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 the bird is fully defrosted it should be carefully rinsed and inspected for remaining feathers. The body cavity should be rinsed as well and you should remove plastic packages of giblets from inside. You must not could these with the turkey given the fact that they are wrapped in plastic. If you wish to incorporate the cooked giblets into other elements of you meal such as your bread stuffing or your gravy, you can place them to the side for later use. If not, you can go ahead and throw the entire package out.
The same is true of the turkey neck which is commonly stored in the body cavity as well. This can be kept and cooked down with the rest of the bird and used to flavor other dishes or it can be tossed out. The neck, however, produces a very dark and tender meat and may be worth saving if you have plans on using left overs to create soups, stews and other meals. You will also likely find a small, plastic thermometer inserted in the raw meat. This should be left in tact as it will signal when the cooking process is complete.
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 can use chopped onions, garlic and celery to stuff the body cavity. If you intend to stuff the cavity with a bread stuffing you must remove these vegetables midway through the cooking process in order to do so. If not, you should leave these in the bird while it cooks. They hold a lot of water which will help to keep the bird succulent and most and they will also add a lot of intense flavors.
Then you will need to coat the meat in your choice of spices and seasonings. Seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder and rosemary among other should be used. Last, you can add a few cups of chicken or turkey broth to 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 the bird is fully defrosted it should be carefully rinsed and inspected for remaining feathers. The body cavity should be rinsed as well and you should remove plastic packages of giblets from inside. You must not could these with the turkey given the fact that they are wrapped in plastic. If you wish to incorporate the cooked giblets into other elements of you meal such as your bread stuffing or your gravy, you can place them to the side for later use. If not, you can go ahead and throw the entire package out.
The same is true of the turkey neck which is commonly stored in the body cavity as well. This can be kept and cooked down with the rest of the bird and used to flavor other dishes or it can be tossed out. The neck, however, produces a very dark and tender meat and may be worth saving if you have plans on using left overs to create soups, stews and other meals. You will also likely find a small, plastic thermometer inserted in the raw meat. This should be left in tact as it will signal when the cooking process is complete.
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 can use chopped onions, garlic and celery to stuff the body cavity. If you intend to stuff the cavity with a bread stuffing you must remove these vegetables midway through the cooking process in order to do so. If not, you should leave these in the bird while it cooks. They hold a lot of water which will help to keep the bird succulent and most and they will also add a lot of intense flavors.
Then you will need to coat the meat in your choice of spices and seasonings. Seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder and rosemary among other should be used. Last, you can add a few cups of chicken or turkey broth to 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, including free range turkeys which are fantastic for Thanksgiving and Christmas
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