Thanksgiving turkey, five cooking methods

Defrost the turkey fully, 24 hours in the fridge for every five pounds, then unbag it and remove the neck and giblets, which are good for gravy.

Pat the bird dry inside and out and pull out the pop-up thermometer without tearing the skin more than necessary.

Separate the skin from the meat with your fingers.

Make compound butter: combine eight ounces of room temperature unsalted butter with freshly chopped sage, rosemary and thyme, a hefty pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, whisked until homogenous.

Push and massage the compound butter under the skin a gob at a time, then rub any remainder over the outside.

Dry brine with about half a cup of kosher salt mixed with one teaspoon of baking powder, applied liberally to every part of the exterior. A wet brine, if used, goes first, before any of the other steps.

Rest uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours.

Whisk one cup of concentrated turkey stock, made by boiling two quarts down to one cup, with one cup of lightly melted butter and inject it repeatedly into the white and dark meat.

Check the label first: if the ingredients list anything beyond turkey, the bird was probably commercially brined, so the injection liquid must carry no added salt.

Truss the legs and tuck the wings under the front. Do not stuff the bird; use a quartered onion and half a lemon instead, which need not come up to temperature.

Method one, classic oven roast: line the roasting pan with aluminum foil and add a roughly chopped onion, a head of garlic with the cloves separated and unpeeled, a few chopped carrots and a few chopped ribs of celery to stop the drippings burning and to make concentrated stock for the gravy.

Set the turkey on a rack over the vegetables, tent loosely with foil and roast at 325F for about two hours.

After two hours, or once the thickest part of the breast registers about 150F, uncover, crank to 450F, preferably convection, and crisp for 15 to 45 minutes until the breast reads about 155F and the dark meat 175F.

Rest uncovered 20 to 30 minutes; first retrieve the drippings, let them settle a few minutes and skim the fat off the top for hyper-concentrated stock.

Method two, oven bag: cut a half dozen ventilation slits in the top of the bag and cook at 325F for about two hours or until the thickest part of the breast registers 150F.

Take the bird out of the bag and set it on a rack raised above the drippings.

Whatever the method, brush the bird with fat - clarified butter, oil, chicken or duck fat - and return to a 450F oven, preferably convection, for 15 to 30 minutes until thoroughly browned. Do not brown the bird sitting over the drippings; the steam stops the underside browning.

Rest 30 minutes, then carve by removing the breasts and slicing them across the grain.

Method three, spatchcocking: cut out the spine with sharp kitchen shears and optionally remove the wishbone with shallow cuts down its sides.

Snip at the base of the breastbone, flip the bird over and press down hard between the breasts to flatten it.

Dry brine with the salt and baking powder mixture and rest uncovered in the fridge 24 hours, separating the skin from the meat so the fat renders out.

If not injecting, poke the skin a number of times, especially over the thicker fat deposits, with a safety pin or cocktail pick to help the fat render.

Bake on a rack set over the vegetables in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet at 450F, preferably convection, for about 45 minutes until the breast registers 155F and the dark meat 175F.

Method four, smoked: make an optional rub from half a cup of melted clarified butter, one and a half teaspoons kosher salt, one teaspoon each dried sage, rosemary and thyme, three quarters of a teaspoon dried oregano, half a teaspoon each black pepper and onion powder, one teaspoon paprika and two tablespoons brown sugar.

Inject the meat with melted and cooled salted butter and rub the spice butter over and under the skin; do not truss or stuff.

Smoke at 325F for about two hours, then raise the heat to about 450F to crisp the skin in the last half hour.

Method five, deep frying: thread the bird on the grappling hook, lower it into an empty pot, add cold oil until just covered and pull the bird back out - that is how to measure the oil.

Wear heatproof gloves and goggles; once the oil reaches 325F, kill the flame so an overflow cannot start a fire.

With the flame off, lower the turkey very slowly so oil does not rush into the cavity and splash.

Fry half an hour to 45 minutes, about three and a half minutes per pound, holding the oil at 325F as best you can and starting to check the white meat after about 30 minutes.

Turn the flame off again and lift the bird out very slowly; it is full of hot oil.