Turkey crown versus full turkey

[Inkpotlover]

I normally buy a turkey crown to serve seven, but the meat can end up being a bit dry no matter how carefully I cook it. So this year I'm thinking about getting a full turkey in the hope the meat might be juicier. Cost-wise it's also a bit cheaper.

What does everyone else prefer?

Thanks everyone! Seems like a crown is the top choice, so I'll stick to what I know. I'll definitely try the butter under skin method though, and more regular basting. Not sure I have the time and patience for Nigella's brining!

Cook it upside down for the first part of cooking then heavy basting and leave it to rest once cooked

Always an M&S crown. Only one person in our family eats turkey

I dislike Turkey and wouldn't cook it for Christmas except my family make me do it. I've had great success using Nigella's wet brine recipe on the whole bird. Have to admit it makes the Turkey palatable (others say delicious).

I use a builders trug- those plastic ones with handles - to brine it in, add some ice cubes and leave it in the boot cupboard by the back door to keep cool while it brines.

Also good quality free range turkeys don't need to be cooked for 4 hours +. Look on the Kelly Bronze website for timings but I have never needed to cook a Turkey for more than 2.5 hours for perfectly cooked meat.

I'm vegetarian but my family won't eat crowns ..dry as old boots is what they say

Full bird only.

Always a whole turkey. I only like the leg meat although the rest prefer the breast. We are a family of 4 and I buy a 7 kg bird as the rest of the family love turkey and happily eat turkey sandwiches every day after Christmas. I brine it and cook and as pp says slightly undercook as it keeps cooking when it rests.

I get a boneless joint from M&S, two this year plus a gammon as I'm feeding lots! It's so much easier and not at all dry.

I have just been supermarket and thinking the same thing. Think I will be going for a crown this year.

Sal

If you enjoy cooking, it has to be a whole bird. Dark meat is lovely, there's some leftovers and gorgeous stock from the remains.
If cooking is just a chore then crown or breast portion

We spatchcocked our Thanksgiving turkey and wouldn't go back to the traditional way of roasting

Brine the turkey. Game changer. I remove the legs and wings and cook as a crown. I roast the wings for picking on. I de bone then roll and stuff the legs and thighs. Delish every time.

The best turkey crown I ever had was when I had a big New Years party. We cooked a couple of lamb roasts and a turkey crown.

The crown was just bunged in the oven and the timer set according to instructions. It went on its own in a smaller oven that I had at the time.

Because I was so busy with the other food, I just left the crown to do it’s thing. The oven door wasn’t opened until the timer went. It was absolutely PERFECT.

I reckon it was because we weren’t opening the oven door to check on it.

Crown if we have Turkey but generally prefer goose ! Tastier and not so dry.

Thanks once I know it's weight I'll have a google.

Crown , nobody here would want anything except breast meat so a whole bird is a complete waste

Crown always slow cook it under foil then take off wack oven high for last 15 lovely crispy skin.

We always cook a crown in the Instant Pot. Always comes out good and a lot easier to deal with than a full turkey.

@PaulRobinsonsSeventhWife I was wondering that

I think we're going for both this year as we have 12 for lunch and although the turkey will just cover it we would like some for later too. Never tried a crown before.

We've switched to crown the last few years as there is so much waste with a full bird.

I accidentally cooked a turkey crown in the slow cooker.

Butcher closing down, looks very like a ham, was labelled ham.

Anyway it gave me a shock but was absolutely delicious

I'm a whole bird fan, but tried a crown for thanksgiving to test a new brine recipe- and whilst there is currently a whole bird within my fridge, I'm intending to to split it and will cook the crown and the legs separately. The reality is dark meat takes longer to cook than white so ime getting the whole brid cooked- thighs and all means sacrificing some of the juiciness of the breast. That said we LOVE turkey, and do eat it year round so perhaps I'm not a good person to trust ( although it's a meat I only ever eat at home. Carveries and restaurants tend to offer the same tasteless cardboard that my old school dinners did. ) Turkey is so often, so over cooked I fear that hoardes of turkey haters are labouring under false knowledge. It's a beautiful meat

Spatchcocking is the solution to this. By flattening the turkey you expose the breast and thighs to equal heat and equalise (and drastically shorten) cooking times. Then use a meat thermometer to check whether it's cooked (66c for breast, 80c for thigh). Youtube it! Just need some sturdy shears. And then you can use the backbone for stock for your gravy

we alternate between a crown and full turkey, we have a crown this year.

I have Have been using Phil vickerys steam method for the last few years and I can honestly say the days of dry turkey are long gone, the cooking time is reduced drastically as well usually done in two hours.

We always have a crown but it’s never been dry. I used an online calculator to work out how long to cook it and as soon as that timer is up, I check the internal temp with a meat thermometer and if that’s good, put it comes. Then it rests for 45 mins or so while I cook the rest!

Out it comes!