R Y B A N Z: Could I Be Killing My Guests? (And Other Thanksgiving Queries)

If I cook the stuffing inside the turkey, is there a chance I could kill my guests? I’m not saying that’s necessarily a deal-breaker. Joe Bethersonton, Fargo, N.D.

Joe, the problem with putting the stuffing inside the bird isn’t that you’re going to kill your guests with it. You won’t, if you roast the bird long enough that the temperature of its meat is north of 155 when you take it out of the oven to rest. The problem is, stuffing’s great. You want a lot of stuffing. And there just isn’t that kind of room inside a turkey. Stuff away. But make sure you also make some extra — call it “dressing” — for those who really want to put on the feed bag. (That’d be me, if I were you. Morning fun fact? It’s 20 degrees in Fargo right now.) Moisten it up with gravy, stock and butter, and all will be well.

I am smoking a 24 lb turkey on a charcoal grill. I am suddenly freaking out about time. How long should it take to cook using indirect heat? I was guessing 4 hours but now I am nervous. Mark W., Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.

You should be nervous, Mark. A 24-pound turkey in a conventional oven set to 325 will be done in something more than 6 hours. If you can keep your bird at that temperature outside today, you’re looking at around the same time frame. Sunlight’s burning. Better get out into the yard, fire up that grill.

I have a partially frozen goose that I would like to put in the oven by 12 noon on Thurs to be ready by 3:30pm for Thanksgiving dinner. To completely defrost the bird, when should I remove it from the refrigerator? Should I soak it in cold water over night; and for how many hours? Will the bird turn/ go bad when sitting out for 3-5 hours before cooking. Nervous in the Village.

Nervous, you sent me that message just a couple of hours ago. I wonder where you’re at in the process now. I’m nervous for you! Please don’t leave your bird just sitting out there on the counter in your warm apartment until you cook. If the thing is still rock-hard in your refrigerator right now, I’d say it’s time to think about the hot-plate special over at the Waverly. If not (and I expect not), just let it sit out for an hour as your oven warms; I bet it’ll be thawed and good to go. Roast goose! Save the fat in the pan. It’s excellent on potatoes.

How long should it take to roast a 21-lb brined turkey, and at what temperature? This is the first time we’ve done a brined turkey, and we’ve heard that it takes less time than a regular turkey? I saw your link to the Alice Waters recipe for brined turkey, but since that was for a 12-14 pounder, I just wanted to double-check on the timing for a substantially bigger bird. Thanks so much for the help! Happy Thanksgiving! Amy, Lafayette, Calif.

I don’t think there’s a substantial difference in cooking time between a brined bird and an unbrined bird, though you’re right that there are differences in timing between little birds and big ‘uns. For your fatty, I’d go with a rough estimate of six hours at 325, after an initial blast of 425 for the first half hour. As always, your mileage may vary.

Best way to reheat the mashed potatoes? Harriet, San Francisco

I generally keep them on the stove top, covered, and then put them into the oven to reheat as my turkey rests. You can adapt that technique to almost any situation. Let’s say you’ve cooked the potatoes already; they’re in the fridge. Put them into a buttered serving dish, maybe with a little extra cream, cover them in foil and put them in the oven as described, to come back up to heat. Stir a few times. Looking dry? Add butter and cream. It’s Thanksgiving. We’re just crushing the butter and cream today.