Celebrate the traditional way with a turkey that is trussed, stuffed and cooked to juicy and golden perfection. Simply follow these simple steps on How to Prepare the Ultimate Christmas Turkey.
How to Prepare the Ultimate Christmas Turkey
Buying a Turkey
Start by choosing the right bird for you
Pre-order a fresh turkey from your butcher, or purchase a frozen one.
A free range or organic turkey is probably your best option. While it’s more expensive than your average turkey – it will taste a lot better.
Remove the turkey from the fridge am hour before cooking to allow the turkey to come up to room temperature.
If the thought of handling a whole bird terrifies you, opt for a turkey breasts – Christmas is not meant to be a stressful ordeal, so do yourself a favour.
What size turkey to buy
Size-wise, make sure you buy a bird that will fit in your oven. It sounds obvious but so many people forget this! Ration out about 500g of raw meat per person. Invest in a large roasting pan and a wire rack for the bird to sit on.
2.5kg serves 4-6 people with a 1 1/2 – 2 hour cooking time
4.5kg serves 8-10 people with a 3 – 3 1/2 hour cooking time
6kg serves 10-12 people with a 4 1/2 – 5 hour cooking time
To Defrost
Remember to fully defrost your turkey if it’s been stored in the freezer.
Keep the turkey in its original wrapping while it’s thawing.
Take the turkey out of the freezer, place it onto a tray breast-side up, cover it in foil and place on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Never defrost it on the shelf. The tray will keep any drips from contaminating other foods and the refrigerator surfaces.
As a general rule, allow approximately 24 hours for a 2.5 kg turkey to thaw completely in the fridge. A large turkey weighing 6-7kg can take four days to defrost fully in a fridge. Check the packaging there may be thawing times listed.
There are many factors that can impact thawing time, including the temperature of your fridge and how crowded the fridge is.
Ensure your turkey has been defrosted fully before cooking.
Stuffing
The stuffing can be made ahead of time, but don’t stuff the bird until you are ready to cook – this is for food safety reasons.
It is best to stuff the neck of the turkey not the cavity, as the heat won’t properly distribute. Instead stuff the cavity with fresh herbs, lemons and/or onions to help infuse flavour throughout the meat.
If you’d rather not stuff the turkey, cook your stuffing separately.
Be sure to adjust your cooking time to allow for the extra weight of the stuffing.
Preparation and Cooking
Arrange the oven shelves so the turkey will cook in the centre of the oven, removing shelves, if necessary,
Use kitchen string to truss the legs and tuck wings under to keep in place.
Place a little water or stock in the base of the pan while the turkey is cooking – this will keep it juicy and moist.
Cook the turkey breast side down until the last half hour. That keeps the breast meat succulent but also allows the meat to cook easily.
Cover the turkey with several sheets of baking paper, then foil for the first half of the cooking time, then remove to brown the skin.
Baste the turkey with butter or pan juices to prevent the meat drying out, you could also cover the breast with bacon or prosciutto, or push butter under the skin of the breasts.
To find out if your turkey is ready, plunge a fork into the deepest part of the thigh or the breast. If the juices run clear your turkey is probably done.
After cooking cover the turkey loosely with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, then carve.
Carving
Cut the wings and legs first by holding them by the knuckle and twisting them off. Then you can just pull all that succulent meat off the bone.
Now it’s time to move onto the main body of the bird. Carve the breast meat from one side at an angle following the breast bone. Repeat on the other side but only when you’ve finished on the first side. Carving at an angle will make the most of the grain of the meat.
Now don’t forget – there’s plenty of tasty meat on the sides of the turkey, close to the backbone. This is where the oysters are. (not actual oysters but succulent round pieces of meat).
Enjoy!
Our most loved turkey recipes using turkey breasts
Italian Stuffed Turkey Breast with Verjuice and Roasted Pears
Our favourite whole turkey recipes are
Spanish-Flavoured Turkey with Chorizo Stuffing Balls Recipe
Turkey with Preserved Lemon and Fresh Date Stuffing
Roast Turkey with Stuffing Balls
Find our favourite stuffing recipes here
Pork, Hazelnut and Craisin Stuffing
For tips on preparing the perfect Christmas ham, click here.
