T-Day dilemma: A turkey without added fat or salt?

Hey everybody!

I wanted to check out everyone's answers to this topic because I'm in a real quandary about Thanksgiving this year. I was hoping to find some healthy alternatives for roasting turkeys that didn't involve slathering it with butter, oil (read: fat) or brine or stock (read: salt).

But seriously....Chef Alton Brown is our favorite chef and he goes with the brine method, so that might be reason enough for me to try a brine this year for the first time ever. But years ago I had heard someone on t.v. (Joan Lunden, maybe?) talking about rubbing down a turkey with orange juice before roasting. I can't be positive, but I think she said she was going to use a can of frozen o.j. concentrate, squeezing a little out of the can at a time as she went along. But I don't know if you'd have to keep basting it, or if you'd need to use a roasting bag or what? Does anybody know the answer to this? I'd really like to try it because, yes, although it would contribute "sugar" to the meal at least it would be "natural sugar" (when buying unsweetened o.j.) and so I'd feel a little bit better about that than I would about adding fat or salt to an otherwise healthy bird.

*sigh* Or maybe I should just say, "Eh...it's Thanksgiving. We watch what we eat the rest of the year, let's live it up today" (and at Christmas, of course!)?

What do y'all think? Is o.j. a viable alternative? If so, would I need to baste or use a roasting bag or what would I do? Does anyone else have any other "potentially healthy" alternative they'd like to contribute? Should I maybe just throw caution to the wind on this one and go with a fat- or salt- laden bird?

I value your opinions! Thanks in advance, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I use a roasting bag or completely seal it in aluminum foil.  I don't use salt or fat... I just add about half a cup of water to get it started.  The key for me is to "pull" the meat... don't slice it.  I return the meat to the  broth to serve.

Since both my wife & daughter are vegetarians and I do the turkey & stuffing for the holidays, I use only vegetable broth.  Since I use it for the stuffing (no meats are added to my stuffing), I also use it to baste the turkey which helps keep the fat & sodium lower.  Everyone always raves about my stuffing.  Plus we have enough salads, vegetables and other side dishes, they do not miss the turkey.

Hi All,

I crock pot a whole turkey and it comes out wonderful, juicy and fall of the bone tender. My oval 6 qt crock fits up to a 12 pound turkey, I usually cut the legs off and if I'm having someone who likes the dark meet over I'll stuff them in the cavity to cook.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The first year I added a whole bunch of spices, since then I've just thrown the turkey in. When we go on trips I will cook a turkey and we eat turkey sandwiches for days. :)

Tina

Have I got a tip for you!  Use a cooking bag.  They sell them at grocery stores.  They are disposable.  Your turkey will baste in its own wonderful juices.  It's fool-proof, and it will be the moistest, juiciest and most flavorful turkey, without adding oil or salt.  If the bag instructs you to add oil, ignore it.  Just be sure to add a little flour and pierce the cooking bag.

Agreed with ther herbs and low sodium broth. Also, I rub my turkey with EVOO. It helps to hold in the moisture and gives it great flavor.

Hi ... I make the "orange-juice-turkey" every year, and we all love it.

I stuff the turkey with big chunks of orange, fresh sage, garlic and onions (I cook the stuffing in a seperate pot).

In a dish I combine freshly squeezed orange juice (sometimes a little zest), crushed garlic, pepper, and any other spices I fancy... I baste the turkey and distribute sliced orange, onion, sage etc on it and put it in the oven .. every now and then (every 30 - 60 mins) I baste

I roast it breast-side down for the first half or so of the cooking time, and I pour sherry over it at frequent intervals.Use most of a bottle of sherry on one huge turkey.

Sure smells good.

I also cook it way overdone, in an electric roaster, most of the time. It looks awful, but oh, does it taste good.

You know, I just put the turkey in with the breast side down so that the juices run through the breast meat. I only put on spices like, marjoram, thyme, sage and we find that it comes out very tasty and juicy.

One year I had to work on Christmas day and my husband (who had never cooked a turkey before) made the christmas dinner for when I got off work. He cooked it at 400*. I was shocked!!  But what happened was it sealed in the juices and man!! was it good. Since then we have started it at 400* for approx 1/2 hour or so and then turned it down to 325*.

Good luck with your turkey.  I love turkey~~!!

Barb

For the first hour, you roast the turkey upside down so the natural fats run thru the bresat and white meat giving it moisture.  Then turn it over.  Season with garlic. white pepper & sage (fresh tucked under the skin will give a wonderful flavor) and let the skin crisp up.  The dressing can be kept moist with chicken broth. Bake your sweet potatoes whole then offer unsalted butter, OJ and cinnamon sprinkle to taste.  Green beans or broccoli are nice with i , and look on-line for tofu- pumpkin pie made with gingersnap crumbs for crust.  No salt is needed.  You might also want to bake some apples with ginger, brown sugar or cider with cinnamon and a little bit of butter for flavor.   Can be baked with oatmeal sprinkles as a crisp. Another alternative to the sweet potatoes is to saute squash slices with apples in a cast iron pan, steam with water, then season and serve with sage & thyme dressing.   Dressing can be made with diced onions, celery and potatoes instead of just bread for more nutrition.   Offer up a turkey broth with wontons and fresh green onions about an hour before dinner - you'll eat less, and feel better when you do sit down to dine.  And remember to be thankful for what you DO have.  Instead of dinner rolls, we offer cornmeal muffins with a bit of apple butter or cranberry sauce baked inside.  And try cooking some rhubarb into your cranberries - so much better - extra fiber - when cooked from fresh with a whole orange added and one cinnamon stick.  You will never eat the canned stuff again!  Takes only a few minutes and is so much more tasty and good!

Original Post by kajikit:

There is no need whatsoever to add salt OR fat to your turkey. There's plenty of fat under the skin naturally, more is overkill. It will roast up just fine if you put a little liquid in the base of the pan and use that to baste it with. It will even roast up fine if you don't baste it at all - just don't overcook it. I've always found that the popup timer they give you works just fine to tell me when my turkey is done and it's never been dry or overdone.

 I've never added salt or fat to a turkey when roasting. One of the best ways to make sure the breast is tender is to roast slowly and don't overcook.

My mother used to roast the turkey breast side down for at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the cooking time. Turning the bird is a pain in the turkey butt, but OMG it is good.

I use a Reynolds oven bag for turkeys.  I don't stuff the turkey, this is a tradition that my mother ruined for me when the stuffing refuses to cook inside the turkey.  I know that the box of bags does have directions for stuffing the bird before you roast it.  I just lightly season the outside of it with salt and pepper and cook it in the roasting bag and it always comes out beautiful, moist and delicious.  No added fat.  There will be a lot of juice when u take it out of the oven, skim off the fat and use it to make a nice gravy, it's wonderful.  I make mashed potatoes with chicken stock instead of milk and butter.  They're lighter and healthier.  I hope this helps.