3.359 Roast Turkey

Cycle 3 – Item 359

29 (Sat) December 2012

Roast Turkey

2.0

by me

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family, MtG + NSJ, KIT + AHY + J, CSW, LHS + YYH, HSE, YI + JD

The turkey had come by way of an unexpected favor from reader Bob, proprietor of Fog City International Cafe in Incheon.  Amidst a running comment thread on the blog about how ridiculously expensive turkey can be in Korea, he went out and got me one, as a token of thanks for mentioning his restaurant on GMTD – no thanks needed; if anything, I should be grateful.  Although I did pay him for it, I can’t recall the dollar amount on the price tag but do remember thinking that the figure was a fraction of what it would’ve cost here on the outside.  Delivering the turkey turned out to be a story in itself (see 3.098 Beef Burrito).  Thanks, Bob!

This was my first attempt at roasting a whole turkey.  Unfortunately, I overcooked it – by several days, by the look of it.  I was aware of the general guidelines for cooking times: the bird was 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg), unstuffed, so 4 hours seemed about right.  However, I was thrown off by the damn thermometer, a clunky analogue candy thermometer, which indicated a core temperature of barely above 100 F (38 C) at the 4-hour mark (it needed to reach 165 F (74 C)).  When I got the same reading 30 minutes later, and again after another 30 minutes, I suspected a malfunction.  Just then, literally smacking myself in the forehead, I remembered purchasing a digital meat thermometer back in Hong Kong in anticipation of cooking this very bird.  That device registered 180 F (82 C).  By that point, the breasts had become turkey jerky.

I’d been waiting for a big group occasion, like my birthday, to share the big bird.  I invited the camping crew.  Despite the turkey – fortunately, the dark meat wasn’t so bad, when drowned in potatoes and gravy – everyone seemed to enjoy the meal overall (very little was left over).

An idea that that makes sense and demonstrates how spoiled we are.

(See also BOOZE)

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

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