Tips on Roasting a Turkey

Tips on Roasting a Turkey

There are several different techniques that can be used to keep a turkey moist when cooking. On this page we will describe a couple of long lived methods.

The bacon and mushroom method

1. Loosen the skin from the bird then using your hand, separate the skin away from the breast of the bird.

2. Push a few thin-sliced rind-less bacon slices to form a layer between the flesh and the skin, covering the whole breast.

3. Follow this by pushing several mushrooms on top of the bacon, under the skin. The mushrooms have the storks removed, but are not peeled.

4. Stuff the bird with what ever stuffing you have chosen.

5. Cover the parson's nose with tin foil to stop it burning during cooking.

6. Place in a dry roasting tray then smear butter over the skin.

7. Quarter fill the tray with chicken stock.

8. Cook on gas mark 4. The timings are 30 minutes for the 500g (1Lb) plus 20 minutes for each extra 500g.

The spiced brining method (recommended)

1. The day before cooking, fill a bucket, that is big enough to hold your turkey, two thirds full with water.

2. Add in several cloves storks, a tablespoon of caraway seeds, two star anise, a tablespoon of mustard seeds, two pieces of cinnamon bark and a small handful of peppercorns.

3. Add into the bucket three onions (halved), two oranges (quartered), 2 celery sticks complete with leaves (roughly chopped), a bunch of fresh coriander (ripped by hand a little) and a large bunch of parsley (torn up roughly).

4. Add in two big handfuls of salt and a handful of sugar along with 200ml of honey (or maple syrup).

5. Submerge the cleaned turkey in the solution created in the bucket. Cover and leave outside or a cold place until the following day.

6. When ready to begin cooking, remove the turkey from the brine bath and lay on a griddle tray to drain, dry out and slowly return to near room temperature.

7. Cover the skin with a good coating of butter.

8. For a 4 to 5 kilogram turkey, cook for about 2 hours 30 minutes in a hot oven (adjust times according to size).

For more information on cooking poultry, click here.

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