Top Tips for Cooking Turkey
Not sure what to do with the big bird? Anxious about food poisoning, or the meat drying out? Worry no more, Paul Kelly from KellyBronze Turkeys has all the answers!
- Always place your turkey breast down on the baking tray when you cook it. This is because the majority of fat deposits are in the back of the bird, so as it begins to cook – the fat renders down through the bird providing optimum flavour and keeping it moist.
- Invest in a meat thermometer – it’s the only way to ensure your turkey is perfectly cooked. You should always check cooking times according to the size of your bird, and the thigh is the best part of the bird to check the temperature.
- Don’t cover your turkey in foil once it’s out of the oven. The logic is that we don’t want it to get cold, but essentially it means that it continues to cook the meat. This is a big reason why turkey gets a bad reputation for being dry at Christmas. Just leave the bird to rest on the side for an hour after, and it will remain cooked to perfection.
- For the best turkey crackling ever, remove all the skin as soon as you’ve carved the bird. It’ll now be much easier to peel the skin off the breast, legs and wings. And don’t forget the back of the bird (the triangular portion of flesh at the rear). Lay the skin out flat on a baking tray, season it with salt and pop it back in the oven at 180°C. It will take about 20-30min to get the most amazing turkey crackling – just don’t forget about it, as it will burn quickly!
- Carve in this order: wings off first, then the legs, third comes the breast meat, followed by the skin and then slice up the sections of meat.
Check out Paul’s tasty recipes for Boxing Day, using the leftovers from Christmas lunch
