Cooking a turkey is not as hard as it is often made out to be. Few people take the time to properly prepare for this task and the result is usually a bird that is dried out or under-cooked. With the right tools and planning, however, you can present a juicy, flavorful meat that all of your guests are sure to love.
Timing is everything when it comes to cooking any animal of this size. Thus, you should always start defrosting the bird well in advance of cooking it. Most products will have the instructions for doing so posted right on the side of the package. The amount of time that is required for this process is generally in direct relation to the turkey size.
Once fully defrosted the animal should be washed and checked for any stray feathers. The cavity should be cleaned and any plastic bags of giblets should be removed. These should not be cooked along with the bird give the plastic storage that is used. These can be set aside and used in other elements of your meals such as the gravy, stuffing or a side dish if this is your preference. If you are not fond of using these you can simply toss them out.
You will also find that the neck of the bird has been stored in this cavity also. You can keep this and cook it along with the rest of the turkey for additional flavoring for your meal or you can pitch it. The meat of the neck is tender and dark and may be worthy of keeping if you plan on creating stews or soups with the remaining turkey. You should additionally notice a plastic thermometer that has been inserted into the bird. You should leave this in place as it will let you know when the meat has cooked through.
Taking the time to trim away excess skin and fat from the rear and neck of the turkey will allow for an attractive presentation. Meat shears tend to work best for this job. The turkey can then be set in a large roasting pan. After this is done it can be prepared with a liberal coating of olive oil or melted butter. This ensures that the skin browns evenly and will also help the spices that you use to stick in place.
You should use a lot of celery, chopped garlic and onions to stuff the body cavity. If you intend to use bread stuffing in the interior, you can scoop these out during the middle portion of the cooking process. These can alternatively be left in the bird if you will not be stuffing it otherwise. These vegetables hold a lot of water which will prevent the meat from becoming dry and will add a nice flavor as well.
You can the liberally coat the meat in a selection of dried herbs and spices. Garlic powder, black pepper, seasoned salt, rosemary and other can be used according to you preferences. Finally, place several cups of liquid chicken or turkey stock into the bottom of your roasting pan.
If you do not have a roasting pan that has a snug lid, you should use tinfoil to create one. This will trap all of the steam and juices in and prevent the bird from becoming dried out. The turkey should be slowly roasted at a low temperature for a several hours and can be taken out of your oven once the thermometer has popped up.
Timing is everything when it comes to cooking any animal of this size. Thus, you should always start defrosting the bird well in advance of cooking it. Most products will have the instructions for doing so posted right on the side of the package. The amount of time that is required for this process is generally in direct relation to the turkey size.
Once fully defrosted the animal should be washed and checked for any stray feathers. The cavity should be cleaned and any plastic bags of giblets should be removed. These should not be cooked along with the bird give the plastic storage that is used. These can be set aside and used in other elements of your meals such as the gravy, stuffing or a side dish if this is your preference. If you are not fond of using these you can simply toss them out.
You will also find that the neck of the bird has been stored in this cavity also. You can keep this and cook it along with the rest of the turkey for additional flavoring for your meal or you can pitch it. The meat of the neck is tender and dark and may be worthy of keeping if you plan on creating stews or soups with the remaining turkey. You should additionally notice a plastic thermometer that has been inserted into the bird. You should leave this in place as it will let you know when the meat has cooked through.
Taking the time to trim away excess skin and fat from the rear and neck of the turkey will allow for an attractive presentation. Meat shears tend to work best for this job. The turkey can then be set in a large roasting pan. After this is done it can be prepared with a liberal coating of olive oil or melted butter. This ensures that the skin browns evenly and will also help the spices that you use to stick in place.
You should use a lot of celery, chopped garlic and onions to stuff the body cavity. If you intend to use bread stuffing in the interior, you can scoop these out during the middle portion of the cooking process. These can alternatively be left in the bird if you will not be stuffing it otherwise. These vegetables hold a lot of water which will prevent the meat from becoming dry and will add a nice flavor as well.
You can the liberally coat the meat in a selection of dried herbs and spices. Garlic powder, black pepper, seasoned salt, rosemary and other can be used according to you preferences. Finally, place several cups of liquid chicken or turkey stock into the bottom of your roasting pan.
If you do not have a roasting pan that has a snug lid, you should use tinfoil to create one. This will trap all of the steam and juices in and prevent the bird from becoming dried out. The turkey should be slowly roasted at a low temperature for a several hours and can be taken out of your oven once the thermometer has popped up.
About the Author:
John Howe supply turkeys from their UK farms, which are great for Thanksgiving and Christmas.See their website
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