To dread cooking the blasted turkey every year?

Also you need to rest turkey for quite a while

We have done this for years and it is always lovely (although I do get the turkey from a good butcher too) - the only problem is it is getting a lot warmer around Christmas now and I do worry about keeping it cold enough.

I brine it in a big container until defrosted, then cook upside down for a lot less time than the packet states - use a meat thermometer to check it's done. Nigella has a good guide for timings online.

Make sure your turkey is thoroughly defrosted.

stuff main cavity with bread stuffing (onions softened in a LOT of butter, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, a little stock. Ensure stuffing is completely cold before stuffing turkey) pack the stuffing down well - you should be able to fit your hand in the cavity above the stuffing. This ensures air circulation so that the stuffing cooks properly and eliminates the risk of food poisoning.

put two long sheets of turkey foil in a cross shape. Place roasting tin in centre. Fold and scrunchie foil together ensuring it’s well sealed - you’re aiming for a ‘tent’ of foil around the turkey, the foil should not be touching the turkey.

arm yourself with a digital meat probe - this will have pre set poultry cooked temperature

cook according to the weight of the turkey NB include weight of stuffing.

absolutely no need to baste.

about an hour before end of projected cooking time take out and use meat probe to check temperature- don’t forget to also check stuffing temperature in the cavity.

if turkey is nearing cooked tenmperature return to oven covered, then remove the foil for last half hour to brown and crisp the skin. If it needs a bit longer then leave it covered until nearly at temperature, it only needs to be uncovered for final half hour.

when cooked remove from oven, stock on a warmed platter and cover with foil and a towel or two to keep warm. Rest the turkey for up a hour or so while you finish off the roast potatoes, veg etc.

use the juices from the tray to make gravy, along with giblet stock which you can make while the turkey is roasting.

honestly, this method is foolproof- you can’t go wrong if you use a meat probe. The stuffing adds flavour to the turkey and the turkey juices add flavour to the stuffing. The foil tent ensues moisture stays in. Lots of lovely flavoursome tray juices to make gravy.

properly cooked turkey is delicious.

Apparently Chefs have advocated cooking the turkey upside down so the juices go down to the breast. I used to do that but now I have a large turkey breast which I buy from a cottage farm. I usually buy it ahead of time as I have to depend on someone taking me as we no longer drive. It’s now in the freezer.

You don’t HAVE to do any of that if you buy a crown..

We’ve got turkey parcels this year, from Sainsbury’s. Had them a few years ago and they are great. Had to order them well in advance though. Sure you don’t get the leftovers, but that doesn’t bother us.

We tried cooking the Turkey breast side down one year. You have to turn it right side up midway through, we left it too long before turning - our Turkey had corners, but it was juicy and the stuff of family legend!!

I’d cook something you enjoy instead.

I started brining mine a couple of years ago and won't do it any other way now. I use a loose version of Nigellas brining liquid, adjusted to the smaller size of my bird, and it's not salty at all as the brine isn't that salty. It's brushed with a glaze of melted butter and maple syrup and just really good.

It’s only dry and tasteless if overcooked, sorry OP.

I buy a Turkey crown, stuffed half and half (half sage and onion, half sausage meat) and cooked by Delia’s instructions in her Christmas cookbook. If I’m very lucky it’ll be the same weight as a previous year and so the timings are already worked out!!

A crown is lighter and less bulky, so much easier to cook.

Good luck OP!

We stopped turkey in 2014 when everyone said they honestly preferred chicken - so we have a 4kg chicken instead from a good butcher with a farm - it's no cheaper but always really lovely

Give up the turkey.
I now do 3meats instead, a roast chicken chicken, a roast beef joint cooked medium (cooked on the day) and a coca cola gammon (night before). All different tastes and much more appreciated and the leftovers last a good while after and I can make more meals without getting fed up of the same meat x

Link

Deep fry it….game changer as I hated turkey until I ate this!

As an aside this is an American thing (yes, I used to live in the US) but it does take quite a lot of engineering to do..

boil a large vat of oil (outside)
lower said whole turkey slowly into heated oil
cook
take out it out and enjoy!

I’ll try and link a video of it

Turkey crowns are much less dry I've found. With all of the other ingredients and meat, plus sauces and gravy, does anyone really notice this much? Xx

Checked with DH as he’s in charge of cooking and the turkey is never dry. Presuming you use a rack that it sits on in the roasting dish you just fill the roasting dish with water, the steam rises through the turkey as it cooks and boom it’s not dry. Cook low and slow, sounds like your oven is too hot. Obviously foil covered for the vast majority of the time, which in turn keeps the moisture inside.

Spatchcocked turkey is easier to cook imo. Less glamorous, but it's not bone dry. Get yourself a meat thermometer, too.

I use the good food roast timer for all meat.

Having said that, I refuse to cook turkey cuz it's just shit and boring!! I always cook beef.

*@AndrewPreview I'm thinking about doing that this year. Cook it christmas eve. Christmas day, carve it then heat it in a dish in the oven in gravy. Is that how you do it?

Couldn't move for fresh turkeys in Aldi today. This is the date all the supermarkets put out their meat. They advertise it in advance.

FWIW, I used to cook mine upside down. But I did also separate the skin from the meat with a knife and put butter in too.

Then bacon everywhere.

Then tinfoil.

Turn it over to brown once it's almost cooked.

I cook beef fillet now. But I never cooked a dry turkey.

Aldi and Lidl had fresh ones in today.

The only reason its cooked breast up is to make the skin golden and crispy, just cook it breast down, and wrap it well in several layers of foil to keep the steam in.

Streaky back bacon laid over the whole thing. Always have a frozen turkey. Always do the bacon thing. It always tastes lovely.

I do love the idea of turkey but I'm lactose-gluten intolerant. I’ve been chasing that juicy turkey dream but every attempt ends up drier than the Griswold's. I’ve tried plant butter under the skin (makes it worse) a 24-hour cider brine with a fancy organic bird - always ends up with turkey-jerky. The last few years, we switched to goose—amazing, but renders down to nothing and pricey! Cooking is my passion - I rework recipes for Xmas day for months to be gluten and dairy free. No one can tell it's GF/DF except for turkey. It's my great white buffalo. Any magical ideas or tricks?

Don't do turkey then.

No one actually prefers it, it's just force of habit tradition. Duck, chicken, beef, lamb, pork - all are tastier, easier, and better.