Boiled Turkey
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the turkey
Select a moderate-sized hen turkey that has been killed 3-4 days prior.
Pluck and draw the turkey.
Singe the turkey with white paper.
Wash the turkey inside and out, then dry it thoroughly.
Cut off the head and neck.
Draw the sinews of the thighs.
Cut off the legs at the first joint, then draw the legs into the body.
Truss and fill
Fill the breast with forcemeat.
Skewer the wing and middle joint of the leg to secure the shape.
Break the breastbone to make the bird round and compact.
Boil
Place the turkey in a pot of hot water, ensuring it is fully covered.
Bring the water to a boil.
Remove any scum that forms.
Simmer gently for about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Hen turkey
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooked gently in water until tender.
- Forcemeat
- Fills the breast, adding moisture and richness to the lean meat as it cooks.
The step that matters
Simmer gently rather than boil hard. A hard boil toughens muscle proteins and can break the skin, while gentle simmering cooks the bird evenly and keeps it tender and moist.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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