what temp to cook a 12 pound turkey

While it's the traditional Christmas bird, turkey is good to eat all year round, though it's only readily available in portions (rather than a whole bird) virtually of the twelvemonth. Utilise our guide to acquire how to cook a turkey to feed a crowd, including brining and carving.

Turkey has all the nutritional benefits of craven only with a slightly lower fat content. This is good for health, merely does mean that the flesh tin be on the dry side. Older turkey recipes suggest basting a turkey regularly to go along the meat moist, but newer recipes suggest cooking the turkey more than quickly while using dry brines – leaving the turkey in table salt and flavouring overnight. This method draws moisture out, then the turkey reabsorbs information technology, which seasons the meat and dries out the pare for a crisp finish in the oven.

Notice how to alkali a turkey, a central facet of our crown & confit recipe, to keep the meat delicious and full of flavour. Also, lookout and acquire how to cleave a turkey in our video.

Turkey

While information technology'due south the traditional Christmas bird, turkey is good to eat all year round, though it's only readily available in portions (rather than a whole bird) nearly of the year. Use our guide to learn how to cook a turkey to feed a crowd, including brining and carving.

Turkey has all the nutritional benefits of chicken but with a slightly lower fat content. This is skillful for wellness, but does hateful that the flesh can be on the dry side. Older turkey recipes advise basting a turkey regularly to go on the meat moist, simply newer recipes suggest cooking the turkey more rapidly while using dry out brines – leaving the turkey in salt and flavouring overnight. This method draws moisture out, so the turkey reabsorbs it, which seasons the meat and dries out the skin for a crisp end in the oven.

Find how to brine a turkey, a key facet of our crown & confit recipe, to keep the meat delicious and total of season. Also, watch and learn how to carve a turkey in our video.

Recipes, tools and guides to help you cook the perfect turkey:

• We've got the perfect turkey recipe for you, whether you're looking for a traditional turkey recipe or a more modernistic version.
• Check our roast calculator to find out how long to cook your turkey.
• Perfect your carving skills with our how to carve a turkey video.
• Check out our foolproof guide to what turkey size to buy and thawing times.
• Learn how to cook a turkey crown.
• Find inspiration for what to do with turkey leftovers.

How to defrost a turkey

If yous buy a frozen turkey, make sure you let plenty time for information technology to defrost – information technology won't cook properly unless it is thoroughly defrosted at the commencement of cooking. If you're defrosting in the refrigerator, which should exist set at 4C or beneath, allow 8-12 hrs per kg. In a absurd room, which admittedly must stay below 17.5C, allow 3-4 hrs per kg. Read our guide on how to defrost a turkey to observe all our tips, tricks and condom advice.

How to prepare a turkey

1. Take off all the wrappings, put on a tray or plate broad and deep plenty to contain any claret or juice that might seep out, cover loosely with foil and leave in the fridge or in a cool room.
2. Later on the turkey is defrosted, remove any giblets, bank check that there are no water ice crystals inside the cavity and pat dry out with kitchen newspaper both exterior and in.
3. Before it goes in the oven, the turkey should exist at room temperature, and so accept it out of the fridge (ane hour for a whole turkey, or xxx mins for a cutting) before cooking. Keep information technology covered in a cool identify.

If desired, certain cuts of fresh or defrosted turkey can be marinated (for a minimum of 4 hrs) before cooking to add flavour and moisture and to tenderise it a little further. Slash the skin a couple of times to aid the marinade penetrate securely and go on covered in a glass or ceramic dish in the fridge.

Dry-brining

The small change of simply seasoning your turkey upwardly to ii days in advance makes a massive difference and actually cuts down on the amount of table salt y'all need. Known every bit dry-brining, this technique involves salting your turkey (inside and out) in advance. The common salt has a chance to piece of work its manner into the protein, flavor information technology evenly from within and start to break it down, tenderise the meat and allows it to retain its succulence as information technology roasts. By seasoning in advance, the whole bird is evenly seasoned and yous don't have to heavily flavor just before roasting. The same applies to all birds just equally they are smaller just a day in advance is needed.

What to practise with giblets

Cover with water and add together a peeled onion, carrot, celery stick, bay leaf and a drinking glass of ruddy wine. Simmer for 40 mins, then strain for the perfect stock to use for deglazing your turkey roasting tin – it will help make a really rich gravy.

How to remove the wishbone

Removing the wishbone from a raw turkey makes it easier to carve later, giving you lot neater slices. Pull back the neck peel until the wishbone is located. Using a small, abrupt knife, cut through the flesh under the contour of the bone on both sides just deep plenty to gratis information technology. Ease it out, cutting it free at the tips.

Read more well-nigh choosing, defrosting and cooking turkey at the British Turkey Information Line or the Food Standards Agency.

How to cook a turkey

Basic recipe

• one free-range turkey (5kg will feed 8 people)
• 50g butter
• seasoning

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
2. Smear the butter all over the turkey and season with common salt and pepper.
3. Put in a roasting tin, breast-side upwards, and roast for forty mins per 1kg for the first 4kg, and then 45 mins for every 1kg over that weight, or until the internal temperature reaches 65-70C. For a turkey of this weight, the cooking time should be iii½-4 hrs. The turkey volition continue to melt and the temperature will ascent while it rests.
4. Remove the turkey from the oven and residuum in a warm identify for 30-45 mins – don't skip this footstep as the juices won't be reabsorbed back into the turkey and will run out if you carve it straightaway. Don't comprehend the turkey likewise tightly if you want the pare to stay crisp, simply keep it warm.
5. Before serving your turkey, bank check that the meat is steaming hot throughout, there is no pink meat visible and when you cut into the thickest part of the meat, the juices run articulate.

For accurate timing, always weigh your turkey subsequently information technology has been blimp. If it's very large, you may need to use bathroom scales.

How long to cook a turkey

The latest advice from the British Turkey information service is that, if the turkey is over 4kg, summate 20 mins per 1kg, plus 90 mins. If the bird is under 4kg, calculate 20 mins per 1kg, plus 70 mins.

To test if information technology's done, make sure the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh where information technology meets the body. If non, put information technology back in the oven for another twenty mins, then exam again.

Availability

Turkey is available all yr round, but whole birds are at their best in Dec.

Cull the best

Equally is the case with all meat, turkey should be bought from a source that you lot trust – a good supermarket, local butcher, farmers' market place or shop, or a website mail service-order visitor. Of those five sources, the last 4 are perchance more than probable to be able to tell you the most well-nigh the turkey, such as where information technology came from and how information technology was reared. Traceability like that volition give you assurance that the turkey has been humanely treated while alive; the higher the standard of welfare by which a turkey was reared, the better the quality of the meat.

Read more about turkey farming at Red Tractor.

Organic turkey is the most expensive, as the most stringent farming standards volition accept been adhered to at all stages of the animal'due south life, including being allowed to roam outside during the day and being fed a mainly organic nutrition. As they are immune to mature slowly, their flesh is firm and flavourful; however, because they have had lots of exercise during their lives, they may be less plump than indoor-reared birds. Expect for the Soil Association sticker if you'd like to buy organic.

Free-range turkeys should take had some admission to the open air and are commonly cheaper than organic. The Freedom Food label can besides be used by producers that see the RSPCA'due south welfare standards.

Battery (or 'manufactory') reared turkeys are the most commonly available kind. They are rarely labelled equally such, but the low price is a giveaway. Although such turkeys are more affordable, the conditions they endure are extremely grim, as they are packed in at high densities, with little room to move around and no access to sunlight – all of which produces a noticeably inferior meat.

Proficient breeds to wait out for include Norfolk Blackness, Kelly Bronze and Cambridge Bronze. Reared slowly in free-range weather, they all accept densely textured meat that is more flavourful and succulent than indoor-reared types. The phrase 'farm fresh' means that birds have been handled traditionally once slaughtered, i.e. dry hand-plucked (as opposed to moisture-plucked, by which the turkey is immersed in very hot water to loosen the feathers, which are and so mechanically removed) and hung for two weeks, which gives the flesh an enjoyably gamey flavor.

Whole birds should be roasted. Other portions are also available (either pare-on or skinless, bone-in or boneless), including breast joints (roast), crown joints (the bird without its legs and wings, also good for roasting), breast steaks, escalopes (very thin steaks of turkey breast, good for pan-frying) and drumsticks (roast or braise).

Turkey mince is also available – it'south very low in fat and you tin can use it as you would any mince. Whichever breed or cut you go for, choose a turkey that is plump and well-rounded, with clear, soft and evenly coloured peel. Avert those that have been unevenly plucked.

Store it

Put fresh turkey in the fridge equally soon equally you go information technology home. Accept off all the wrappings, then wipe information technology all over (including inside the cavities) with kitchen paper. If it has come with giblets (the neck, gizzard, heart and liver), these should exist removed and kept in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.

Put the turkey on a tray or plate wide and deep plenty to contain any blood or juice that might seep out. Comprehend loosely with foil. Make certain the turkey doesn't impact any other food in the fridge that's to be eaten raw, or meat that is already cooked.

One time a frozen turkey has defrosted (see 'set' to a higher place), store it in the fridge straightaway, as to a higher place, unless you are going to cook it immediately.

Whole birds and pieces of turkey volition go along in the refrigerator for upwards to two days. Turkey mince should exist cooked within 24 hours of purchase. Giblets can be used to make gravy and stock (but leave the liver out, every bit information technology can create quite a bitter sense of taste) or stuffing, and should exist cooked within two days of purchase.

Alternatives

Try chicken.

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Source: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/how-to-cook-a-turkey-glossary

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