I know you’ve sat down to the table at Christmas at least once or twice in your life (or maybe every year, I don’t know 🫣), only to find that the turkey meat is dry and flavorless, giving the cranberry and chow chow a lot of work to do!
But it does not have to be this way. Follow my tips for the juiciest, most flavorful turkey ever; I promise you. 🥰
Nellie’s Turkey Tips
Get a meat thermometer! This is of utmost importance. Otherwise, how will you know when it’s done? If you are relying on that pop-up thing, your breast meat will be overcooked by the time it pops up (if it pops up at all). I’ve definitely experienced the no pop up turkey before. Calculate your cooking time and then start to check it well in advance of the done time.
Brine it. Brining uses osmosis (yes, the one you learned in high school physics) to dissolve protein strands into a gel (with time), allowing meat to absorb and retain water better as it cooks.
I am a huge fan of ‘dry’ brining in general, but especially for turkeys because they are big and cumbersome and I would NEVER have enough space in my fridge for a turkey in a big bucket of water (especially on a week like Christmas). This is why I created the TWISTED TURKEY BRY BRINE by UMAMI. It is flavorful and makes brining easy. Simply season your turkey 24 – 72 hours ahead of time. I usually do mine 2 days in advance. There are more instructions in the product description.
Butterfly it. If you decide not to stuff your turkey, butterflying it is hands down the best way to cook it. It shortens the cooking time which helps the breast meat to stay moist. This involves cutting out the backbone and laying it flat to cook. It won’t work if you like to see a whole bird on the table but, otherwise it is perfect. (Also, I think it also makes it easier to carve. 🙌🏽)
Mix softened butter with spices and rub it under the skin just before it goes into the oven, and by spices I mean THE HERBED TURKEY. A turkey is HUGE, so you don’t really need to worry about over seasoning it, but well-seasoned turkey is Just. So. Good.
Start your turkey in a hot oven (like 450° for the first 45 minutes) and then lower to 325° for the remaining cooking time. Be sure to let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes before cutting.
That is all.
You will find all sorts of suggestions online (and some of them work) but many of them are way too much work for me (and trust me I’ve done them all). But don’t be afraid to experiment cuz that’s where the fun is. 😘