Cooking a big meal can be a daunting terrifying task, especially on Thanksgiving where there will have a home full of guests looking for their yearly turkey fix. When you live in one of the West Side Management luxury apartments like The Grove, having amenities like a balcony or patio and access to game rooms help make the job of hosting so much easier! Guests can spread out and get out of your way. If this is your first Thanksgiving as the host, we want to help you prepare for the main event, the TURKEY! Here are 5 ways to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey!
- Oven Baked Turkey – You really can’t go wrong with a classic oven baked turkey. Most recipes call for plenty of herbs, vegetables and of course lots of butter! There are so many spice options when oven baking a turkey but one things for sure, if you do it right, it will be one of the best turkeys you have ever eaten!
- Beer Can Turkey – Beer can turkey is a variation on beer can chicken. The turkey is propped up over a couple open cans of beer that bastes it from the inside out. For the turkey, you will need two 24-ounce cans of beer—one for the interior basting, and one for the dripping pan and for basting the outside of the bird. You will also need spices to season the turkey. Many recipes call for spices like sage, thyme, rosemary, lemon, and pepper. Cooking can be done either in an oven or on the grill but consider purchasing a special rack to help keep the bird upright while it’s roasting.
- Bacon Wrapped Turkey – Bacon wrapped anything just makes food better! Add bacon to your Thanksgiving turkey for an instant crowd pleaser. When placed on top of a turkey, the bacon grease melts and flavors the bird’s skin. Consider adding maple syrup for a sweet and savory flavor.
- Sous Vide Turkey – Sous vide (“under vacuum” in French) is a cooking method that packages the meat (veggies too is you want!) in a vacuumed sealed bag and submerges the meal in warm water—roughly 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit—and cooked for many hours. The benefit of this cooking method is that the meat is extremely tender and full of flavor. The downside is it takes many hours to cook and sometimes there is a need for special equipment. Although some recipes call for only the use of Ziplock bags and big pot, others call for fancy kitchen devices to regulate temperatures. From what we hear this may be the best tasting turkey!
- Air Fried Turkey – Skip the oven completely and air fry your turkey this Thanksgiving! It also takes a lot less time from start to finish to cook a turkey like this, many in under an hour! It takes way less effort with far better results!
So now that you have five perfectly good options for cooking your perfect Thanksgiving turkey you can slow down, relax, and enjoy the holiday. When hosting the perfect Thanksgiving dinner at your West Side Management apartment, make sure to be courteous of your neighbors and have the best day ever! We can’t wait to see how our residents celebrate. Happy Thanksgiving!