Herbs used in turkey

Fat Boy

Everywhere on the forum I read using fresh herbs but if you can't get fresh herbs will the dry herbs work ? If so how much to use in the bird and mixed with the butter in the paste you spread? I don't want to put too much on the bird but need the advise. Thanks

Fat Boy

If you can't get fresh herbs how much of the dry herbs should you use in the bird and in the butter paste you make to spread on the bird?

thirdeye

I suppose you could over season with herbs, but on things like the breast that are thick you can get pretty western. I use basil, or rosemary, or real thin slices of lemon under the skin. Since you are using an herb butter and dry herbs you could sneak some under the skin with a wooden spoon or plastic knife. Try mixing your butter, then forming into a roll with clear plastic wrap and slightly freezing it. It slices really nice this way. The amount of herbs would have to be to taste...

If I disturb the skin too much I pin it in place with toothpicks.

PhilsGrill

It's up to you. Use whatever you need to coat the bird.

stike

you can certainly use dried herbs. my mom used Bell's seasoning for the longest time, mix of (i believe) the Simon and Garfunkel spices (parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme).

sage is the one that stands out... if you have only dried herbs, consider working them into your butter a while beforehand. how much? hard to say, unfortunately. a whole stick of butter plus a tsp maybe of dried sage, thyme, etc.

mix some up and give it a taste

if you have some, try this herb. it was my grandmother's favorite, and i grabbed a cutting when she passed away. she had a garden FULL of this stuff. tastes wonderful and makes everyone feel really happy. except my uncle gets really paranoid for some reason. i have yet to find it in a cook book, but i think it is Jamaican.

Little Chef

Fat Boy: General rule of thumb in recipes, 1 Tablespoon Fresh = 1 teaspoon dried.

evenwhenitsraining

Many suggest that when substituting dried for fresh that you cut the amount that you use. I however substitute equal amounts dried for fresh due to the fact that many dried herbs have diminished flavor. You have to remember that turkey is a BIG bird. You could encrust the entire thing in herbs and still not overseason the meat. (Although the skin might be less palatable.) There's no shame in using dried herbs, in fact some would argue that it's a more sustainable choice. I recommend you use the same amount of dried and put it under the skin wherever possible. Herbs tend to burn in the oven, especially given the long cook time of turkey.

Best luck.

evenwhenitsraining

BTW, I was not intentionally contradicting Little Chef's advice. We must have been typing our posts at the same time.

Why "Little" Chef?

SomedayMommy

Hey! I used that herb one year! Thing was, everyone kept eating! We didn't have any leftovers to send home with anyone. Uncle Bob kept putting mustard on a roll - said it was the BEST thing he ever ate in his life.


Sorry, OP. I don't have any info to add...

Marc from IL

LOL Stike!! Thats the good stuff....

jeffinsgf

Fresh herbs kept fresh in your grocer's case by refrigeration and rapid transit may be less environmentally responsible than dried herbs, but there's nothing "greener" than going out to your yard and cutting the fresh herbs right off the plant.

stevesails

that's funny, I was just talking to an italian cousin this past wekend, he was growing something that looked just like this but was not the MJ, and he made Lemoncello out of it.