Turkey...how do you cook your's?

Cheat  :blink:  I usually do a mix of turkey juices minus the fat, some gravy granules, a splash of red wine and boiling water

wot they did ^^^^^ 
I find it easier to thicken with cornflour, though, cos ordinary flour can go lumpy 

I always cook mine breast side down for most of the cooking time, uncovering it for the last 15 mins or so, then I turn it over so it's breast side up another 15 mins to brown off the skin.

I find cooking it upside down helps keep it moist.

When it comes to turkey I think how good it turns out is largely down to the quality of the bird you start with, a cheap frozen one from tosco is never going to be as good as a nice fresh free range one.

I also find the larger the bird the better they cook, we have a 16-18lb bird this year, and theres only 7 of us for dinner. 

I do my gravy in a similar way to Sunny.  Veg under the bird.  Strain off some of the fat, not all as fat IS flavour.  Deglaze the veg in the pan over the hob with white wine, strain off the veg, return juices to the pan and add good chicken stock, home made is best but a cube is ok too.  Thicken with beurre manie (equal quantities of flour and butter mashed together) stirred in with a whisk.  Heat until boiling and simmer for a couple of minutes to cook the flour out.

  Roasted Turkey  

Ingredients - 1 Turkey, 1 to 2lbs of sausage meat, 1½ lbs veal forcemeat, 3 slices of bacon, 1 pint of good gravy, bread sauce, fat for basting.

Method – Prepare & truss the turkey.  Fill the crop with sausage meat and put the veal forcemeat into the body of the bird,  Skewer the bacon over the breast, baste well with hot fat,  and roast in front of a clear fire or moderate oven for  1¾  to 2¼ hours, according to age and size of the bird.  Baste frequently and 20minutes before serving remove the bacon to allow the breast to brown.  Remove the trussing strings, serve on a hot dish and send the gravy and bread sauce to table in sauce boats.

Time - From 1¾ - 2 ¼ Hours.  Average cost  - 10s to 16s.  Seasonable from September to February.

                  Mrs Beaton 1836 -1863

I make a good stock the day before with giblets and wings (all roasted up together) – Jamie Oliver did this on his recent Christmas show.  Though I don’t finish the gravy off like he did.  Just roast wings, veg etc off for an hour, then put in a stock pot and boil for a few more!  Skim the fat and save for the next day – makes amazing base gravy.

Turkey I take the legs and other trimming off to leave the crown.

The drum sticks i save for another day

Thighs get de-boned (relatively simple with a Sharpe knife)

Stuffed with sausage meat and chestnuts, rolled tightly in foil then slow roasted in a warm oven.

Crown gets butter basted and cooked in a hot oven to crisp up the skin – doesn’t take much more then an hour – maybe an hour and a half depending on the size of the crown.

Throw the stock from the day before into the drippings from the crown with a glass of white wine and thicken with a little gravy browner or corn flour if you like it gloopy like it do!

End up with very succulent breast meat, lovely juicy leg meat and thick gloopy gravy.

oK decided to cook it upside down and giblet gravy it is...had a roast chicken for tea tonight so thats going in a stockpot with some veg to be cooked down then in the fridge till Sunday.......should be lovely


thanks for all the suggestions.....brilliant.