The biggest lesson a home cook can learn from a professional is “mise en place.” Mise en place, or “mees” as modern cooks often abbreviate it, is a term derived from Classical French Cooking that means “everything in its place,” or simple to be prepared. In a professional kitchen, everything is based off having your mees. It’s impossible to accurately reproduce perfect dishes time and again, without proper preparation. Perhaps you’re familiar with the phrase “Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” that’s another way of saying “Get your mees together, Chef!”
Here in these Appalachian Mountains, we may be a far cry from the Parisian Streets of culinary mastery, but we are intimately familiar with the concept of being prepared. Whether is preparation for a long, cold winter or simply avoiding unnecessary trips into town, we know all about thinking ahead and putting ourselves in the best possible position.
The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone, especially home cooks who aren’t used to preparing multiple courses for a large group of people. Good news, my friends. Applying the concept of mise en place to your holidays will take a huge weight off your shoulders and make for a more enjoyable time of communing with family.
Since it takes the most prep and is truly the star of the table, let’s take an in-depth look at the Thanksgiving Turkey.
Mise en Place
Like so many things, a whole turkey can be a thing of beauty when done right — and a true travesty when gone awry. Proper mees will get you there, and it probably takes more time than you think, so let’s get into it with a proper timeline, step-by-step.
1 Week Ahead of Time – Friday, November 21: Thaw
The best and safest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, but it takes time. And it often takes more time than we realize. For discussion’s sake, we’re going to base this advice off a 14 pound turkey. If your bird is on the big side, it will take even more time to thaw and to cook.
Make room in your ‘fridge for your gobbler and place the frozen bird in a pan in case it leaks. You can leave it wrapped for now.
3 Days Ahead of Time – Sunday, November 24: Brine
By now, your turkey should be thawed, and it’s time to brine it. Brining ensures moist meat and crispy skin. There are two ways to brine: wet and dry. While wet brining works great with turkey (and chicken and fish — if you’re taking notes), not many people have a vessel large enough to hold a wet-brined turkey, nor space in their refrigerator to store said vessel, so let’s make this a little easier by using a dry brine.
Simply unwrap the turkey, pat as dry as possible with paper towels, and then rub 2-3 Tablespoons of kosher salt all over, including under the skin. Now put it back in the refrigerator uncovered. Bonus points if you can put it on a rack so air can flow underneath it, as well. It will drip, so make sure it’s in a pan and keep on eye on how much moisture is collecting. I doubt you’ll need to dump it, but just keep an eye on it.
Go Time – Morning of Thanksgiving Day
We’re going to assume a Thanksgiving Supper time of 2:00 in the afternoon to leave plenty of time for a tryptophan nap and pumpkin pie. As mentioned above, if your bird is on the big size, you may need to start earlier or eat later.
8:00 AM – Remove from Fridge
Pull the turkey from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
8:30 AM – Season
Pat the turkey as dry as possible with paper towels. Rub the skin with butter or a light oil and dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and sage. Stuff the turkey with onion halves, garlic, whole herbs, and lemon or orange halves. I do not recommend a bread stuffing. I suggest making dressing in it’s own casserole dish, instead. Finally, tie the legs loosely with some twine to keep everything in its place.
9:00 AM – Let’s Get Cookin’!
Roast the turkey at 450 degrees for 30 minutes to brown the skin.
9:30 AM – Cool It Down
Turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Don’t open it or remove the turkey, just let it cool on its own. You’ll probably want to put some other things in the oven to heat, as well, but limit opening the oven as much as possible. They turkey will cook for for at least another 3 hours.
Noon – Give a Little Peek
By noon your turkey will have a total of 3 hours in the oven. It’s time to give it a little check with a meat thermometer. Pull the turkey from the oven and check the breast and the thighs at the thickest part staying away from the bones. The breast should register 160 degrees, and the thigh about 170. Once myou reach those temps, move on to the next step. Avoid putting the turkey in and pulling it back out of the oven too often. Every time you open the oven, you’re going to lose a lot of the interior heat and your oven will not cook properly. If the turkey is within five degrees of the desired temp, go ahead and pull it. The residual heat will coast it on into the finish line
12:30 – 1:00 PM – The Turkey is Done, Man
Once your turkey reaches the temperatures mentioned above, pull the it from the oven, lift out of roating pan, and tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Tenting the turkey with foil means it’s not actually touching the turkey’s skin, there is air between the turkey and the foil, but it will retain heat. This will allow the turkey to carry over cook, and then cool slightly while reabsorbing all it’s moisture before you carve it. Let it rest covered for 30 – 45 minutes or until you’re ready to supper.
1:30 – 2:00 PM – Carve ‘Er Up
The turkey will still be hot, but much better to handle now. Finding the breast bone, carve the breast off the bird and slice across the grain. Remove the legs and thighs whole, then you can separate and slice, if desired. Arrange on a platter keeping white and dark meat separate and, if you want, you can garnish with herbs or lemon or orange slices.
Tips to Add that Je Ne Sais Quoi
While the turkey rests at 12:30, use the pan drippings to make gravy. Pour the drippings into a pan, heat and deglaze with white wine and chicken or turkey stock, bring back to a simmer and thicken with some roux (simple a mixture 1:1 of butter and flour).
If the turkey gets done too early, or if dinner gets pushed back, cover with a thick towel to keep it hot longer.
Make sure not to overcook or cut the turkey too early — both will dry it out.
Final Destination
And that’s it, folks and friends! Enjoy that delicious, moist, perfectly cooked bird with your kith and kin, and save me some leftovers. I’ve got a killer Turkey Sandwich Recipe.
About Chef Matthew Welsch – Executive Chef of West Virginia State Parks and Resorts, Business Owner, and Culinary Adventurer
Born and raised in Marshall County, Chef Matt Welsch developed an unquenchable wanderlust from an early age, which led him to travel extensively across the globe. As the founder of Vagabond Kitchen, his Wheeling-based restaurant, Chef Matt brings back a wealth of international culinary knowledge and experience to the heart of West Virginia. His love for the state and its rich culinary heritage fuels his excitement to collaborate with WV State Parks and offer visitors an unforgettable dining experience.
“Chef Matt has been championing West Virginia for years, long before becoming one of our Chef Ambassadors,” said West Virginia Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby. “His long standing career is a true testament to his dedication, skill and passion for the industry. We couldn’t be happier to see him step into this role with West Virginia State Parks.”
The WV State Park system aims to elevate its restaurant experience to provide a welcoming environment for visitors to savor West Virginia’s flavors with the expertise of Chef Matt Welsch. Welsch is currently visiting all of the restaurants in the park system, consulting with food and beverage directors, and providing operational expertise to superintendents, managers and staff. He is honing the quality and service of our already great venues to be truly exceptional experiences. The state park team anticipates that this exciting collaboration will enhance the dining venues and encourage more visitors to enjoy a meal within the park system.
He is also Board Director for Root to Table, serves with the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, and founded West Virginia Cooks to connect chefs across the Mountain State. He also earned victory on the popular Food Network program “Guy’s Grocery Games” starring Guy Fieri.