Cheesecloth Turkey

Cheesecloth turkey is an old-school, retro recipe that’s overdue for a revival. The premise is simple enough: When you baste a turkey, the juices ordinarily run off, but covering the bird with cheesecloth holds the juices in place. For this cheesecloth turkey recipe, you start off with your cheesecloth soaked in wine and melted butter, and as the turkey cooks, its juices mingle with them to create a superbly flavorful meal.

Ingredients for Cheesecloth Turkey

• Turkey: The turkey itself is the star of the show in this recipe. So, make sure you buy the perfect turkey.
• Butter: The butter in your basting liquid makes it rich and helps brown the turkey.
• Thyme and sage: The combination of thyme and sage works beautifully to flavor poultry.
• Celery, onion, carrot: Roasting the bird with aromatic vegetables inside flavors the bird and the drippings, making the whole meal taste better.
• White wine: The white wine in the basting liquid adds flavor to both the bird and the gravy.
• Chicken broth: Chicken broth is an easy way to stretch the turkey’s drippings, and make more gravy.
• Flour: The all-purpose flour in this recipe is used to make a roux and thicken the gravy.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the turkey

Heat your oven to 325°F. Remove the giblets from the turkey, cover them, and refrigerate them for use in the gravy.

Pat the turkey dry, and place it breast side up in a roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, thyme and sage. Carefully loosen the skin from the turkey breast with your fingers, and rub the butter mixture under the skin. Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper, then place the celery, onion and carrot inside the cavity.

Step 2: Prepare the cheesecloth

In a saucepan, melt the cubed butter and stir in the wine. Fold your cheesecloth to make a square, 17 inches on each side and 4 layers thick. Saturate the cheesecloth with the wine and butter mixture, and drape it over the turkey.

Step 3: Roast the turkey

Roast the turkey, uncovered, for 3 hours. Baste it with the wine mixture every 30 minutes, making sure the cheesecloth remains moist and never dries out.

Step 4: Roast without the cheesecloth

Remove the cheesecloth from the turkey, and discard it. Continue roasting the turkey for another 45 minutes to 1 ¼ hours, basting it occasionally with the pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of its thigh reads 170 to 175°F. If the turkey appears to be browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.

Step 5: Pour off the drippings

Move the turkey to a serving platter. Cover the bird and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving it. Remove the celery, onion and carrot from the cavity, and discard them.

Pour the drippings into a measuring cup, scraping the roasting pan to get the browned-on bits as well. Skim the fat from the drippings, reserving ⅓ cup for the next step. Add enough chicken broth to the drippings to total 4 full cups.

Step 6: Make the gravy and serve

Chop the refrigerated giblets. In a large saucepan, saute the giblets in the reserved fat until they’re well browned. Stir in the flour until it’s well blended with the fat, making a roux. Gradually stir in the broth mixture. Bring it to a boil and cook it for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until it’s fully thickened. Serve the giblet gravy with the turkey.

Cheesecloth Turkey Recipe Variations

• Dial up the flavors: The herbs and seasonings in this recipe are thoughtfully chosen, and they’ll give you a tasty turkey. Still, there’s room to elevate the turkey a bit, if you have a well-equipped spice cupboard or pantry. Adding a clove or two of garlic in the bird’s cavity, or a light sprinkle of garlic powder alongside the salt and pepper, improves the flavors of the bird and the drippings without being overwhelming. Rosemary is another excellent addition, either fresh or dried. A small pinch of marjoram, lavender (yes, lavender) or summer savory rounds out the herbal flavors in an interesting way. A light sprinkling of smoked salt, available from many retailers, adds an intriguing hint of woodsmoke without overtaking the other flavors.
• Swap the white wine for sherry: Sherry is white wine that goes through a special aging process and is then fortified with brandy. It retains its bright acidity but also develops complex, nutty flavors that go beautifully with poultry and many other meats as well.

How to Store Cheesecloth Turkey

Your leftover turkey and gravy should be refrigerated as soon as possible after the meal, once cooled, in airtight food containers. Depending how much you have leftover, and your family’s preferences, you may want to package the white and dark meat separately.

How long will leftover turkey keep?

Like most leftovers, turkey will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. For longer-term storage, freeze the leftover turkey instead. Separate the meat into meal-sized portions, with or without the gravy, and pack them into freezer-ready containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Well-packaged turkey can retain its quality for up to 6 months, though it’s best if eaten within the first 1 to 3 months.

Can I make this butter cheesecloth turkey ahead of time?

You can, but it’s not ideal because the turkey is at its best and juiciest when freshly roasted. Prepare and carve the turkey as usual, let it cool completely, then pack the meat into shallow food-safe trays or containers and refrigerate.

To reheat turkey, add the meat to a large baking pan and add some gravy or broth to help keep it moist. Cover it and warm it in a preheated oven until it reaches 165°F. Serve as usual.

Cheesecloth Turkey Recipe Tips

Can I just use poultry seasoning instead of the herbs?

Sure, that’s an easy option if you keep poultry seasoning in your pantry. Just be sure that it’s fresh, because ground spices do lose flavor over time. Or, try your hand at mixing your own poultry seasoning.

Why isn’t there stuffing in the turkey?

We call for just using aromatic vegetables in this recipe for a couple of reasons. One is that leaving the cavity open lets hot air inside, cooking the bird more evenly.

A second is that cooking the stuffing inside the bird (traditional though it is) creates a whole lot of questions around food safety. The porous stuffing absorbs uncooked juices from the bird, so it needs to cook to at least 165°F for safety’s sake. By that time the turkey itself will be 15 to 20 degrees hotter, and overcooked. There are certainly ways to do the stuffing in the bird that are food safe, and the USDA has a detailed explanation of how to do it, but the cooking instructions for this recipe assume an open cavity and no stuffing.

What if I don’t want alcohol?

If you’re avoiding alcohol, you have a few potential substitutes to try. One is non-alcoholic wine, which is increasingly available and improving in quality. If that’s still not an appealing option for you, turkey or chicken broth, apple juice or white grape juice are also serviceable alternatives.