Turkey + Mussels and Clams in White Wine Sauce

Holiday=no school=free times! It is time to cook something big and good! TURKEY! I did that first time on Thanksgiving 2011, now it was 2nd time which means better and improved! This time the turkey is 6.8kg (13lbs)!

Brined the turkey before cooking it will make the turkey meat more tender and juicy.

Directions on brining and preparing a turkey before roasting:

1. For a standard 12 to 25 pound turkey you will need 1 cups of salt, ideally sea salt and 1 cups of brown sugar. You will also need a clean picnic cooler large enough to hold the turkey when completely submerged in water.
2. Boil 1 gallon of water and add sea salt and brown sugar until they are all dissolved. Let it cool and add the remaining 1 gallon of water to brine solution. Place the turkey to cool brine solution and submerge the turkey upside down. Turn the turkey a few times to mix the salt and sugar. Place the bucket in a cold place for four hours for a smaller turkey and as much as six hours for a larger one, no more no less. If necessary to keep the brine cold replace some of the water with a few bags of ice or even throw in some freezer packs.
3. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Let rest uncovered overnight in the refrigerator. This will drain any excess moisture and help dry out the skin so it will brown better.

How to Cook a turkey:
cooking time: 20 minutes per pound (Convention oven will be faster)

1. Rub turkey with melted butter inside and outside all over the turkey first.
2. Place the turkey in a preheated 400° oven. Roast half an hour then, without opening the oven, turn the heat down to 350° and continue roasting.
3. Cook and baste all over the turkey every 20 minutes (optional if roast in Convention oven)
4. Continue roasting until the breast meat is exactly 150° and the thigh reads 160°. 
5. Let the turkey rest covered with foil for 20 to 30 minutes before carving then serve immediately.

(My 20 lbs unstuffed turkey cooked for about 2 hours 350° in a convention oven ~20171008)

Whole Bird: Turkey Farmers of Canada recommends cooking a whole turkey to an internal temperature of 170°F (77°C) in the breast and 180°F (82°C) in the thigh. When roasting, any stuffing placed in the cavity of the bird should reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C).

In supermarket, we saw fresh and big clams and mussels! So we bought them back and cooked with white wine & butter. Yum~~~