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Loading ...An email from Dad while my parents were in China:
Dear Kids;
Here is the recipe I have used to prepare and bake the turkeys for many years- – for your reference.
1. Get 18 to 20 lbs frozen turkey when it is available (Note: Don’t wait until the last few days, you may not get the size you wanted. Get it when it on sale maybe a week before.)
2. Take it out of freezer 2 days before cooking. It will take a whole day to defrost the turkey when leaving it in refrigerator. If the refrigerator is too full, you can leave it in a cooler. ( don’t leave it in the garage or back yard. Raccoons will get it.)
3. The day before cooking, bring it out and make sure it is thawed.m Remove the clip on the legs, take the neck out of the minside from the rare opening and the giblets from front opening.
4. Give turkey a bath and let it dry. Rub in salt on it inside and outside. Set it in a large steel container.
5. Mix 2 cups of soy sauce, 1 cup cooking wine (Taiwan Michiu – itnormally sits on the window), half cup of suger, diced garlic-2 cloves, green onion and ginger), in a big bowl. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
6. Bring the turkey in container and give the turkey 2nd bath with the sauce, rub the sauce over the turkey by hands first, and then pour the left over sauce inside the turkey. Sit the turkey with breast down in the steel container and cover the turkey in the container with plastic wrap. Store it in the refrigerator until next day.
7. At noon, pre-heat over to 325 degree F. (Don’t forget to turn on the hood fan and oven fan.)
8. Take the turkey out wet the entire turkey in the saucenone more time. Take the turkey out and drain the excessive sauce and set it in the large baking container (the one I always used) on the rack with breast up. Brush some cooking oil on breast, wings and thighs and wrap them with aluminum foil.
9. Add 2 cups of water in the container place the lid onnthe baking container. It should be totally covered without any opening gap. Put the container in the oven, bake it for 2 hours. Check it after 1st hour, make sure there is liquid in the container, add one cup of water in the container, if needed. The turkey is cooked by the steam circulating in the container.
10. The turkey will be fully cooked in about 3½ to 4 hours ( Approx. 5.5 lbs per hour). Check at 3 hour and every ½ hour thereafter. The temp. in breast and thigh shall be 165 degree F. when cooked. (Optional: To brown the breast, take the lid off, turn the oven to 400 degree for additional 15 minutes, check the color of breast). When done, turn the oven off and place the lid back on and leave the turkey in it until serve.
11. To serve, take the turkey out and place it on serving plate. (the big plate is stored in the cupboard above the refrigerator – behind all the napkins – it’s in the big box) The 2 cups of the turkey sauce from the baking container remove the grease from top; add water and other flavors to make the topping sauce for the turkey meat at the dinner table. Use the turkey knife, (the electric knife is stored in the cupboard above the toaster oven.) to remove the wings and thighs first and slice the breast to start serving.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Dad & Mom
Jie-Jie, Please send me the investment funds you have, I like to keep them on my watch list. Thanks!
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