Maple Bacon Thanksgiving Turkey

Turkey Time!

The countdown to T-day has begun! We are a week out from Thanksgiving, and I’m already prepping for the big meal. The menu is set, the  cranberry sauce is made, and the groceries have been ordered. After cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the past 6 years, my husband and I have this down to a science. Especially, the turkey!

With the size of most city ovens, figuring out the day of cooking schedule can be tricky. Roasting a turkey doesn’t just take most of the day, it will also take up most of the room in the oven! Luckily, we are able to prep most of the food the day ahead. On the actual day, we really only cook the turkey and our popovers. Once the turkey is out, we pop the rest of the sides in the oven to heat up for 30 minutes, and dinner is served!

Everything is Better with Bacon

Prior to meeting my husband, I had only had roast turkey that was dry, and fairly flavorless. It really was something I put on my plate more out of obligation, than desire. That all changed when my husband started cooking our bird. The first year we hosted Thanksgiving, we cooked made two kinds: brined , and maple bacon. While the brined turkey was certainly succulent, the maple bacon one blew it out of the water. I had never experienced such a flavorful and juicy Thanksgiving bird. It was amazing.

He starts by making a sage and lemon butter, that he then stuffs between the skin and breast meat. Next, he combines maple syrup, lemon juice and hot water to make the glaze. With a brush, he lightly paints the breast, wings and drumsticks with the glaze, and then blankets thick slabs of hand cut bacon across the entire bird. To finish, he adds fresh sprigs of rosemary under some of the bacon, and stuffs the cavity with lemon slices and fresh herbs. Sometimes we add carrots into the cavity, and bottom of the roasting pan.

The turkey is roasted at 350 degrees until done. The time varies depending on the size of your bird, but estimate 15-20 minutes per pound. As the bird roasts, he checks it about every 40 minutes, to baste with more of the glaze. If the bird starts to burn in any spot, he will cover that area with some tin foil. Before having my husband’s turkey, I honestly wasn’t a huge turkey fan. It always seemed dry and flavorless. After having my husband’s bird, I am singing a different tune. I never knew how enjoyable turkey could be before this! We make it a point now to cook a bird slightly larger than is needed, just so we have enough leftovers. 

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