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Thanksgiving Roast Turkey, Stuffing, and Gravy

The secret to the Ludwig family (and now Horvath family) Thanksgiving dinners.  It's not difficult, it just requires following the timeline.  Butterball has a great calculator for defrosting time, cooking time, and amount of turkey to order.  In my oven, a 21 pound turkey cooks more quickly than Butterball says so I end up checking it after 2 hours and often have to turn it down to 250 or it is done too quickly.  

 Also see the general Thanksgiving timeline for information on how much to purchase and when to start.

 Updated in 2018.

TIMELINE
  • 1-2 weeks before: purchase 20+ lb turkey (It is more difficult to find frozen Butterballs; QFC currently sells them) and additional turkey legs. 
  • 5-7 days before: defrost the turkey in the refrigerator (prefer 7 days if there is room); if it's not fully defrosted, put it in a cold water bath the morning of, changing the water every 30 mins or so. Better yet, if you have time, put in cold water the day before to make sure it will be ready. Also buy the white bread so it can begin drying out. Put it on a high shelf so the dogs do not "accidentally" eat it -- twice.
  • Day before: shred the bread for the stuffing; Prep onions and celery for stuffing.
  • Morning of: Grandma comes over to prepare the turkey with you, bringing the bread for the stuffing if you are lucky. Make the stuffing; Clean the turkey (see detailed instructions below); Start a stock with the giblets and tail from the turkey.
INGREDIENTS
  • approx 21 pound Frozen Butterball turkey. Serves about 18 people with some leftovers. If serving more, get extra legs.
  • 4-5 loaves of Franz white bread; make sure to reserve the end pieces for the stuffing that goes in the turkey; make sure to dry it out the night before by laying it on a towel (uncovered) and turning it before bed and again in the morning.  2017: Nancy used Essential White bread which is denser, needed more sage for flavoring than Franz.d
  • Crisco or Butter (Butter is the preferred moisturizer now)
  • Celery
  • Onions
  • Poultry seasoning
  • Lawry's
  • Sage
  • 2-3 cubes of butter for the stuffing
  • Turkey skewers
  • Twine
  • Paper towels
  • Large Roasting Pan
  • Foil
  • Baster
  • Flour
PREPARATION

LUDWIG FAMILY STUFFING
This is a simple stuffing to use in the turkey. Restrain from adding other ingredients. If more/different flavor is desired, cook an additional stuffing in the oven.
Prep: 15 minutes to chop vegetables, 2 hours to shred bred
Cooking time: 30 minutes
  • 1 gigantic stock pot (used for stuffing and later for potatoes)
  • 4-5 loaves of Franz bread, cut or shredded into small pieces and laid out uncovered overnight on towels to dry. 4 "long" loaves make ~ 32 handfuls of bread.  Reserve the ends of the loaf to cover the stuffing.
  • 3 cups celery (for 4-5 loaves)
  • 2 cups onion (for 4-5 loaves)
  • Sage
  • Salt 
  • Pepper
  • Poultry seasoning
  • 1-2 cups turkey stock
  • 3 cubes butter
  1. Melt butter in the stock pot.
  2. Add celery & onion and saute until they are tender, about 10-15 mins.
  3. Add bread and mix with the celery and onion.
  4. Add sage, salt, poultry seasoning, and a little bit of pepper.  Mix well. Taste.  Adjust the seasonings as needed.  The stuffing should taste of a hint of sage as the flavor will increase with cooking, per Ludwig tradition.  Valerie likes a bit more sage taste to hers.
  5. Add enough turkey stock so that the bread is moist, but not soggy, if it is needed.
  6. Use stuffing and bread ends for turkey; place any extra stuffing in a casserole dish.  Top with the reserved end pieces which have been moistened in the turkey stock.  Optional: dot butter along the crusts.
  7. Cook extra stuffing at 325F for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
BUTTERBALL TURKEY WITH STUFFING
This recipe requires a frozen Butterball turkey.  Not a fresh Butterball turkey - they are different. Not another brand of frozen turkey. Unless you are adventurous.
    Prep: 7 days to defrost the turkey, 1 hour to prep the bird.
    Cooking time: varies based on the weight of the bird. A 15 pound bird takes about 4 hours @ 325F.
    • Turkey, defrosted
    • Carrots, Onion, Celery for giblet stock
    • Stuffing, plus reserved bread ends
    • Crisco, butter or lard
    • Lawry's seasoning salt
    • Salt
    • Turkey skewers (3)
    • Twine
    • Paper towels
    • Large Roasting Pan
    • Foil
    • Baster
    1. Unwrap the turkey in the sink.  Pull out the giblets, tail, and other stuff that is packed into the cavities. Check both the big cavity and the smaller neck cavity.  If the inside of the bird is still frozen, immerse it in cold water for another 30-60 minutes until fully defrosted or until you can pull the giblets out.
    2. Put giblets, tail, and other stuff in a pot of water (enough water to cover plus an inch or two) with some chopped carrots, onions, and celery and simmer.  After an hour remove the giblets, but keep simmering the stock.
    3. Break the membrane in the smaller cavity, separating the two cavities, by poking your finger through it.  Then remove the membrane and throw it away.
    4. Remove the blood vessels and other gunk from the main cavity (along the spine and ribs).  Dig with your fingernails and pull to get the gunk out; throw it all away.
    5. Rinse the inside and outside of the turkey under cold water.  
    6. Steps 1-5 can be done the night before although I have never managed to defrost the turkey sufficiently to be able to clean it.  If you do prep the turkey the night before, make sure to rinse the inside cavities again before putting the dressing in.
    7. Dry the turkey, inside and out, with paper towels.
    8. Put the turkey lifter in the roasting pan. Butterball used to include a string lifter, but if there isn't one, place a closed string length-wise to make it easier to lift the bird out when it is done.  NOTE with smaller turkeys it is not as critical to have the turkey lifter.  Also put a piece of twine horizontally, which will be used to bind the wings to the bird.
    9. Massage the Crisco or other fat onto the turkey skin, making sure to fully coat wings as well as thighs.  Dab a bit of extra crisco on the bottom of the roasting pan so the bird will not stick.
    10. Lightly salt the inside of the turkey using kosher salt (not Lawrys).
    11. Starting butt side up, lightly stuff the neck cavity.  Use the tail flap to cover the tail cavity, using the 3 small skewers (or 1-2 large skewers) to secure the tail flap.  Sprinkle the skin with Lawrys before turning the bird over.
    12. Loosely stuff the main cavity.  Dip the reserved bread ends in stock and place them to cover the main cavity.  Sprinkle the skin with Lawrys.
    13. Tuck the legs into the slit in the skin at the end of the main cavity.  (Often the turkey will come with the skin pre-slitted and its legs stuck in the slit at packing.)  This can sometimes be a challenge if the skin is not very elastic.  If you rip the slit, secure the legs with twine.
    14. Tie the wings to the bird using the twine that has been laid down in the roasting pan.
    15. Place the turkey in the 325F oven, breast side up.  Be sure to cover the bird lightly with foil to keep the top from burning.  Leave the bird tented with foil until the last hour or so.
    16. Baste the bird every hour using the cooking juices.  Cook until breast meat reaches 180F.
    17. Lift the turkey from the pan and let sit 15 minutes before carving.
    Gravy
    The best gravies come from just pan juices and a well-cooked roux.  Sometimes the bird doesn't cooperate, however, and one resorts to flavor enhancers to get a good gravy. Making gravy is an art, one that is passed down among the family.
    Prep: zero
    Cooking time: 45 mins to 1 hour
    • Flour
    • Salt
    • Turkey stock
    • Foley Fork
    • Lawrys Seasoning Salt
    • Optional: coffee, vinegar, boullion cubes, sage, fish sauce, soy sauce, coffee... they've all been used in one gravy or another over the years.
    1. Put the turkey roasting pan on the stove with the juices still in it.  Turn the burner(s) on LOW and add flour to make the roux.  A general rule of thumb is to add about the same amount of flour as fat, adding in 1/3 cup increments.  Stir the roux constantly, adding flour until the resulting paste no longer looks glossy.  (Do not worry if it seems like you are adding a lot of flour; the fats absorb a lot of flour.)
    2. A good roux is the secret to all gravies and many other sauces.  It requires constant stirring.  It will cook 15 - 30 minutes, or until the roux does not taste like flour.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!
    3. Once the roux is cooked, begin adding stock.  Add the stock in cupfuls until the mixture is a bit more watery than gravy.  Stir until the mixture starts thickening.  Sometimes this process is repeated several times until the mixture stops absorbing more water.  Remember that the gravy will thicken a bit more so having it slightly watery at the end is ok.  
    4. Season the gravy with salt and Lawry's.  Resort to alternative flavor enhancers only if needed.  If it is too floury (roux didn't cook enough), try rice wine vinegar or other low acid vinegar to brighten the flavor. If it doesn't just have zing, and you are sure you've added enough salt, try adding a dab a fish sauce which will add umami. And for some reason, coffee sometimes can bring the gravy back to life too.
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