Best Turkey Recipe Ever – A Thanksgiving Guide

Being successful at life means knowing the best turkey recipe ever. You and your guests will enjoy the Thanksgiving feast so much more. I promise.

And yes, Thanksgiving is a holiday – it means you should relax. But it also means you can let others relax too.

Everyone’s been working like a dog for months – it’s time to chill and take a break.

But here’s one thing winners do – they’re helpful. It also means they can make delicious meals.

If you’re a man, that means helping in the kitchen, cooking, or cleaning dishes. Most of all it means on Thanksgiving you’re not a sloth, allowing others around you to wait on you hand and foot, while you watch football. (Who’s playing this year anyway? Does anyone care?)

To be an awesome husband, and to be a helpful partner, insist on cooking the turkey. It’s such an awesome and manly thing to do. Besides, it’s also fun and easy.

Best Turkey Recipe – I suck at cooking

I’ll be honest – I’m not really the greatest cook in the world. But I get by. I manage to feed myself and survive. If there’s no food in the fridge, I can whip up some sweet and sour meatballs or meatloaf (there’s a theme).

However, my wife is a natural cook and doesn’t know it. She puts love into everything she makes. When I make meatloaf, it’s basically just meat, and ketchup. When she makes meatloaf it’s like a Pinterest infused colorful creation, packed with artful breadcrumbs and a side of kale and parmesan potatoes.

That’s like way too much work, in my opinion. But it’s delicious every time.

Back when we were dating she used to make pies all the time. It was awesome. I was in like pie heaven. She should have opened her own pie shop or diner (side hustle) – but alas, life gets in the way and there are bills to pay.

But when Thanksgiving rolls around, and she’s got her recipe sheet a mile long of all the things she’s planning – inevitably she looks at me and says, “You’ve got the turkey, right?” Yes. And boy, do I, because I’ve got the best turkey recipe ever.

Best Turkey Recipe – Back to nature

Here’s the thing about cooking a turkey – it’s like really gross. There’s like guts galore, chopped necks, giblets (what are those anyway?), and even blood sometimes (eww!) as you realize you’re tossing around a 10 pound dead animal. You feel like you’re back in high school biology dissecting that fetal pig. It’s a carnal experience for sure.

But as a man, it’s awesome. I highly recommend it.

To me, cooking gets confusing and frustrating with all the rules and steps. We did Blue Apron and hated it. It took forever to make dinner. I don’t like to follow the rules. I like to toss ingredients in the oven and look away.

So when I cook, or grill meats, I like to know in my head what I’m doing, and not following some recipe book.

Best Turkey Recipe – Secrets exposed

My family discovered this (not so) secret turkey recipe some years back and we’ve been religiously following it every year since.

And honestly, it does take a little extra effort, and an added step, but the final results are more than worth it.

The problem with a traditionally cooked turkey is that it comes out too dry. Don’t get me wrong, all turkey is awesome and I’ll eat any variety of it (even one of those flame-throwing deep fried ones). But when you’ve started to eat a juicy and succulent bird, you’ll never go back.

The Best Turkey Recipe Ever

The secret is to brine the turkey.

Perhaps you’ve heard about brine on the food network or some fancy chef recommending it – but it’s legit.

You have to brine your bird this year. And as a man, you need to man up and do it.

Here’s how it’s done:

Clean the bird like normal, like you’d prepare it for the oven. But before it goes in, it’s going to take a long bath. This is the brine.

Brine is salt. Brine allows meat to absorb water.

So, fill a trash bag with a gallon of water, a gallon of apple cider, and 2 cups of salt. Drop in the turkey. Let it sit overnight, somewhere cool like the garage will suffice. I typically drop the trash bag in a larger, sturdier container like a Coleman cooler. It’s necessary to make sure the entire bird is covered in liquid.

And that’s it. In the morning take the bird out and quickly rinse. Then toss it in the oven and you’re ready to go.

I swear this process is fun. It’s like a science experiment. And instead of lounging around all day like an idiot, you can man up and help around the house. Your spouse will appreciate the effort.

Best Turkey Recipe – Action Steps:

• Brine the turkey
• Brine recipe:
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 gallon apple cider
  • 2 cups salt

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Do you help in the kitchen? What secret recipes does your family like? Or do you prefer to lounge on the couch all day?