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We are brining and sugaring a turkey (as usual), then
putting the stuffing and two sticks of butter under the
skin. We saw that at a restaurant in San Francisco and it
looked and smelled great, so we're trying it this year.

We defrost the bird in a sink of kosher salt, ice and
several cups of brown sugar. The salt will draw the sugar
into the meat. The ice cubes keeps the meat from thawing too
quickly.

We put it in around six at night to defrost. We put the
nekkid bird in the sink, cover with ice cubes, throw in the
salt and then throw in the brown sugar. As the ice melts,
the salt and sugar will be drawn into the meat.

Then in the morning, oh, around 8:00, I make the dressing
and saute the chicken livers in some butter and garlic. (I
just use the boxed kind with extra chicken livers whacked up
and put in because I like chicken liver.)I also string some
celery and chop it roughly because I like celery in my dressing.

Slice up the butter into pats; they go in with the dressing
so you get this decadent buttery intense flavor when it is
cooked.

Rinse the bird off and pat dry. I didn't one year and she
slipped out of my hands and flew across the kitchen floor.

You are going to jam all of the dressing, plus those two
sticks of butter between the skin and the meat.

Loosen the skin from the meat by jamming your hands up
through the neck skin. The skin lifts easily--loosen it all
the way into the drumsticks.

Then jam in the stuffing and sort of push it around. You
will need to squish it around from the outside so you don't
get unattractive lumps. It needs to look somewhat evenly plump.
I'll probably put in some smashed garlic cloves and pierced
and halved lemons in the body cavity.

Then I'll twine it up, just to keep it in shape.

Then around 9:30 or 10 IN THE MORNING,put it into a 500
degree oven for 30 minutes; it shrinks the skin and keeps
the meat tender.
Then tent it with foil and cook at 350 until about 40
minutes before we eat. I take it out of the oven and let it
continue to internally cook. Moist and juicy that way.  

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