Turkey cooking instructions-AIBU?

[MichaelBuble]

My first ever AIBU (bit scared)
So my Christmas Day turkey was an overcooked dry disaster. The cooking instructions on the front of the packaging stated 4hrs45 mins, after 3hrs30 I realised it was looking very very well done and googled the cooking time for the weight- should've been more like 2.5hrs!
I'm a very amateur cook and I'm sure a more experienced one would've clocked on sooner. But AIBU to be annoyed with Waitrose for overstating the cooking time by more than 2 hours?
I basted and put bacon on the breast etc. And it was £60! I know it's a first world problem etc etc but it did ruin our xmas dinner and has put me off attempting it ever again!

[Wolfiefan]

Did you cover it with foil?

[LIZS]

Was the oven temperature too hot? Ours was also Waitrose, took about same time but did a hot oven for first and last half hours then cooler in between. Covered with foil except for last half hour to brown.

[CremeBrusselsSprouts]

Get a cheap meat thermometer, it takes the guesswork out of cooking large joints etc.

[dingit]

£60

Do yourself a favour. Next year get a frozen on from Tesco, mine was £12. Then follow Phil vickerys way to cook it. He steams it in stock covered in foil, then browns it for 30 mins, and rests it for an hour. Mine was delicious.

[MichaelBuble]

No foil til I took it out- should I have done?
Would definitely use a thermometer in future! (If I'm brave enough to attempt it again...)

[dingit]

*one

[Wolfiefan]

I always cover a roast until the last Half an hour or so or it goes really dry.

[MichaelBuble]

Oven was 180- didn't realise you should change the temp at all? Look like I'm to blame
Absolutely getting a more basic one if I do it again!

[LadyMaryofDownt0n]

I do my turkey/chicken like this & it's always really moist & lovely.

Use a deep roasting tin
Onions on the bottom
Place the joint on the top
Cover with butter & bacon
Boil stock
Use a large fork to poke holes in the joint & pour the stock over the joint
Baste until fully cooked

Never use foil
Use the stick for the gravy... delicious!

[LadyMaryofDownt0n]

*stock

[MichaelBuble]

Pretty much what I did LadyMary but I just cooked it for far too long...LOTS of gravy was required!

[SoftSheen]

Our turkey was from Waitrose (was a small feee-range bronze). We followed the cooking time and temperature to the letter and it was really nice. Took 4 hours to cook. I suspect you may have had the oven temp too high, especially if you have a fan oven.

To keep the turkey moist, before you put it in the oven cover the whole thing with a lot of softened butter and put butter in the cavity too, together with a peeled onion and carrot (bunch of fresh thyme is also nice). Wrap the turkey in its tray in a double layer of foil, so that it will cook inside a tent of steam. Take the foil off about 45 min before the end to allow the meat to brown.

[MichaelBuble]

Appreciate all the tips for future ref and agree my oven was poss too hot but if the cooking time was right, why did BBC food and other weight calculators differ so wildly? Mine was a bronze- 5kg- which online I've read should've been 2.5 hours cooking time? I really want to blame Waitrose! Please say I can to make myself feel better!

[Stillunexpected]

I had a 5kg turkey exactly, also bronze, which I cooked for 2.5 hours. So yes, you cooked it for way too long. However, if you didn't cover it in foil and the oven temp was at 180 all the way through, that won't have helped at all.

[juls1888]

My mum bought an M&S turkey and cooked it per the instructions and went to cut it and it still had blood pouring out. Ended up having to put it on for over another 2 hours while everything else got a bit well done, poor bugger was so upset but it was still lovely.

[MetalMidget]

If your oven is fan assisted you need to drop the temp and reduce the cooking time too.

[SquedgieBeckenheim]

My 5kg Turkey was done in 2.5 hours. Higher temp for first and last half hour and cooler in between. Got my timings and temperature from my Mary Berry book!
I learnt this year a good way to prevent drying out also is to put in breast side down for first hour. Seemed to work!

[MichaelBuble]

Oh no juls your poor mum! I sympathise.
Oven is fan assisted so that probably didn't help either!
I did the breast down thing for the first hour, but when I turned it over all the skin had stuck to the pan- poor bird. Ok so next time- use foil, lower the temp in the middle part of cooking and ignore the instructions!

[YoHoHoandabottleofTequila]

As a pp said, google Phil Vickery perfect turkey and follow that.

[AgentProvocateur]

We also had a Waitrose fresh turkey and took it out an hour before the stated time. It was the driest thing I've ever eaten. Hugely disappointing.

[TeenAndTween]

I very much doubt you can blame Waitrose.

The instructions on our Waitrose turkey said fan oven 140C, so if you cooked at 180 and you didn't use foil I'm not surprised it cooked so quickly.

Our 8kg+1kg stuffing took 4hrs45 this year.

[pklme]

Have you got the cooking instructions still, or did you throw them out? Certainly no reason not to email and complain, see what happens. Next year, ask on MN before buying one...

[MichaelBuble]

I've thrown them away...will email Waitrose though even just so they can tell me my oven was too hot so at least I'll know!

[tigerdriverII]

Ignore the cooking instructions and get a copy of Delia Smith's Christmas. I use it year on year and the turkey's perfect.

[987flowers]

We had a free range turkey crown in a roasting bag from Waitrose. It took 3hrs02 minutes but at 140. I then rested it for 90 minutes and it was delicious and moist!