Oven Cooked turkey is undoubtedly the most common meat eaten on Christmas Day. In fact research has shown that over 80% of the UK families would not have anything other than roast turkey and all the trimmings at Christmas!
In order not to contract salmonella food poisoning turkey must be cooked all the way through and if a frozen bird has been chosen it must be well defrosted before cooking.
Most turkeys nowadays come specially prepared, no need for removing the feathers or removing the insides. The first thing that needs to be done is to remove the giblets from the plastic bag inside the bird. These giblets can be boiled in a pan to make a basic meat stock for gravy or stuffing and the liver can be finely chopped and used in stuffing.
If the turkey is going to be stuffed the turkey will take much longer to cook completely and time must be allowed for this. Cooking times will also be increased if the legs are trussed up inside the bird. Streaky bacon should be placed over the breast of the turkey and the whole bird should be wrapped in aluminium foil. The foil should only be removed when the carcass is fully cooked to crisp and brown off the skin.. And don’t fprget the gravy boat for that perfect turkey gravy.
Use a large cooking tray and make sure it is big enough to collect all the juices that seep out. Place the pan on the lower shelf of the oven, not too hot, as the turkey will not cook thoroughly on the inside if not place on the bottom shelf or in an oven that is too hot. Dark meat takes a lot longer to cook than light meat so make sure that the dark meat part of the turkey is placed at the back of the oven where it is usually hotter. The best chopping board will accommodate a full size bird.
Before the big day invite family and friends round. On Xmas Eve make sure vegetable and other preparations are in hand. On the day, an early get up is required to get everything under way. Serve the oven cooked turkey dinner and the drinks when guests have arrived and enjoy. Worry about washing the pots later!
