Turkey’s savory wrapping

To avoid any risk of Thanksgiving dinner not being indulgent enough, we created this over-the-top turkey and gravy affectionately dubbed “bacon bird.”

The goal was to find an easy way to infuse a turkey with deep flavor while also keeping it moist and create richly savory pan drippings for gravy. If we could get a crispy skin in the bargain, all the better.

We didn’t want to brine, as many people lack the time and space. Spice rubs are nice, but we wanted the flavor taken to another level - which is how we came up with the idea of wrapping the turkey in bacon.

By wrapping the bacon under and over the skin, we not only enrich the meat with the seriously good smoky flavor of bacon, but we also effectively baste the bird constantly during cooking (thanks to the fat rendering off the bacon as it cooks).

This also essentially deep-fries the skin in place. And as for the pan drippings for gravy, well, anything infused with that much bacon is amazing.

Bacon-wrapped roasted turkey with pan gravy

From start to finish, this recipe takes 4 hours. It makes a 12- to 14-pound turkey with gravy

12- to 14-pound turkey

2 large yellow onions, cut into wedges

1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon

1/2 cup white wine

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup water

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

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