How to Roast and Carve a Christmas Turkey

Photos

"Bert" our 2008 Turkey

see larger image

uploaded by CC Chapman

• 

  uploaded by CC Chapman | add comment

• 

  uploaded by Terri Potratz | add comment

• 

  uploaded by Terri Potratz | add comment

• 

  uploaded by Terri Potratz | add comment

• 

  uploaded by xcalakattack | add comment

• 

  uploaded by Nina4961 | add comment

• 

  uploaded by nathenharvey | add comment

• 

  uploaded by edition_of_one | add comment

• 

  uploaded by Brad Andersohn | add comment

• 

  uploaded by lazaro | add comment

See our Cuisine channel for additional recipes, tips, hints and more.

Preparing a holiday meal can be a stressful event - how do you know the temperature of the turkey is right, what is the proper turkey cooking time, where do you stick that thermometer, how often do you baste, and what the heck is trussing a turkey?  Or should you can the turkey-in-the-oven method altogether and fry a turkey instead?

It's much simpler than it sounds to successfully roast a turkey for your family and friends to enjoy.  Here's a basic guide to help you prepare a delicious, juicy and flavorful holiday turkey:

• Be clear on how many guests you are expecting.  About a pound per person is the general rule of thumb, plus a little extra for leftovers.  Cooking for a dozen people? Might want to get a 16 lb. turkey.
• If the bird is frozen, you need to defrost it but avoid doing so at room temperature.  Stick it in the fridge a few days prior to cooking day, or try water submersion.  It is safe to cook a frozen turkey, but it could take about 50% longer.
  
• Brining the turkey is a popular method for adding a little extra flavor.  Dissolve 1 cup of sea salt per 3.75 litres of liquid and submerge turkey for 6-20 hours.  The longer the better.
• Stuff the turkey, starting with the neck.  Don't pack it in too tight.
  
• Before you roast, you may also want to truss the turkey, meaning you tie the legs and wings together for a neater presentation.  Personally I would not bother with this, especially as some chefs believe it takes longer for the legs to cook and thus dries out the breast, but it's up to the cook.
• You can use a disposable foil turkey pan, or a roast pan covered with tinfoil.  Don't forget the turkey lifter or you may have a problem getting that bird out of the pan once it's cooked!
• Baste the turkey about every 30 mins to an 1 hour.  You can use a turkey baster to suck up the juice drippings from the pan, or slather butter over the skin.
• About 2/3 of the way through, insert a meat thermometer into the thigh of the turkey angled towards the body, ensuring you don't hit any bones along the way.  The temperature should reach 180F for a stuffed turkey, 170F for an unstuffed turkey, and the stuffing itself should be around 165F.  The temperature should be at least 165F in order to kill bacteria in accordance with food safety guidelines.
  
• Remove the foil or cover for the last 45 mins - hour of cooking.  Some cooks will do the opposite and brown the turkey first, then cover it for the final cooking stretch.  It's up to you, but I prefer to brown at the end.
• When the turkey is cooked, lift it out of pan and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes to let the juices distribute.  Don't make the mistake of carving too quickly, this may result in a dry turkey even if you cooked it to perfection!
  
• Carve the turkey.  There's a really good turkey carving guide here, with a video as well.

Other tricks I've learned:

• If you have a frozen turkey, don't panic.  I cooked a 16 lb. turkey this year and it was frozen solid when I stuck it in the oven.  Insert at low heat for 1-2 hours, then remove bag of giblets and get your stuffing in there.  Cover and put to normal heat.
• Try stuffing the cavity of the turkey with metal cutlery.  Make sure it's pure metal (ie. without plastic handles...).  The cutlery will heat up and cook the turkey from the inside. 
  
• Another handy rule of thumb: stuffed turkeys need about 20-25 minutes per pound in the oven when cooking at 350F.  Unstuffed, about 18 minutes per pound.  Simple math will tell you exactly how long to cook your bird (ie. 16 lb stuffed turkey X 20 minutes = 320 minutes, or 5.3 hours).

This should leave you with a delicious turkey to enjoy - perhaps with some great Thanksgiving side dishes, like a green bean casserole or sweet potato pie.

And finally, try not to stress too much!  One of the best turkeys I've ever had was one cooked up at a cabin with no supplies, no meat thermometer, a pan that was a bit too small, a solid-frozen turkey, no baster, no turkey lifter, no frills.  But it was delicious.  Just go with your instincts!

Note: this story was originally written as a how-to for Thanksgiving turkey, but has been updated for Christmas.