Still Edible -- Update

[Aidenbaby]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer already but here goes. I went out to put gallon jugs of water in the deep freezer and discovered to my shock and amazement a turkey. The sell or freeze by date says January of 2007. Do you think it's still edible?

 

[Dace]

I am sure it is safe, but it may have lost texture and flavor over time.

 

[SKR8PN]

Thaw it out and cook it or smoke it. If it was still in the sealed bag, you should be good to go.

 

[Aidenbaby]

Wow! Really? I thought for sure you guys would say to toss it. It was in one of those vacuum packaged bags. Yeah!! Looks like we'll be having a turkey instead of a chicken this week. Now I wish I had a bigger crockpot. I'll probably use one of those oven bags.

 

[freemotion]

You could always thaw it and cut it up, and cook it in the crockpot in two shifts. Or borrow another crockpot and cook it all at once. Or cut it up and put it in your five gallon stockpot and simmer it for hours and hours until it falls off the bone.

What? No five gallon stock pot? Me, neither, until someone else here mentioned hers, and off went I to Target to buy!!!

 

[SKR8PN]

Got a rotisserie for your grill??
I'd baste that puppy in butter and garlic and let'r turn for a few hours!!

 

[Aidenbaby]

I DO have a canning pot though. Use my crockpot in two shifts? Are you some kind of hidden super-genius? That is a great idea that I will probably use. I love the good ole crock because it actually likes to be forgotten.

Do you think I could practice using the borrowed pressure cooker with it too? I could maybe do 1/2 the bird in the crock and 1/2 in the pressure cooker then.

 

[freemotion]

Why not? Then you'd learn about pressure cooking, and have the crockpot version for back-up.....just in case you end up with turkey on the ceiling!

 

[Aidenbaby]

DH was completely 100 percent AGAINST the idea of learning to use the pressure cooker via cooked turkey. He said boilder turkey just didn't sound at all good. I'm ok with that. Right now, it is in the oven roasting. Here is what I ended up doing:

I put the turkey in the roasting pan (disposable foil), put the innards around it in the pan (I hope it's ok to do this), sliced 1 onion and put that on top of the innards. Along the turkey breast I had put 6 tablespoons butter, 3 on each side, under the skin. I then mixed 4 cups of chicken stock with a bit of powdered onion and around 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning and poured that over the whole bird. Finally I sprinkled seasoning salt all over the whole thing. I read that basting didn't help to keep it moistened so much as to help it brown nicely so I am experimenting with not basting until the final hour when the foil tent will be removed. I've heard that you can add a few tablspoons of flour and it will actually make the gravy all by itself. You would still need to suction off some of the fat when the cooking is done. I may experiment with this too. I'll let you know.

It's almost the final hour now and it smells FABULOUS!!!. Man, I really love cooking sometimes.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

That sounds good!

Pressure cooking isn't like "boiling". I mean it is, but it also works on a microscopic level. What you did with the roasting seasonings would have been pretty good in the pressure cooker.

My mother won't cook ribs any other way. Pressure cooks them until they are almost done, then sticks em on the grill to BBQ. Mmmmm, they turn out juicy and tender, with a crispy, slightly charred BBQ outside. Super yum.