f r e s h l y Honoring tradition Fresh turkey adds to family

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 20, 2002 by Linda Laird Capital-Journal

Thanksgiving recipes

MIKE SHEPHERD/The Capital-Journal

Karen Beckwith starts to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey in the kitchen of her rural Shawnee County home. She puts the raw turkey in the sink while preparing the marinade.

MIKE SHEPHERD/The Capital-Journal

The marinade calls for Wild Turkey bourbon. Add some salt. Stir. Measure out sugar (Beckwith uses natural dehydrated cane sugar) to add to the marinade.

After making the marinade, place the turkey inside a couple of kitchen trash bags. Pour the marinade over the turkey. Hold the edges of the bag up or support them with flat baking sheets to contain the marinade.

Beckwith's daughter, Julie, helps her carry the prepared turkey to the refrigerator, where it will bathe for 18 to 36 hours before being removed from the bags and put in the oven.

Nothing smells better than turkey just out of the oven. Beckwith then bastes her turkey with chicken broth one last time.

Roasting turkey

to perfection

Whether you are a novice cook or a seasoned pro, this will help you roast a tender, juicy, picture-perfect turkey every time. It's easy with the open pan roasting method.

- Place thawed or fresh turkey, breast up on a flat rack in a shallow pan, 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep.

- Brush or rub skin with oil to prevent the skin from drying and to enhance the golden color.

- Insert oven-safe meat thermometer deep into the lower part of the thigh muscle but not touching the bone. When thigh is up to temperature and if the turkey is stuffed, move the thermometer to center of stuffing for stuffing temperature.

- Place in a preheated 325-degree oven.

- When the turkey is about two-thirds done, loosely cover the breast and top of drumsticks with a piece of lightweight foil to prevent overcooking the breast.

Use this roasting schedule as a guideline; start checking for doneness 30 minutes before recommended end times:

Net weight (in pounds) Unstuffed (hours) Stuffed (hours) 10 to 18 3 to 3 1/2 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 18 to 22 3 1/2 to 4 4 1/2 to 5 22 to 24 4 to 4 1/2 5 to 5 1/2 24 to 30 4 1/2 to 5 5 1/2 to 6 1/4

Turkey is done when the meat thermometer reaches the following temperatures:

- 180 degrees deep in the thigh; also, juices should be clear, not reddish pink when thigh muscle is pierced deeply.

- 160 degrees in the center of the stuffing, if turkey is stuffed.

Before removing stuffing and carving, let turkey stand 15 minutes to allow juices to set and stuffing temperature to rise to 165 degrees.

- An 11-pound turkey will feed eight adults and six children without leftovers. Stuffing needed is just more than 8 cups.

- 18-pound turkey will feed 15 adults and six children without leftovers. Stuffing needed is just more than 14 cups.

Log onto www.butterball.com to find out exactly what you need. The Turkey Talk Line is open through Dec. 27: (800) BUTTERBALL.

Where to find fresh turkey

Wiedmann's will be in Topeka from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at J.G. Meier and Sons Vegetable Market, 5769 N.W. 17th. Free delivery is available for orders of more than $50. For more information, call toll free (866) 328-9336.

Herman Meats and Deli, 2825 S.W. Fairlawn. Orders can still be taken today, with orders arriving Friday at the store. For information, call 273-8481.

By Linda Laird

Photographs by Mike Shepherd

The Capital-Journal

Turkey is a holiday tradition.

For Karen Beckwith and her family, the holiday got better last year with an addition to the tradition --- fresh turkey.

It continues this year with another farm fresh bird prepared with a recipe from Martha Stewart.

"We found fresh turkey when we were hunting for meats without hormones and additives," said Karen Beckwith, who said the Beckwiths' daughter, Julie, was diagnosed last year with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

"She is one who must have the protein," Karen Beckwith said, "without sugar, preservatives or hormones."

The Beckwiths found the turkey at Wiedmann Farm Fresh Meats, Onaga.

The turkeys, like the farm's beef, pork, chicken and eggs, are raised on the farm with certified organic feeds.

"We raise them from a day old until it's time for the oven," Phyllis Wiedmann said.

The Beckwiths put their turkey in a marinade of brine, bourbon, sugar and cold water for 18 to 36 hours before roasting.

The turkey rested in the refrigerator while Beckwith sloshed the bag every time she got into the refrigerator for something, she said.

She uses two trash bags to catch any leaks. "And because I don't have a kettle big enough," she said.

When ready to put it in the oven, she let the turkey drip dry a few moments then toweled it off before putting it in a roasting pan and into the 325-degree oven.

She folds the wing tips under the back of the turkey to keep them from overbrowning.

Beckwith said she bastes the turkey with organic chicken broth as the bird roasts.

"Surprisingly, the turkey doesn't seem salty even though you add more salt and pepper before roasting," she said.

Beckwith shares a number of other favorite Thanksgiving recipes including the turkey recipe.