Why cooking your Christmas turkey upside down is the perfect method
Last Christmas, the UK tucked into more than 10 million turkeys on the big day.
And with the bird holding the title of the most traditional festive emblem, there’s mounted pressure to make it perfect.
Yet unfortunately, it just so happens to be one of the most risk-worthy meats to prep, as it’s highly likely to become dry.
Thankfully, chef John Quilter AKA The Food Busker, has revealed his top tip to ensuring you serve up a truly succulent turkey this Christmas.
His failsafe method? Cooking the bird upside down. Yes, you read that correctly.
Quilter revealed: “All the juices bleed through into the breast which sits inside it. If you’re going to put butter or bacon on, that gives it the moisture so you don’t need to cook it upside down. But rest it upside down.”
The chef, who has more than 150,000 followers on his YouTube cooking channel, also shared his top tip to saving dry turkey for Boxing Day sandwiches.
Quilter advises covering the slices in beef stock before laying them in a baking tray. Then, heat for five minutes and voila! The meat will be succulent again.
He explained: “What the heat in the oven does is it evaporates the beef stock. So you’ve effectively created a steam oven in your regular oven.”
Quilter continued, “Often the day after the turkey is too dry. But if it’s sat there in that stock, the turkey’s going to be juicy.”
How to avoid serving a dry turkey this Christmas:
Choose your turkey wisely
According to Fine Cooking, the number one rule to ensuring you bag a succulent turkey is to buy a fresh bird.
According to the website, when a frozen turkey thaws fluids leak into the bird’s muscle cells which in turn, dries out the meat.
Soak the turkey in brine
Herbs and spices are all well and good in terms of flavouring the skin but how do you ensure the turkey is thoroughly enjoyable (and succulent)?
Soaking the bird in brine or injecting the liquid directly into the meat will help moisten the turkey. And there are tons of recipes to give a whirl this festive season.
Only stuff the neck of the bird
Stuffing the entire turkey will cause the meat to dry out at a rapid rate. According to the Good Food website, it makes more sense to stuff the neck cavity instead.
Let the turkey rest
After cooking the bird, cover the turkey in tinfoil and allow to rest for at least an hour to ensure the meat can absorb any excess juices. This also gives you ample time to finish off other essential dinner components.
Cover the meat in a clean, damp towel
While waiting to serve up the meat, cover the turkey in a clean and damp towel to prevent the bird from drying out.
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Read more from Yahoo Style UK:
The Christmas dinner components you’ve been cooking all wrong
How many calories is too much on Christmas Day?
Christmas dinner components you can prep ahead of the big day
