My Gift to You: Tips for Cooking A Reliably Delicious Holiday Turkey

Turkey Tips

Cooking a turkey is very much the same as cooking a whole chicken - easy peasy!

You can most definitely cook a great turkey at any level of cooking with these top tips.

The bird itself is going to be amazing since it's been grown clean.  So all you need to do is set yourself up for success on the execution of just a few simple action steps:

1. The Key to Flavor: Brine your turkey 3 days ahead of time. 

 - Rinse your turkey off and pat the skin very dry.

- We have a very good dry turkey brine in the Farm Store (on the counter).  I use just about the whole bag, depending on turkey size.  Sprinkle liberally all over in every nook and cranny.

- Keep the brining turkey in the fridge till Thanksgiving.

2. The Key to Juiciness (Zero Dryness!): First thing in the morning, take it out of the fridge so it's able to warm up to room temp before you're ready to pop it in the oven.  This is really critical to cooking any good poultry, from whole chickens, to chicken breast.  Brine and room temp are absolute musts to cooking good poultry.

3. The Key to the The Turkey Coming Out Well: I would use the mode of cooking that you are most comfortable with.  Do you know your oven well and it performs well for you?  Or does it have hot spots and nothing comes out good of yours from the oven?  If your recipes come out good from the oven, rely on oven cooking for your turkey.  

How about your smoker?  I find smoking to be the absolute easiest way to cook meats of any kind.  It's very forgiving because the pace is slower and allows you to make adjustments before things get too overcooked.  Plus the smoker lends extra flavor with all that smoky aroma from the wood.

There's also the deep fryer option.  I plan to cook an extra turkey this year to try my hand at deep frying.  Folks give absolute rave reviews!  We have plenty of lard and tallow to use in the Farm Store!  I'd love to hear your tips!

4. Extras that Go the Distance: Butter, Lemon & Herbs: My favorite part!  Use your hand to gently separate the skin from the flesh of the bird, starting at the opening of the cavity.  It will amaze you how easy this is.  You probably can't visualize it if you haven't done it before.  Trust me.  Look near the rear for the flap of skin and pick it up to inspect the place where the skin connects to the flesh.  A gentle hand (all fingers together) will easily slide through the skin and the flesh.  

Once you open up a pocket between the skin and the flesh, all the way down as much as you go -- don't test your luck with stretching too hard because you can break the skin -- scatter big pats of butter all around inside.

Inside the cavity, I like to add: 

- a whole lemon, cut in half

- fresh rosemary

- a small onion, cut in half

This creates an aromatherapy of clean essential oils that will permeate the meat as you cook, delicious!

5. Put a Bow Tie on It: Now's the final step - wrap your turkey up with butcher's twine.  Tie a knot on one of the ends of the legs.  Now, join the two legs together and wrap that twine up tight.  Secure the twine.

Bonus point: Make a cut at the turkey elbows, through that thick bit of skin.  Then break the elbows.  This will allow you to wrap the wings underneath the bird (meaty breasts should always stay on top when you're cooking).  If you need help to make them stay underneath, use another piece of butcher twine to secure the wing tips.

6. Foil: I don't use aluminum foil any other time of the year than this.  But it really does help to keep the skin perfect and not burned.  About 45 minutes in, put a sheet of foil loosely over the bird, so that the skin doesn't overcook.

Summarized Tips:

1. Brine on Monday or Tuesday

2. Set turkey to get to room temp 

early Thursday am.

3. Cook it the way that's most reliable

4. Put butter under skin and herbs 

in cavity

5. Tie legs and arms w/butcher twine

6. Protect skin from burning

Turkey Roasting Temp & Cook Times

Temperature: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C).

Cooking Time: 

For a turkey 15-20 pounds: Roast for about 4 to 4.5 hours.

For a turkey 20-25 pounds: Roast for about 4.5 to 5 hours.

Portion Size:

.5lb per serving (double if you want seconds)

Make sure you allot enough for leftovers!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday filled with joy and cherished moments.

Warmest wishes,

Caitlin, Dan and the entire Copia Family & Team