Go to the Recipe: Pan-Seared Brick Chicken
Would this not work with a small turkey? Is turkey too tough for such a short cook?
Because you asked this I'm going to have to give it a try at some point!
These aren't deal breakers but here are the potential issues that I would look out for: SIZE: A smaller turkey (guessing the whole weight being around 10-12#) will exceed the capacity of the gas or electric burner in a 12-inch pan. So you might get blonder edges on the bird towards the outside of the pan. To work around this I would rotate the bird around the pan more during the cook and triple the amount of fat in the pan to support more even heat around the pan edges.
Texture: Personally I wouldn't be worried about it being too tough. Though at this point many of us are getting used to the texture of the tenderized sous vide turkey the traditional version quickly cooked to core temp is still good and not too tough as long as it's not overcooked. I would spend extra time during the butchery to remove all the tendons. Once the turkey is skewered up I would make a cut a 1/2-inch cut deep along the legs on the backside. This should help the dark meat cook a little faster..
WILD ALT OPTION NO RULES: I haven't done this but I can't think of why this wouldn't work.
- Butcher and skewer.
- Dry brine 24 hrs
- Cook in the oven at 200 °F pressed between half sheet pans weighted until you hit target temps (150 °F breasts).
- Rest at room temp until the internal temp drops to about 100-110 °F, about 90min to 2 hrs.
- Pat dry
- Deep fry!!!!!!!!
A brick? A bit primitive. I agree that store bought cooking presses are a joke but I let the brick idea go. I have several presses 6 1/4 inch circular steel plates. One tapped at the center..the other drilled through. A stainless rod is threaded into the tapped disk and you can stack as many of the plates on it as you need for weight. Works great for most meats. Can be light or VERY heavy...
