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T URKEY D RY R UB • 2 Tablespoons Kosher salt • 1 Tablespoon freshly ground pepper • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped • 1 Turkey, 10 to 15 pounds Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Combine melted butter, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. If you have wet or dry brined your turkey, rinse the turkey well, inside and out, and completely dry the turkey. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack inside a roasting pan. Fill the bottom of the pan with about 1 cup of water to keep the drip- pings from burning the pan. Brush butter mixture over the entire turkey and inside the cavity of the turkey. Liberally massage turkey rub all over turkey. Reserve some of the butter mixture for basting during the cooking process. Roast turkey for 45 minutes or until skin is golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast turkey, basting with butter mixture every 30 minutes. After the second hour, begin checking the temperature of the turkey every 15 minutes to keep from overcooking. Remove turkey when an instant-read thermometer reaches 160 degree when thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Allow the turkey to rest on a cutting board for at least 30 minutes to one hour for carry-over cooking and to allow the juices to redistribute. Shortcut to Roasting a Turkey — Instead of brining the turkey, add all dry rub and basting ingredients together and rub the turkey inside and out. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for 24 to 48 hours. Remove from fridge and place in 425 degree oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. With an internal thermometer, peri- odically check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast. When the temperature reaches 160 degrees, remove the turkey to a cutting board and allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carv- ing. F RYING THE T URKEY For many years, we have loved frying our turkey for the holidays. For one thing, it leaves me plenty of cooking space in the oven for the sides, which happen to be one of my favorite things. Another advantage is that the men love hanging out frying the turkey for me, so there is one less item on my to-do list. There are several culinary advantages to frying a turkey as well. When using this method, cooking time is dramatically reduced. Along with the cooking time being reduced, super crispy skin and juicy delicious meat will await you! Brining the turkey always leaves me with a much better bird than those I don’t brine when I am frying. The meat tends to dry out more quickly when frying than when using other cooking methods, but not if brined and not overcooked. It is best to use turkeys that are less than 12 pounds when fry- ing. S MOKING THE T URKEY Smoking meat rocks! I can’t say it any more clearly than that. I thought my roaster chicken tasted just as good as smoked chicken, but my husband begged to differ. We had a cook-off to determine who was correct. Hands down, smoked meat has a flavor that just can’t be touched. Don’t get me wrong, I love roasted meat, but side-by-side, smoked flavor rules. Smoking meat is one of life’s treats to me. Smoked turkey is just fabulous. You get tender succulent juicy meat with a crispy exterior packed with flavor. What’s not to love? For recipes and further instructions on frying and smoking, visit my website StacyLynHarris.com. Be sure and visit my website and let me know what method you used and how it turned out! n Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 15 Stacy Lyn Harris is the bestselling author of three cookbooks, founder of the popular Game and Garden blog, and a co-host of “The Sporting Chef ” and “Rural Heritage.” Her simple approach to sourcing and preparing delicious meals makes life easier for those who want great fresh food everyday. For more information, subscribe to her website stacylynharris.com and follow her on your favorite social networks @stacylynharris.