Turkey de la Cezra
Set over on bake to 325 degrees.
Cook time for 16lb about 4 1/2 hours.
Ingredients:
*Large Turkey
*3 Packs Butcher cut Bacon (peppered is best): The THICK cuts
About 25 slices to cover a 16lb turkey
*1/4 cup salt
*6 T oregano
*6 T parsley
*6 T rosemary
*3 cloves of garlic, crushed
*4 T ground pepper
*2 bottles of champagne
*1/2 pound of butter
*Chicken stock
*1/2 cup of apple juice
*Flour cloth (cheese cloth works too)
Wash and dry the turkey, with a paper towel.
Keep the back legs tied together to hold stuffing.
Try to remove all the gimlet bits they tie up inside, but somehow miss one and remove that when it expands, after baking.
Pour one whole bottle of champagne over and inside the turkey.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Start to drink the other bottle of champagne while you cook.
Mix salt, pepper, other spices and garlic together in a bowl. Rub spices on and inside the entire turkey generously. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Layer bacon over each other about 1/2-1/4 of the strips, you want a nice overlap, over the entire body of the bird. (Make sure it's stuffed with whatever stuffing you use before you cover it completely). Use toothpicks to hold in place if necessary.
Take any remaining spices you have, and place them in a microwaveable bowl with the butter. Add apple juice, and 1/4 cup of chicken stock to the bowl as well. Microwave till butter is liquidated. Place your flour cloth in this mixture.
Drape your butter covered flour cloth over the turkey (thanks andy owen).
Place in oven. Pour any remaining butter mixture over the cloth at 1 hour into baking. (baste from drippings about every 40 minutes)
After 2 hours, remove the cloth.
After 3 hours, remove the bacon. You can stuff the remainder inside, or save some for gravy, or feed it to Winston. Pour on remainder of the chicken stock at this point.
Take turkey out at 4 1/2 hours, eat it.
