MENDOCINO CO., 11/14/26 — Chef Marc Vogel’s Thanksgiving turkey goes into a 500-degree oven. You don’t salt it. You don’t baste it. And you leave a fork wedged inside the bird the whole time.
Marc was my friend and co-worker, and he cooked for the people stuck at work on Thanksgiving. Every year he carried turkey and stuffing into the newsroom for those of us on the holiday shift. That’s how I first tasted what he called his high-heat turkey. It cooked fast and came out with crisp skin and succulent meat.
Before he died, he gave me permission to pass the recipe along. Thanksgiving is Nov. 26. That leaves you time to order a bird and pick up a bottle of Mendocino County wine to pour with it. Tip a glass to Marc.
Where to get the bird
Start with the size. Marc wrote his directions for a 16- to 18-pound turkey, so ask for one in that range.
In Willits, Mariposa Market has its sign-up sheets out. “It’s Turkey Time!” says a sign on the market’s website. “Sign up sheets located on the tables in the deli.” The market is at 500 S. Main St. and is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 707-459-9630.
In Anderson Valley, Lemons Philo Market is taking orders for Willie Bird turkeys at $4.89 a pound, a market employee said by phone Nov. 13. If turkey isn’t your thing, the market also has ham at $5.29 a pound and prime rib. They also stock fruit pies and pecan pies. The market is at 8651 Highway 128 in Philo. The phone number is 707-895-3552.
Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op has three kinds of turkey to order, an employee said by phone Nov. 13. Turkeys the co-op calls regenerative are $6.99 a pound. Organic turkeys are $5.99 a pound. Free-range Willie Bird turkeys are $4.59 a pound, and supply is limited. “Those are going really fast,” the employee said. The co-op is at 721 S. State St. in Ukiah. The phone number is 707-462-4778.
On the coast, Harvest Market in Fort Bragg is taking orders, a meat department employee said by phone Nov. 13. Conventional turkeys are $4.69 a pound. Organic turkeys cost $5.99 to $6.29 a pound, depending on the brand. The market is at 171 Boatyard Drive. The phone number is 707-964-7000.
Surf Market in Gualala is also taking turkey orders. The market has Diestel turkeys, both organic and natural, along with turkey breast, ham and prime rib. The phone number is 707-884-4184.
What to pour
Pinot: For 150 years, the 203-acre farm that is now Lichen Estate in Boonville was a sheep ranch, according to the winery. Now it grows pinot noir and pinot gris, and its website says the estate vines are farmed organically.
The bottle for this bird is Lichen’s 2023 Moonglow pinot noir, which sells for $55. The winery describes it as tasting of raspberry, pomegranate and cherry cordial. I described it as “yummy” when I tasted it this summer.
For the white, try the Masút Estate Vineyard Chardonnay from Eagle Peak, above Redwood Valley. It’s a dry chardonnay, fermented in stainless steel and aged in large French oak barrels, so you get some oak without the butter bomb. Winemaker Jake Fetzer told me he’s been using less new oak. The wine has enough acidity to stand up to gravy and stuffing, and its citrus and green apple flavors go well with turkey. Expect to pay about $45 to $50.
Chef Marc’s easy high-heat turkey
1. Dry a 16- to 18-pound turkey inside and out with paper towels.
2. Oil the turkey inside and out with any kind of vegetable oil, using your hands. Olive or canola oil will work.
3. Cut away any extra skin around the opening of the cavity, which is the hollow inside the bird. Wedge a fork inside to hold the cavity open. Leave the fork in. Why? “Heat cooks,” Marc wrote. An open cavity lets heat cook the bird from the inside as well as the outside.
4. Rub spices, herbs or just pepper all over the bird with your oily fingers. Why? Herbs and spices make a crust on the skin that seals in flavor and juices.
5. Set the turkey breast side down on a rack in a large metal roasting pan. Why a rack? It keeps the turkey from steaming on the bottom of the pan. Why metal? It conducts heat better than glass or ceramic.
6. Cover the top of the turkey, legs and wings included, with greased foil. Why? “High heat can cook too well,” Marc wrote. Loose foil keeps the bird from burning.
7. Pour 3/4 inch of chicken or turkey broth into the bottom of the pan. Check the liquid every 45 minutes and add more if it has cooked away. Why? The broth catches the juices and fat so they don’t burn onto the pan. It’s also the base for your gravy.
8. Roast the turkey at 500 to 525 degrees for two hours.
9. Then take off the foil. Stuff the turkey with cooked stuffing and put it back on the rack breast side up. Marc’s method: wearing oven mitts, set the turkey, cavity up, in a five-gallon plastic container, then spoon the stuffing in.
10. Roast the turkey 30 to 45 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer pushed deep into the thigh reads 175 degrees.
11. Let the turkey rest at least 20 minutes before carving. Why? Resting lets the meat take its juices back in.
Marc’s five rules
1. Don’t salt the turkey before cooking. That includes seasoned salt and any spice blend with salt in it.
2. Don’t let the bird touch the pan. “You want to roast the turkey, not stew it,” Marc wrote. A turkey that sits on the pan bottom, or is squeezed into a pan too small for it, cooks in its own juices.
3. Don’t baste. Basting breaks the caramelization, slows the cooking and uses up the pan juices.
4. Don’t use a fork to turn or check the turkey. Piercing the meat lets the juices run out.
5. Don’t cover the turkey with cheesecloth. “I don’t care what Martha says,” Marc wrote. Cheesecloth keeps the skin from browning. “It will make a mighty tasty cheesecloth, though — if you’re into that kind of thing.”
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