Perfect Turkey - any tips??

[PowerthruIT]

Hey all....

So it's that time of year again where the anxiety around getting the turkey 'right' kicks in haha!

But in all seriousness (ish), I have never nailed the perfect cook on the turkey despite trying different tips and tricks (upside down cooking, covered/uncovered, even slow cooking with a final blast). Last year tried the so-called fail-proof way that Phil Vicery cooks it by intensely steaming the turkey covered with foil, followed the method to a tee, but it literally shrivelled the turkey up!

Anyway, keen to see if anyone has nailed it and can share the magic??

Happy Christmas!

Rub it generously with salt and other seasonings (herbs, garlic, zest etc.…) about a day before cooking, then leave it uncovered in the fridge. This seasons the meat deeply and dries the skin.

You have to start with a decent organic/free range bird not a cheap one that's been pumped with water.

Decades ago I saw a programme on this method of cooking a turkey and have followed this since - it's the highest heat for the shortest time.

Have a look online, something like this

Is the High Heat Method the Best Way to Cook Turkey?

Very hot oven for 10 mins then very low and slow.
Very hot for 10/15 at end.

Hmm, this looks like a good option, suppose it works similarly to air frying so high and fast to lock in the flavour. I actually started using the air fryer for small joints of pork or small whole chickens and that has been a game changer

Jamie Oliver method, cook on bed of root vegetables/onion/garlic. Stuffed, Upside down for the first half & Completely sealed in the tin with foil. Then turn for 2nd half.
uncover at the end to crisp up.
Leave covered to rest.
I buy Capon

I agree about the air fryer. I regularly air fry a whole chicken - 1.8kg is about the maximum for my size fryer.

I don’t do anything fancy and I’ve never had a problem. Well rubbed in butter, herbs and a lemon halved in cavity. Turn temp up to start and then lower for rest of cooking time. Baste regularly. Don’t overcook. Rest it for twice as long as you cook it. I aim for 3-4 hours under foil and a tea towel.

Last year's turkey was my best ever, I wrap mine up in foil, as in Delia's recipe but otherwise use the cooking instructions that come with it.

I think last year's success came from putting more stuffing under the skin than I had in previous years, that kept it lovely and moist.

I do also spend a fortune on an organic turkey from Riverford.

I think most of the time I forget that it continues to cook once out of the oven, I really should take it out earlier and let it sit for longer.

Yes. I can distil it down to one word: temperature. No other factor is as important. Every piece of advice is an attempt to reach a particular target temperature for the breast ('white') and thigh/leg ('dark') meat.

Each turkey is physiologically different. Your organic and free-range meat is different on a physiological level to the fast growing breed. Even then the turkeys will be different depending on what they have been fed, how they have been raised, how long they have been allowed to live for and how they have been treated after slaughter.

So we begin our cooking adventure by defining 'perfect' turkey.

I'm going to attempt brining this year, but what I always do is stuff a load of butter and herbs under the skin, bung some lemon in the cavity, and always over-estimate the amount of cooking time required (which is fine, as then I let it rest). I tend to go with 20mins per 500g (so about 4hrs for a 6kg bird), but it always seems to be done in about 3 hours!

Butter under the skin is the key. With whatever herbs you like. This works beautifully even with cheapest frozen birds.

Brine it. Game changer. Nigella’s recipe.

Also don’t cook it straight from the fridge, needs to be taken out for a while before cooking.
I baste in butter regularly and cover it in bacon.

Get a meat thermometer and let it rest for about an hour (or more) after it’s cooked.

I have had a lot of successes with brining - I bought a massive bucket for the purpose!

Just coming back to say brining was a great success. We also had an amazing bird from a local farm, free range, came with instructions on dry brining (which I ignored as had already started the wet brining process!). And it only needed 2 hours’ cooking (5kg bird).