What’s the one thing I dread about Christmas day? Eating dry, tasteless turkey. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas dinner as much as the next person. In-fact, I spend most of my day building up to the food, because it’s the best part of the day. But, it has forever been tainted in England with the idea of a poorly cooked piece of meat.
I’m here to tell you that you can take a stand against dry turkey. You don’t need to eat it anymore, because there are things you can do to make turkey taste good. Be prepared to see turkey in a whole new light.
Let it rest
With big pieces of meat it is absolutely essential that you let the meat rest before eating it. Although it might seem odd, there is a method to the madness.
When meat cooks, the muscle fibres tighten and the water inside the meat is pushed towards the surface. Now if you cut the meat straight after taking it out of the oven, all of this juicy liquid will pour out and you’ll be left with a very dry piece of meat. However, by letting it rest, we are allowing the water to redistribute back into the meat, leaving you with a juicy, tender turkey.
Because turkey is often large, you should be leaving it to rest for at least an hour. Be prepared to include this time in your cooking prep.
Wrap it up
Usually you’ll always wrap your meat in tin foil when cooking to keep the juices in. That being said, if you want a crispy skin then you need to take the foil off before the turkey has finished cooking.
Loosely cover your turkey in tin foil for the majority of the cooking time, but remove the foil for the last 30-40 minutes. Not only will your skin dry up, but it will also allow the juices to flow into the tin, the foundations for a delicious Christmas gravy.
Season appropriately
Stuff it – It’s not just about what you put on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Make sure to stuff the inside of your turkey with all of the classic aromatic flavours, these include:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Sprigs of Thyme
- Rosemary
Flavoured butter – I mean, who doesn’t love garlic butter? You can purchase flavoured butters or mix your favourite herbs yourself. Then spread the butter mix under the skin of the turkey for a super intense flavour. You can also use other seasonings under the skin to get as much flavour as possible.
Don’t be boring – Yes I said it! It’s time to mix up your flavours this festive season. Of course we love tradition, but it doesn’t harm anyone to mix things up every once in a while. Check online for some unusual turkey flavours, some of the tastiest options are:
- Maple syrup glaze
- Bourbon glaze
- Cider glaze
- Garlic & pancetta
After all of this, if you still aren’t convinced that turkey can’t be tasty, I suggest picking another meat. But, why not get creative this Christmas and zhuzh up your turkey?
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