Port Turkey

Total Time: 5 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 5 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 (15 -25 lb) whole turkey
• 1 (750 ml) bottle port wine (perferably ruby)
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• bouquet garni (mixture of rosemary, tyme, parsley)
• butter or bacon grease
• 2 slices bacon (optional)

Recipe

• 1 rinse turkey and pat dry.
• 2 stuff turkey if desired.
• 3 rub turkey with bacon grease or butter.
• 4 in roaster (or in my case- a large stainless steel bowl), that is big enough to hold your turkey, place bacon strips, if desired.
• 5 place turkey in roaster/bowl breast side down (on top of bacon strips).
• 6 place in 500* oven for 20 minutes.
• 7 lower temp to 350*. pour in port (yes, the whole bottle) and bouguet garni, salt and peppercorns (i like to wrap all the herbs and s&p into cheese cloth).
• 8 cook at 350* for 15 minutes for each pound or until meat themometer in breast reads 165*.
• 9 flip bird to breast side up 1 hour before it is done.
• 10 cover turkey loosely with foil and allow to rest on carving board for half an hour before carving to retain juices.
• 11 note: sugars in port carmelize, browning turkey rapidly. watch turkey to keep from burning. turkey should be (and likely will be) quite dark. to keep from becoming black- cover with foil during cooking. removing foil to baste then replacing it for further cooking.
• 12 note to self (and anyone else who cares): skipped bacon this year and didn't fool with flipping the bird. brined with sue l's apple brine then proceeded with the port and herbs. awesome bird. both beautiful and tastey. carcass made great soup.