Turkey and Stuffing

Making Turkey and Stuffing for Thanksgiving is a family tradition in most American households. This recipe is a family tradition and was passed down from my grandmother.

Now depending on the size of the bird, make sure you defrost it properly in in the fridge. For example, for a 20 lb turkey defrost, you need 1 day for every 4-5 lbs of bird, so it would take 4 days to defrost in the fridge. Also, once it is defrosted, it can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days. Another tip to remember is that you can fast defrost a turkey in a bucket of cold water. So for a 20 lb turkey, it would take 10-12 hours to defrost, and make sure you change the water every 30 minutes. Sometimes your turkey could be partially still frozen, so check the turkey the day before and if parts are still frozen, defrost in the pan/bucket of water.

I always use a Butterball turkey when making a turkey in the oven. These birds stay moist. I also, always wrap the turkey in heavy duty foil, except for when browning. Another tip is for larger birds, when you buy a large roasting pan, make sure you check before turkey day that it will fit in the oven. Some pans are too wide for the oven you have, so do a dry fit to make sure it fits.

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Ingredients

(Recipe for a turkey that is 18-22 lbs)

15-20 pound frozen turkey (my preference is Butterball)
2 sticks of butter (1 softened to room temperature)
4 – 6oz (170g) packages of white cornbread ( my preference is Martha White)
2 – 16oz (454g) medium bags of Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing

1 Bunch of Celery – 8 stalks of celery – finely chopped for stuffing and 2 stalks of celery roughly chopped to make broth
2 large bell peppers – finely chopped
2 large yellow onions – finely chopped
1 bottle of rubbed sage- 0.5 oz – .62 oz (14g) – (must be rubbed sage and use the whole jar)
Vegetable shortening (the solid) – use to grease cornbread pans
1 Tablespoon of salt – used to salt the skin and the inside cavity of the bird
1 Tablespoon of coarse black pepper – used to pepper the skin and the inside cavity of the bird
4 large eggs – used for the cornbread
2/3 cup of milk x 4 – this may vary based on brand of cornbread mixture but use the amount of milk requested on the package.
2 1/2 quarts of cold water
8 slices of bread (white or wheat) – toasted and torn to pieces while warm

Supplies

Extra large roasting pan (13 inch x 20 inch)
Large baking sheet if your pan is not enough and juices may spill over (optional)
Mini chopper
Cutting board
Sharp knife
4-5 quart saucepan with lid
Strainer
Extra large bowl or container (around 9.4 Liters, 2.5 gallon, or 40 cups)
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Cooking utensils
Baking pans

How To Prep For Making Turkey And Stuffing

Make a grocery list based on your recipes and go grocery shopping 4-5 days before Thanksgiving.
The day before Thanksgiving, take out all your non-perishable ingredients and place them on a table of counter. Also take out all your cookware.
The night before Thanksgiving, grease your cornbread pans. Then, chop all your veggies and place in containers to put in the fridge. I also, line the huge baking pan with heavy duty foil and get my huge bowl out to make the stuffing. Make a cross with the foil to make sure it covers the bird completely.
After, you have completed the day before baking items and the oven cools, remove the top rack.

Assembling The Turkey And Stuffing

Wake up early and get your prep started because it takes a while to bake a turkey. The bigger the bird, the longer it will take. I tend to wake up and start between 5-6 am. My turkey typically gets into the oven about 2 hours after I start.
Start by taking out 2 sticks of butter and set on the counter.
Next pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit to make the cornbread or to the temperature stated on the package. Use the shortening to grease the pans.

Then remove the tag of the turkey and save (this has the weight of the bird that you will need to calculate the cooking time. Unpackage the turkey and place in a cleaned sink. Then remove the bag (top of turkey) of giblets, liver and neck from the cavity of the bird and set to the side.
In a 4 quart saucepan, fill with 2 1/2 quarts of cold water. Then add in 1 stick of butter.
Next, wash off the neck, giblets, liver (the stuff in the bag- typically located at the top the bird), and add to the sauce pan.
Then roughly chop 2 stalks of celery and add to the sauce pan. Bring the sauce pan to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Wash off the turkey and allow it to drain in the sink. I often find that there is still ice inside the cavity of the bird, even after 5 days of thawing in the fridge. So giving the bird a cool wash down, cleans off any remaining ice and residue. Then, pat dry the turkey and put back in the fridge on a large dish. It takes a while to make the stuffing. Just make sure you spray the sink and counters immediately following with antibacterial spray to kill bacteria and germs.
So while the stock is simmering, make the cornbread. Bake according to package directions or until it lightly golden brown on the top. Before you place in the oven, heat the pans for about 5 minutes or until hot. Then, remove the pans from the oven and pour in the cornbread while the pans are hot. Then put them back in the oven to bake.

Once the stock is done, strain over a large bowl and throw out the neck and parts unless you have another purpose for them.

Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, don’t forget to remove a rack out of the oven before you turn it on.

Make The Stuffing

- In the extra large container, add in the bags of stuffing mix, then toasted bread, that is ripped into small pieces while warm.

- Then add in the corn bread. So crumble the cornbread with a fork while it is still warm and mix well.

- Next, add in the finely chopped veggies: onions, celery and bell peppers and mix well.

- So I learned how to make this stuffing from my mother, who learned how to make it from her mother in-law, so measuring the sage was never done. For generations, we were taught to cover the stuffing mixture with the rubbed sage and mix in, then cover the mixture again and mix in again with a large spoon. For this amount of stuffing, we use the whole bottle.

- Now, add in the turkey broth, one cup at a time until well mixed. The texture should be like thick ground meat that you can form into a ball, almost wet but still clumping.

- Next, prep the bird by rubbing salt all over the bird and including the inside cavity. Then rub the coarse black pepper all over the bird including the inside cavity.
- Then, slice up the softened butter and rub all over the turkey. Put a few slices in the inside cavity of the bird. Also, place a few slide under the skin on the turkey breast. This will ensure a super moist turkey.

- Next, form large softball size balls of stuffing and push inside the cavity of the bird. I typically can get 4-5 large balls of stuffing in the bird. Do the same thing at the top of the bird, shoving as much stuffing under the skin at the top.

- Then place stuffing on the wings and surround the whole bird with stuffing. So you can bake the extra stuffing separately, but it will be much drier and the juices from the turkey will not seep into the stuffing. The turkey juices make the stuffing delicious, that is the secret.

- Next cover the bird with the heavy duty foil tightly.

- Bake at 475 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for the time on the tag on the turkey. For this 20 lb bird, I baked for 5 1/2 hours. Then let it brown for 10 minutes and then let it rest for 1 hour before slicing.

**NOTE** – make sure you place leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours of after it cools down to room temperature for food safety. This includes the stuffing since it has the turkey juices. Leftovers are safe for up to 4 days if stored properly on Turkey day. Enjoy!

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