Turkey. Turkey. Turkey. What to Do???

Turkey.  Turkey.  Turkey.  What to do?


Yes, I'm going to make the turkey this year and I am just fed up with all this turkey talk.  Do you have any idea how many different instructions there are out there on how to cook the bird that we only fix once a year.


It seems every woman alive and their dogs have a recipe.  You can brine them.  Did my mom ever know about brining a turkey?  No!  And do you know how many recipes there are just for that salty brine?  Oh yes, you can put SALT, apple peels, orange peels, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, SALT, sugar, spices of every imaginable taste, olive oil, SALT, old shoes, dirty dishwater, red nail polish for color, tomato juice, apple juice, orange juice, wine, whisky, even.....wait for it.....maple syrup.  I kid you not..........well maybe I kid you just a little.  Seriously, The Pioneer Woman used whisky AND maple syrup in hers.  We were watching her show Monday night........well I was watching her show and the hubby was doing something else, but in the room.   When she added the whisky and maple syrup, the hubby looked up and said "Did she just put whisky and maple syrup in that?"  We both gagged just a bit.


Now that you get the brining idea, let me tell you how many variations of actual cooking the turkey there are.  I would, but I don't count that high.  You can stuff that bird, or not.  You can add onions, or not.  You can put oranges in there, or not.  You can rub poultry seasoning over it, or not.  You can rub sage over that thing, or not.  The one thing they all agree on is massaging that bird down with butter, pepper and salt...unless you have brined it, then the choice is up to you.


So what to do?  Brine?  Roast uncovered?  Roast in cooking bag?  Wrapped tightly in foil?  Roast in roasting pan?  If so, on a rack or not?  Temperature.  Some say high temp for first hour, reduce heat.  Some say lower temperature, longer cooking time.  So what to do?  I have no idea.  All I know is that come Thursday, 2:00 p.m. that turkey will be history until the year 2016.


I love you.
A little extra information.  The Pioneer Woman made gravy, but added whisky AND maple syrup.  I can see my family quite literally gagging if I were to serve that!!!
I seriously have no idea how I am going to cook this bird, but I am leaning to mom's tried and true method of wrapping lightly in foil, placing in the roasting pan and using the temperature and time instructed on the label.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.