Smoked Turkey Thigh Confit

The rest of the paste, for 5 to 7 lb

• 3½large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
• 4shallots, coarsely chopped
• 6 clovesfresh garlic, peeled
• 18 sprigsfresh thyme, stems and all
• 12juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 3bay leaves, crumbled
• 1orange, zest only, no white pith

Method

• Weigh the thighs, enter the weight above, and weigh out the salt, sugar and pepper.
• Pulse the onions, shallots, garlic, thyme, juniper, bay, orange zest, salt, sugar and pepper in the food processor until finely chopped, about 20 seconds. It takes two batches. Stir the batches together in a bowl so the salt is even throughout.
• Spread a third of the paste across the bottoms of two baking dishes. Lay the thighs on top in a single layer, skin side up.
• Pack the remaining paste over the thighs. Give each dish a share of paste that matches the share of meat it holds.
• Wrap both dishes tightly and refrigerate for 4 to 6 days. Go 5 or 6 if the thighs are over 1½ lb each.

Herb blend, makes 2 tablespoons

• 2 tsprubbed sage
• 1 tspsummer savory
• 1 tspmarjoram
• 1 tspdried thyme
• ½ tspdried rosemary
• ¼ tspcelery seed
• ⅛ tspground mace
• ⅛ tspground white pepper

Grind it all to a fine powder. Whole rosemary needles and celery seeds would sit on the skin and scorch at 500°F. Two teaspoons go in the bags and half a teaspoon in the gravy. The rest is for the stuffing.

Herb fat

• 2 tbspcold duck fat or mild olive oil
• 2 tspherb blend
• ¾ tspgranulated garlic
• 2bay leaves, one per bag

Method

• Mash the fat, herb blend and granulated garlic together. Chill until firm. With olive oil, freeze it in small dollops on parchment.
• Fold back the mouth of each bag to keep the seal area clean. Load 2 or 3 thighs per bag in one layer, skin side up.
• Divide the herb fat evenly among the thighs, half under each one and half on top, roughly half a teaspoon per dab. Add a bay leaf to each bag.
• Vacuum seal, then add a second seal line. Check that no bone end is pressing a sharp point into the plastic.
• Refrigerate the bags until the bath is hot.

Gravy base

• 4 cupspit turkey drippings, chilled
• ¼ ozdried porcini (7 g)
• 5 tbspunsalted butter or duck fat
• 1large shallot, minced
• 1 tsptomato paste
• 5 tbspall-purpose flour (40 g)
• ¼ cupdry Madeira or dry sherry
• 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
• ½ tspherb blend
• ¼ tspMSG (optional)

Method

• Lift the fat cap off the cold drippings and set it aside. Leave it out of the gravy. That fat holds the heaviest smoke.
• Warm the drippings and taste them. Simmer the 4 cups down toward 2 cups, tasting every 10 minutes. Stop early as soon as they taste as salty as a finished soup.
• Off the heat, steep the porcini in the hot drippings for 15 minutes, then strain. Measure out 2 cups for the base and save anything extra for thinning tomorrow.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallot until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, until it darkens.
• Add the flour and stir constantly until the roux is the color of peanut butter, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Whisk in the Madeira until it tightens into a paste, then whisk in the 2 cups of drippings a little at a time. Add the Worcestershire, herb blend and MSG.
• Simmer gently for 10 minutes. It will be thicker than gravy, which is what you want today. Add no salt.
• Cool, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and refrigerate.

Mahogany glaze

• 40 gbourbon (a scant 3 tbsp)
• 10 gcranberry bitters (2 tsp)
• 5 gKitchen Bouquet (1 tsp)
• 1 gliquid soy lecithin (¼ tsp, optional)

• Shake everything together in a small jar and leave it on the counter. The lecithin helps the glaze spread over skin that still has a film of fat on it.

The clock

• 12:45Start heating the bath to 140°F.
• 1:15Bags in. The oven is free for sides until 2:30.
• 2:30Oven to 500°F. Gravy base onto low heat.
• 2:45Bags out. Open, rack the thighs, strain the juices.
• 2:55Finish the gravy.
• 3:10Glaze the skin. Into the oven.
• 3:20First look at the color. Out by about 3:25.
• 3:25Rest. Stir the citrus-mustard sauce together.
• 3:40Bone and slice.
• 4:00Serve.

Rewarm and open

• Heat the bath to 140°F (60°C). Submerge the sealed bags for at least 1½ hours. An extra hour does no harm if dinner slides.
• Crumple a sheet of foil, flatten it into a rimmed sheet pan, and set a wire rack on top. The creases catch the dripping fat so it does not smoke.
• Cut the bags open over a strainer set in a bowl. Lift each thigh out with tongs and a spatula underneath and set it on the rack, skin side up. The skin tears easily.
• Pat the skin dry and wipe off any herb specks or bay.
• Let the strained liquid settle for 5 minutes, then separate the fat from the juices. Keep the fat for roasting potatoes. Set aside 4 teaspoons of juices for the citrus-mustard sauce.

Finish the gravy

• 1–2 cupsjuices from the bags
• 2 tbspcold unsalted butter
• ½ tspsherry vinegar
• pinchground white pepper

• Simmer the bag juices in a small pan for 2 minutes, then pour them through the fine-mesh strainer. Taste them. They will be salty.
• Warm the gravy base over medium-low heat, whisking. Add the hot juices a splash at a time until the gravy coats a spoon. That usually takes 1 to 1½ cups.
• If it needs more loosening, use the drippings you saved or unsalted stock. Aim for 3 cups and stop before 4.
• Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter, the vinegar and the white pepper. Taste, and add salt only now if it needs any.
• Hold it in a thermos rinsed with boiling water, or in a covered pot on the lowest burner.

Roast

• Heat the oven to 500°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Give it a full 30 minutes.
• Shake the glaze and brush one thin, even coat over the skin. Brush out any puddles.
• Roast, and take the first look at 10 minutes. Pull the pan when the skin is deep mahogany and crisp, usually between 12 and 15 minutes.
• Rest the thighs on a board for 15 minutes, skin side up and uncovered.

Citrus-mustard sauce

• ½ cuporange marmalade
• 4 tspreserved bag juices
• 2 tbspwhole-grain mustard
• ¾ tspgrated lime zest
• 2 tbsplime juice
• ¼ tsptable salt
• ⅛ tspcayenne

• Microwave the marmalade with the bag juices for about 30 seconds, until fluid. Stir in everything else. This is the original batch size, which is plenty beside the gravy.

Carve

• Turn a thigh skin side down. Run the tip of a paring knife along both sides of the bone and lift it out, along with any cartilage.
• Turn it skin side up and slice crosswise, ¾ inch thick, with a sharp chef’s knife.
• Arrange on a warm platter, skin side up. Pass the gravy and the sauce at the table.