My favorite Holiday

It's a little odd that even though I never grew up with the turkey on Thanksgiving tradition, I've been designated turkey-roaster ever since getting married. On the plus side, this has provided plenty of practice. Above is this year's version. I've learned two keys to great turkey over the years: 1) dry brining in salt overnight results in juicier meat and crispier skin, and 2) you need to rest the bird at least an hour to allow the juices to redistribute.

Classic

This turkey recipe uses orange wedges and aromatics to add flavor, while a champagne broth works its magic to keep the turkey moist and tender. My grandmother and mother passed this recipe on to me. It changes a little every Thanksgiving, because I've never written the recipe down before. But the roast turkey is always incredibly juicy and succulent!

A simple recipe to serve a juicy and prefectly cooked turkey

The British Embassy in Japan is hosting a campaign called "Food is GREAT: A Taste of Britain" for people to experience British cooking firsthand. There is more information on Facebook.http://www.facebook.com/oishii.igirisuYou can also use ground pork instead of sausage meat. After seasoning with salt and pepper, let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes before baking. Please spoon the cooked juices over the meat as it's baking. The opening where the turkey was stuffed will burn easily, so please cover with aluminum foil. You can optionally use carrots, onions, or turnips to accompany the turkey. Recipe by British Embassy

I've been roasting turkeys for several years now, and not a just on thanksgiving. While I will say that smoking a turkey is the absolute best you can get (yes, even over frying), sometimes you want those traditional autumn flavors of sage and thyme with salty crackly turkey skin that comes from a traditional roasting process. I use a dry brine and place a compound butter under the skin to give the meat an extra layer of herbed flavor. The turkey is spatchcocked, which not only cuts down the cooking time and exposes the skin for crisping that typically get soggy with a whole bird roast, but it allows the turkey to lay flat so you can fit other things in the oven while it's cooking.