With these tips, you can prevent your roast turkey from drying out
For years, I’ve happily joined my British in-laws for the traditional turkey dinner at Christmas. The day always follows the same comforting pattern: we drink morning sherry by the Christmas tree, while the finishing touches are put to all the side dishes in the kitchen, and of course to the turkey. My father-in-law has completely mastered the latter after decades of experience, and that turkey is always perfect – juicy and tender. Want to know how to prevent your turkey from drying out?
Because a dried-out roast turkey that feels tough, stringy and crumbly all at once in your mouth – that’s simply disgusting. That’s why turkey experts are happy to share the following tips for preventing turkey from drying out…
Just like a large chicken
According to Koninklijke Ruig, a game and poultry company that has been around since 1891, preparing a turkey is comparable to preparing a chicken. The only difference is that a turkey is, of course, much larger. They recommend covering the breast meat with aluminium foil until half an hour before the end of the roasting time to prevent it from drying out. The roasting time depends on the weight of the turkey.
Flattened
Another tip comes from chef and butcher Rob Levitt. He is American, and they obviously know how to handle a turkey too, given their annual Thanksgiving tradition. To prevent turkey from drying out in the oven, you can have it butterflied. The downside is that it no longer looks quite so traditional. But it is practical, and in this video you can see how to butterfly poultry.
Have a meat thermometer ready
Levitt also recommends taking the turkey out of the oven when the thickest part of the breast has reached an internal temperature of 65 C. If you then leave it at room temperature, it will continue cooking somewhat. Then let the turkey rest for another half hour; according to Levitt, this should also help prevent it from drying out.
Cheat tip
And what if you could actually just use a cheat tip instead? At Frank’s Smokehouse, you can buy a ready-made stuffed Christmas turkey that you only need to heat up at home (three hours in an oven while you prepare some cocktail batches in the meantime). Not exactly cheap, but just think of all the stress you can buy yourself out of!
Sources: Ruig, Eat This
Read also:
- The ultimate turkey guide
- 7 corny classics that will make you the hero of Christmas dinner
- Jamie’s turkey banh mi
