Cooking the turkey (yes really - bear with me!)

[LolaLadybird]

Whenever I do the Xmas turkey, it is lovely but involves cooking on high to start then turning oven down and regular basting. That's fine as we are usually home all day and eat late afternoon.

This year, we will still be eating late afternoon (and hosting my parents) but want to go out between about 11.30 and 2.00 to see my brother and his in-laws who will be staying with him. I'm not sure what I then do about the turkey - my mother says to just cook it on low but that doesn't sound very precise!

Of course, I'm not going to stop the turkey seeing my brother on Christmas Day so would love some advice from you wise ladies!

Lot of questions need answering....

Size of bird, frozen or fresh, brined or not, oven timer or not???

More info please?

On the completely safe side why don't you cook it on Christmas eve, or buy a crown or jointed breast of turkey with a shorter cooking time??

cook the day before and warm it through in a pan with lots of gravy.

I have never had a dried turkey......luck?? ..............who knows

I dont do the high, then low, with foil, then foil off, then high again, basting every half hour blah blah

It will be a fresh turkey, probably 4-5kg. We do have an oven timer and am open to brining or otherwise (seem to recall doing the brining thing a couple of years ago).

Has to be a proper turkey rather than a crown or jointed breast (am traditional!).

Am off to bed but back in the morning for any further advice!

Brining is always a good idea anyway.

If you're trying to avoid basting, cook it upside down so the juices run down into the breast as it cooks.

Or as mentioned, cook it on Christmas Eve and reheat portions on the day. It won't look as spectacular but you'll be freed up. Actually I'm half tempted to do the same myself except that it just feels wrong somehow : (

I use Phil Vickery's steam roast method if I cook any bird - its on his website. Makes the meat so tender and I think its in the oven untouched for a few hours so that would suit you.

Ooh, thanks Canella - never heard of that but will have a look.

Listzilla - yes, will definitely do the brining this year. According to Nigella in her Xmas book it seems to reduce the cooking time so maybe I could leave the oven to come on via the timer before we get back. Like you, don't think I can bring myself to re-heat portions even if it would solve the problem!

FWIW, I usually use Delia's method of lots of streaky bacon on top and stuffing under the skin which makes for a lovely moist bird but it does require being around as you start off with a hotter oven and then turn it down.

www.vickery.tv/vtv01/index.php?option=com_rapidrecipe&page=viewrecipe&recipe_id=71&Itemid=6

Not sure thats going to work - on my ipod!

For some years now we have used Gordon Ramsey's method of removing the legs and boning them , then rolling the leg meat with stuffing and cooking separately ( but at same time) as the rest of the bird. This cuts down on the overall cooking time but ensures the leg meat is cooked without drying out the breast meat. I think if you look up BBC Good Food website it might still be on.

Excellent link Canella - thanks. Would solve my problem as I wouldn't need to put it in the oven until we got back.

Will also investigate the Gordon Ramsey method idling. Who knew there were so many ways to cook a turkey? This is precisely what I love about MN - problem solved just like that :).

Brine it, its wonderful.

Roasting bag, I'm a lazy cow who can't be faffed to do too much to the turkey so I shove it in a roasting bag and leave it to itself.

My mum swears by cooking the turkey high and fast - about 200degrees c and about 20mins per pound. I tried it for the first time last year and it worked nicely at about 2 1/2 hours for 8 people sized turkey. Could you put it in when you go out, take it out as soon as you get home and foil it to rest? It'll keep perfectly warm for about an hour and a quarter.

Thanks for all the ideas - sounds like it will be quite do-able, one way or the other. Brining or steaming are the top contenders for me.

Notnow - we won't want to eat for at least a couple of hours after we get back so really need it go on while we're out (oven timer) or put it in when we get back.