Talking turkey: Are you ready for the big day?

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Turkey with Bacon Shingle | Melissa Elsmo~for Sun-Times Media

Thanksgiving Turkey with a Bacon Shingle

I don’t stuff my turkey. I find that the aromatics flavor the bird and keep it juicy. Unstuffed birds cook faster; if you opt to stuff yours, increase the cooking time by at least 30 minutes and make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees before serving.

A 12-14 pound turkey (brined if suitable)

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

3 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 teaspoon orange zest

Salt and pepper

1 orange, quartered

1 green apple, quartered

1 onion, quartered

2 stalks celery, broken

3 rosemary sprigs

8 slices thick cut bacon

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 shallots, sliced into ¼-inch thick rings

Allow turkey to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the butter with the chopped rosemary and orange zest. Season with salt and pepper. Pat the turkey dry and season the cavity with salt and pepper. Place orange, apple, onion, celery, and rosemary in the cavity of the turkey. Turn the wing tips under and ties the legs together with twine. Place the turkey, breast side up, in a sturdy roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Rub the surface of the turkey with the herb butter. Rub the butter between the breast meat and the skin if desired.

Place the turkey into a preheated 350 degree oven and roast for two hours basting with the pan drippings ever 45 minutes. Combine the maple syrup with ¼ cup of warm water. Remove the turkey and layer the bacon slices over the breast meat (They should overlap slightly). Baste the bacon with some of the maple syrup mixture and season with pepper. Sprinkle with the shallots. Continue roasting for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes (baste with syrup mixture every 30 minutes) until the juices run clear and temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. If the turkey begins to brown too quickly tent it with foil.

Allow turkey to rest for 20 minutes and remove the bacon before carving. Serve the turkey with the bacon on the side.

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Updated: December 11, 2011 8:21AM

More than 80 percent of all Americans will serve a turkey as the center piece of their Thanksgiving spread, and cooks everywhere will spend the next month trying to decipher the turkey code.

Navigating the differences between kosher, free-range, and heritage birds can be mind-boggling, but the complications don’t end at the grocery store checkout. Should you brine your bird? Should you stuff the turkey or cook grandma’s cornbread and oyster stuffing on the side? With all of these choices, holiday pressure starts to ramp up early. Roasting a Thanksgiving turkey can bring out insecurities in the most confident cooks. So let’s relax and talk turkey!

The first decision any turkey cooker has to make is whether to purchase a fresh or frozen bird. Frozen turkeys have been chilled to zero degrees and can be drier than their fresh counterparts. Fresh turkeys, on the other hand, have never been exposed to a temperature lower than 26 degrees (the official freezing temperature for turkey) and do not require thawing. You’ll pay more than a dollar extra per pound for a standard fresh turkey than a frozen bird; it is best to let your wallet guide this choice.

From there turkey selection becomes even more complex. Cost, flavor and environmental impact can drive turkey selection and understanding what turkey labels really mean will help guide your purchase for the big day. Making a confident and informed turkey purchase will help set the tone for a perfect holiday celebration!

Turkeys fall into six major categories:

Basted or Self Basted: These common grocery store turkeys are considered enhanced birds and have been injected with a solution of food additives to aid texture and flavor. Do not brine these birds; they will become overly salty. This purchase is easy on the wallet.

Natural: If a turkey is referred to as “all natural” it only means that it has not been injected with additives to enhance flavors. The term does not refer to how the bird was raised. Natural turkeys should be brined and are commonly found in local shops.

Kosher: Strict guidelines dictate the processing of kosher turkeys. They are exclusively grain fed and soaked in salty brine after slaughtering. Do not brine a kosher turkey.

Free- Range: Birds labeled “free-range” are the least cost effective. A turkey labeled “free range” may only be outside for minutes a day if at all. Meat quality is not enhanced because of this lifestyle, but the price goes through the roof. Look for “pasture raised” or “grass fed” turkeys if you want to serve a sustainably raised and exceptionally delicious bird this Thanksgiving. Free-range, pasture-raised, and grass-fed birds should be brined.

Organic: Organic turkeys are hormone and antibiotic free. Their feed does not contain animal by-products. Organic turkeys should be brined.

Heritage: Heritage turkeys are the ancestors of the turkeys we commonly eat today. They have a higher percentage of dark meat, generous fat content, and more robust flavor than supermarket turkeys. They are lovingly raised and often over two years old before they are slaughtered. As a result they are quite expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion. Brining will tamper with the natural flavor of a Heritage bird, but take care to protect the breast meat with fat. Expect to pay up to $200 for a best quality 12-pound heritage bird.

The Turkey Tool-Box

• Sturdy Roasting Pan with Rack- All Clad ($160) or Calphalon ($80)

• Digital Probe Thermometer- Oneida ($20)

• Turkey Lifters- All Clad ($30) or Endurance ($9)

• Granton Edge Slicing Knife- RH Forschner ($50)

• Aluminum Foil and Kitchen Twine.