How to make Turkey Confit a NEW Thanksgiving Tradition

NOT MARRIED TO HAVING A WHOLE TURKEY TO CARVE AT THE THANKSGIVING TABLE? MAKE TURKEY CONFIT A NEW THANKSGIVING RECIPE. CONFIT TURKEY WITH BACON AND HERBS IN OIL FOR A DELICIOUS CHANGE OF PACE

I must admit, roasted turkey has always been my LEAST favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. It just doesn’t excite me. If the thighs are cooked properly the breast is overdone. They don’t cook at the same rate and if you’re trussing your bird before you roast it you’re slowing the cooking time of the thighs even more.

I do love a fried turkey. My dad makes them a couple times a year and he ALWAYS fries a few at Thanksgiving. He knows my husband loves fried turkey and once my dad knows you like something he’ll make it every single time you visit.

Last year I decided to try doing something a little different with my Thanksgiving turkey. I decided to make turkey confit a new Thanksgiving recipe. Confit is a French term for preserving, usually done with duck that is salted and slow cooked in it’s own fat.

I cut a whole turkey into pieces reserving the breast for another recipe. The rest of the turkey was well seasoned with fresh
crushed allspice, Spanish paprika, salt and pepper, placed in an ENAMELED CAST IRON POT (like this one that you can order from Amazon if you need it)  Lodge Color EC6D33 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, Blue, 6-Quart
then covered with oil, thyme, garlic and bacon. It was slowly poached for a few hours then left to rest in the refrigerator until Thanksgiving day when it was warmed and crisped in a pan.

The turkey is impossibly, UNBELIEVABLY  moist and tender when cooked like this. This would be perfect with creamy mashed sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, garlicky braised beans or this delicious Upside Down Vidalia Onion Corn Bread 

Use the leftover fat to cook chicken, home fried potatoes, eggs almost anything!

What do you think? Do you like traditional roast turkey or are you willing to try a little something different?

Turkey Confit

Demetra Overton

Confit the turkey a 2-3 days before you want to serve it. Use a 6 quart enameled cast iron pot for this recipe. I cut up a whole turkey for my recipe but you can purchase turkey drumsticks, wings and thighs from your local market. You may have to ask them about the wings

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 turkey legs
• 2 turkey wings cut into sections
• 2 turkey thighs
• 1 teaspoon crushed allspice
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 6 slices of thick bacon cut in half
• approximately 3 cups canola oil

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 275 degrees
• Pat the turkey parts dry. Season them with allspice, salt, pepper, and paprika
• Place the turkey into the cast iron pot layering the thyme, garlic, bay leaves and bacon. Lay 3 strips of bacon over the top of the turkey
• Pour the oil over all to cover the turkey by 1/2 an inch. There should be at least an 2 inches of space between the oil and the top of the pan
• On the stove top, bring the oil to a simmer over medium-low heat it should just barely bubble. It SHOULD NOT BOIL. Turn off the heat
• CAREFULLY place the uncovered pan into the oven (it will be hot) and continue to cook for 3 hours until turkey is tender
• Let the turkey cool at room temperature for an hour
• Place turkey parts bacon and 1 cup of oil in a container and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days
• When ready to serve heat the turkey parts and bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the interior is warm and the skin is crisp.
• ALTERNATELY you can heat the turkey on a rack in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes