Everything you always wanted to know about Xmas Turkey

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“I've kept this roast turkey recipe simple and hassle-free – Christmas should be about fun after all! ”

  1. If you’re worried about cooking the perfect Christmas turkey because you’re afraid you’ll get it wrong, don’t be. This recipe is nice and simple and will help you achieve brilliant results for your Christmas meal.
  2. Take your turkey out of the fridge about an hour before you’re ready to cook it so it comes up to room temperature before roasting. Give it a good rinse then pat it dry with some kitchen paper, making sure you soak up any water in the cavity. Drizzle the meat with a good lug of olive oil, add a few good sprinkles of salt and pepper and then rub this seasoning all over the bird, making sure you get in to all the nooks and crannies.
  3. Preheat your oven to full whack then get started on your stuffing. Pour a lug or two of olive oil into a large pan on a medium heat and fry off your chopped onion for about 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper, the ground nutmeg and your chopped sage leaves, then continue to fry and stir for another minute or two.
  4. Spoon the onion mixture into a large bowl and let it cool completely. Once cooled, add your pork mince and breadcrumbs and use your hands to really scrunch everything together. Once it’s mixed really well, bring the stuffing together into a ball, then cover and chill until you’re ready to stuff your turkey.
  5. Pull the skin at the neck-end back so you can see a cavity and push about half of your stuffing inside your turkey. Not too much: you don’t want to pack it so tightly it slows down the cooking. Once done, pull and fold the skin over the opening and tuck it under the bird so it looks nice.
  6. Turn the turkey around and drop a few small pieces of stuffing into the larger cavity along with your clementine halves and a few sprigs of rosemary. Place your roughly chopped veg in the bottom of a roasting pan and lay your turkey on top. Cover the turkey with tin foil then put it in the hot oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes per kilo. The 5kg bird in this recipe will take about 3 to 3½ hours.
  7. heck on your turkey every 20 minutes or so and keep it from drying out by basting it with the lovely juices from the bottom of the pan. After 2½ hours, remove the foil so the skin gets golden and crispy.
  8. When the time is up, take your turkey out of the oven and stick a small sharp knife into the fattest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear and the meat pulls apart easily, it’s ready. If not, pop the turkey back in the oven to cook for a bit longer then check again. When you're confident it's cooked, rest the turkey for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours for bigger birds. Meanwhile you can get your veg and gravy ready.

All Turkeys supplied by ‘Martin’s Meats have a very helpful “pop up timer” telling you when your turkey is cooked !!

Three questions always asked coming up to Christmas..

How long does it take to thaw a frozen turkey?

For thawing times, the UK's NHS suggests allowing the turkey to thaw in a fridge (at 4c/39F) for 10 to 12 hours per kilogram (6 to 6 1/2 hours per pound).
If at cool room temperature (below 17.5c/64F) than allow 3 to 4 hours per kilogram (2 to 2 1/2 hours per pound), though the time may be longer if the room is particularly cold and make sure you refrigerate the turkey as soon as it has thawed.
Always check that the turkey is fully thawed before brining or cooking

How many people will my turkey feed?

Bird Size Will Feed:
4.5kg 9-10
5.0kg 10-11
5.5kg 11-12
6.0kg 12-13
6.5kg 14-15
7.0kg 15-16
7.5kg 16-17
8.0kg 17-18
8.5kg 18-19
9.0kg 19-20

How long does it take to cook my turkey?

Weight           Roasting Times (Stuffed)
3-3.5Kg          3 Hours
4.5 -5 Kg        3.30 Hours
6kg- 7kg         4 Hours
7kg – 9 kg      4.30 Hours

All Turkeys supplied by ‘Martin’s Meats have a very helpful “pop up timer” telling you when your turkey is cooked !!

 

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