We bought a turkey that was on sale after Thanksgiving and stuck it in the freezer. I think it was Sunday that I took it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost. Yesterday it was ready so I seasoned it and roasted it in the electric roaster. We had it for dinner. I’ve never been much of a fan of turkey but that’s the second one in a row that I cooked in the Nesco roaster and they’ve been delicious.
After the meat cooled, I picked it all off the bone. I detest doing that and Vince offered to do it but he had other things he was working on so I did it . . put it in a bag and stuck it in the fridge. I added a bit more seasoning on the turkey bones and roasted them for an hour or so.
I cut up some veggies and put those in the roaster, added the turkey bones and let all that cook on a low simmer for about 24 hours.
Does that look like some amazing turkey broth? I ended up with 12 quarts of broth with 1 cup of turkey meat and 2 quarts of plain broth.
How will I use this turkey and broth? If I want more meat, I can add a chicken breast to whatever recipe I am making.
- I could saute onions and celery, cook rice in the broth and add the turkey to have a yummy turkey and rice dish.
- I could cook noodles and have turkey noodle soup.
- I could make turkey tetraziini.
- I could make dressing and use the meat and the broth.
I love canning and I love having canned foods ready for a quick meal.
Pam Thorne says
Please share how you cook your turkey in the Nesco roaster. I have this roaster and am wanting to cook a turkey in it instead of the oven.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
It is so moist and so juicy! I season the inside with salt and pepper, and stick a peeled onion that has been halved, a quartered apple and celery in the cavity. Dry the outside and brush with melted butter or coconut oil. I season with salt, pepper, onion powder, cajun seasoning, a bit of thyme – really whatever seasonings you like. Sometimes I mix the seasonings in the melted butter and sometimes I sprinkle them on the skin after it’s been buttered. Preheat the roaster to 400, put the turkey on the rack, roast with the cover on until the internal temp is 165. I also will turn the temp down to 350 or even 325 if it’s cooking too fast.
My new roaster isn’t convection so once it’s done, if I want the skin to nice and brown, I’ll lift the rack and turkey out of the Nesco and put it all in a large roasting pan, stick it in the big oven on convection for 20 minutes or so until the skin gets brown and pretty. I do find that every time I’ve cooked a turkey in the Nesco, it takes less time to cook than I’m expecting. I think the one I cooked the other day was 16 pounds and the instructions say 15 to 20 minutes per pound and that turkey was done in about three hours. So . . about an hour or so before it’s supposed to be done, check it.
Rebecca Lu says
My turkeys always cook faster than they’re supposed to! (In the oven) I remember one that must have been large ( larger margin of error) that was done before I’d actually started a lot of the side dishes!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
That’s always my fear – the turkey will be done way before everything else or way before the guests arrive.