Tips and Tricks to Cooking a Perfectly Juicy Turkey

Have you ever eaten a dry turkey? It’s not good is it. For years I have had dry overcooked turkey for many reasons but mainly because no one in our family really knows how to cook a good turkey and they are the ones that always cook Thanksgiving dinner.

This year I am cooking the dinner so I wanted to test a few ways to cook turkey so it’s moist and juicy. I found a great way to ensure a great juicy turkey. Here are my tips and tricks I learned through the process.

Start off with the freshest turkey you can find. I found a good deal on last years turkeys so even though they weren’t the freshest in town I knew ahead of time and was okay with that.

 

Prep your turkey by injecting it with a substance known to soften and flavor the meat. Many people use butter or wine. I use wine inside the turkey and butter on the skin.

You can inject your turkey with liquid garlic, butter, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, marinades, wine, soy sauce, vinaigrettes or any kind of liquid flavoring that you think would be good in turkey.

Other tips

• Make sure to completely unthaw before cooking. Set it in a shallow dish on bottom of fridge 2 to 3 days before Thanksgiving so you don’t have any issues with frozen turkey.
• Don’t over cook your turkey, use a thermometer even if the turkey has a self timer.
• For crispier skin baste top with butter before cooking and again half way through the cooking process.
• Don’t over pack with stuffing. Overstuffed turkey will be more difficult to cook thoroughly.
• Place a layer of parchment paper on the bottom of the roasting pan and then cover with a layer of peppers, onions and garlic for a boost in flavor. The parchment will protect the pan from.
• When your turkey is done cover it with a layer of foil and let it sit for 30-45 minutes before you carve it. This will let the juice settle and moisture settle in, leaving a juicer turkey for your enjoyment.
• Don’t pull the legs or try to cut through straight. Instead twist them and you pull away from the body. Use a sharp knife to cut through the bit of bone connecting the tissue to the body.

We hope you enjoy these tips and tricks to cooking a perfect turkey. If you’ve got some tips or tricks that are not listed here leave them in the comments.