It’s that time of year again where we are scrambling to pull together recipes and stressing about hosting holiday parties, especially large gatherings such as Thanksgiving. If you are hosting this year, try cooking your turkey with our Mad Hatter IPA! Our own Fred Builtman, Beervangelist and Partner at New Holland Brewing, hosts Thanksgiving every year and highly recommends this recipe- and having tasted his cooking, we recommend you give it a try!
Fred Bueltmann, Beervangelist:
“This beer-brined recipe is my favorite by far. The beer, in this recipe is an aromatic IPA (India Pale Ale), Mad Hatter from New Holland Brewing in Holland, MI, but any good IPA will do. IPAs bring in flavor, aromatics and moisture. It helps avoid drying out any part of the bird, and makes cooking time a considerably more relaxing process, especially after you made it a time or two. The fennel-rub is optional, but I highly recommend it. It makes the most gloriously colored turkey and the aroma in your kitchen will have your neighbors asking to join you for dinner. I also make stuffing separately, as an open cavity with lemons and herbs not only creates great flavor, it helps your turkey cook more evenly. It also allows me to adjust batch-size of the stuffing to my guests, rather than my bird(s). Homemade stock with your stuffing recipe will more than make up for any flavor you may have gained from cooking with the turkey.”
Recipes:
Brine
Ingredients:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1 tablespoon Fennel rub
1 gallon (two growlers) Mad Hatter IPA
4 – 6 pounds of ice
Directions:
Combine all brine ingredients, except beer and ice, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Six to 12 hours before cooking is to begin, combine the brine and iced-beer in a clean 5-gallon bucket or chest cooler. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine. Add beer or ice to cover bird, close cooler/cover bucket and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for duration of brine (6 – 12 hours.) Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
Turkey Rub
Ingredients:
1 cup fennel seeds
2 tablespoons white peppercorns
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground basil
Directions:
Put the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Toss to toast evenly to a light brown color, being careful not to burn. Remove to plate to cool completely before grinding. Pour the seeds into a grinder and add the salt and ground basil. Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
Turkey
Ingredients:
1 large (18 – 21 pound) whole turkey or two
small (8 – 10 pounds)
For Turkey Stock
(or substitute 2 cups chicken stock)
2 small whole onions, peeled
2 carrots, halved
2 celery stalks, halved
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup Fennel Spice Rub, recipe follows
8 sprigs of fresh herbs, any combination of
rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano
2 lemons, halved
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Turkey Stock: Remove necks and giblets and put into a large saucepan. Add onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat and let simmer until reduced to about 2 cups. Strain and reserve for gravy.
TURKEY :
Wash the turkey(s), inside and out, and dry well. Coat inside and out with half of the olive oil. Season each turkey on the outside generously with the spice rub. Insert herb sprigs and 2 lemon halves inside the cavity of each turkey. Set the oiled and rubbed turkeys onto roasting rack and pan. Drizzle remaining olive oil over bird. Roast until an instant-read thermometer (inserted deep into the thigh but away from the bone) reads 165 degrees F and juices in the thigh run clear when pierced with a fork, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours; begin checking at 2 hours. Remove from the pans and let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Reserve pan juices for gravy. While turkeys are resting, make the gravy. In a medium heavy saucepan, cook flour and butter over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until a blond roux is formed. Add pan juices and homemade turkey stock, (or chicken stock) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and let simmer until thickened and ready to serve.
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Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at NHB!
