You don’t have an excuse now to not Cook a Turkey with these 5 wonderful and tasty ways.
In the United States, our Thanksgiving Day is just days away. Traditionally, we gather with family and friends for a feast of thanksgiving, and the classic entree is turkey.
If you’ve ever hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, you know the pressure is on to place the perfect turkey on the table. Since turkey isn’t something we’re used to cooking every day, it can be a bit intimidating when you do–especially if you are a first-timer!
Or maybe you’re an old pro when it comes to turkeys, but you want to go out on a limb with the bird this year and try something new. Friend, I’ve got your back, because today I’m featuring five different and delicious ways to cook a turkey.
What are the different ways of cooking a turkey?
That turkeys are a popular food, especially around Thanksgiving is no secret. There are many ways to prepare a turkey for a meal. It can be cooked by braising, roasting, grilling, frying, boiling, broiling, or barbecuing.
Some people find the cooking of a turkey to be quite easy and some others make a real fuss. It just depends upon how much effort you want to expend on the process. Any method you choose simply needs to be safe.
What is the most popular way to cook a turkey?
Yeah, ok, we all agree here that roasting a whole turkey is a popular and easy way to cook a turkey. It’s straightforward and easy, and the results are delicious.
But I cannot ignore that there are other ways too. Innovating in the kitchen is one of my favourite hobbies and this year, my friend, is not an exception!
How do you make a turkey stay moist?
“But turkey is too dry” – my daughter always moan and I, somehow, agree with her, lol. We both survive adding litres of gravy to the whole thing every single Christmas.
I have researched a little bit for this year. It turns out that it is to do with the size and the strength of the muscles of the bird! I mean turkeys can be really big. nothing to do with a chicken, right?
Scottish origin Chef Tommy Banks (Michelin Star Chef) demonstrates how to solve the problem of unevenly cooked chicken. He says that: “The major culinary challenge when roasting a turkey is that stronger muscles will take longer to cook. A simple solution is to remove the wings and legs after the bird has finished roasting and roast them further”.
My mind was blown away. Has yours? Now… do we need to pull the bird apart to cook and then assemble it to serve? Blimey! Well, yes, that is IT. He says:
“Once the breast is cooked, remove the bird from the oven, remove the legs and then put them back in. This stops the breasts drying out.”
Does turkey get more tender the longer you cook it?
This one is maybe one of my limiting beliefs. Yes, Sir, that is what I think.
Well, this is exactly the key to the perfect turkey. Some parts will dry out if it cooks forever however some others, like we mentioned, need longer cooking time.
So it seems perfectly legit to dismember the poor animal in order to enjoy a nice moist turkey this Christmas!
Sorry to break the News to you like that.
5 Ways to Cook a Turkey this Christmas 2022
Regardless of the moisture, who hasn’t eaten a dry-but-bath-in-gravy turkey sometime? Raise your hand.
We need to keep experimenting and these 5 wonderful chefs (not Michelin though) have the answers to your prayers: Please God, let this Christmas be the Perfect one with the perfect turkey.
No more pain, here they are, pick your way.
1. Glazed with Honey and Herbs
This recipe from Taste and Tell has me wishing I could stick a fork into my screen and take a bit of this! Glazed with honey and herbs, Deborah swears this is a no-fail, super easy method for cooking a turkey.
2. Smoked
Want to serve up Thanksgiving with Southern flair? Oh, Sweet Basil has all the instructions you need for smoking a turkey. Yum!
3. Roasted with Mayonnaise
Sounds crazy, right? But She Wears Many Hats swears that the finished product doesn’t taste like mayo and is moist and delicious. The herb crust on this one looks divine.
4. Slow Cooked
Cooking just the breast of a turkey is a fantastic option if your gathering is small. Less bird means it should fit in a crockpot, so this recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up is perfect. The fact that this one is cooked with cranberries has my mouth watering….
5. Roasted with Herb Butter
Probably the most traditional of the recipes I’m sharing today, this one from Cookin’ Canuck is stuffed with shallots and coated with herbed butter before going into the oven.
If it tastes as delectable as it looks, this one is definitely a contender.
Here you have a great video of How to Roast a Turkey and some tips:
Okay, those of you who are veteran turkey stuffers, share your best tips and recipes with the rest of us in the comments.
Have you ever had any turkey disasters? Share those with us, too, so we can have a good laugh!
