke
You are so cute! Congratulations on a success.
Brine your turkey in a cooler! I cut back the water in my brining solution and add ice to make the ratio’s about even. Then just check it every 6 hours to make sure there is still ice in the cooler and rotate it a few times so it gets evenly brined. Cooler brining is the BEST way to go. Your turkey looks lovely, nice work.
Turkey looks fabulous! But I still can’t get over how much it cost!! Deary me!
Maria xx
www.cheekypinktulip.blogspot.com
I love this story! Reminds me of my first turkey roasting at Thanksgiving. My house’s oven was broken so my (little) cousin and I went to my grandparents’ apartment to roast the bad boy. Turns out 500°F really does smoke A LOT. So much so that it set of the fire alarm. Multiple times.
In the end I added some water to the pan and I guess “par-roasted” the turkey. First turkey-roasting stories are always lots of fun to tell. Thanks for sharing yours! :]
Looks yum!
XO Nat
http://www.natinlove.com?cm=1
I love that you linked to “Eating Animals”. It was that book that so eloquently put words to what i felt about… well eating animals, that I stopped right then and there. And even though I love meat, it is not a sacrifice at all. I wonder if JSF knows what kind of impact he has made?
Anyway, thanks for an awesome site!
That turkey looks awesome, and I bet it tasted that way too.
I’m a pescatarian as well, and my parents always ask me to “make an exception, just once?” I would never, because of how inhumanely animals for meat are raised. I’m glad you made this exception out of your own will though, and that you did your homework on finding a humanely raised turkey. Congrats!
Just wanted to tell you about something I recently saw, because you guys can appreciate it. I saw this on the Cooking Channel. You put the turkey in the oven at 500° for and hour then turn the oven OFF and make sure noone opens it for 8 hours. and after that eight hours apparently the heat from the oven being so high cooks the turkey COMPLETELY through, and it gets cooked very slow so its super tender. BUT you can’t put stuffing in or it won’t cook right. No one wants salmonella stuffing…:(!I saw this on the Cooking Chanel, it was Trisha Yearwood’s show. Just thought it was interesting, you might think so too…
Well done Emma! You look really pleased on the photo! As someone who gets a bit too nervous about screwing things up herself, I find this post really inspiring. And it also makes me wish that we had thanksgiving in England / it was Christmas already. Bring on the turkey!
Katie x
Www.katiescreative.blogspot.com
Oh Emma, this made me laugh! I’m so glad that your first turkey was a success, but I enjoy the human element of apprehension behind the beautiful, finished blog photos! I think that even the best cooks/bakers etc have had moments like that!
I’ve had food poisoning once. It was from undercooked quail at a really nice restaurant and I was too shy to say something. I didn’t really know the parents of the friend I was with and I certainly wasn’t prepared to complain to the waiter. I also hate touching raw meat, if I have to touch the meat I usually don’t want to eat it after it’s cooked…and I generally overcook all meat to avoid food poisoning myself/others.