Cooking a Turkey

[Sour_Squirrel]

Going to be cooking a turkey later today.

Is it better to cook it with the breast side up or breaast side down??

 

Have a great Thanksgiving to all.....

[lakerguy]

Breast up

[Terry]

a great chef told me breast down and flip it the last hour to brown it

[Fish Farmer]

Breast down if you do care about the presentation, white meat nice and moist. Best part is the neck if someone doesn't, beat you to it But the best turkey I have ever had was a deep fried, the down side is no gravy and dressing.

[Christopheraaron]

Down.

[Live2fish85]

Breast down all the way. As Terry said turn it over the last hour uncovered to get the skin crispy and brown. So much better when the white meat isn't like chewing a piece of jerky haha.

[davey buoy]

Breast down if you do care about the presentation, white meat nice and moist. Best part is the neck if someone doesn't, beat you to it But the best turkey I have ever had was a deep fried, the down side is no gravy and dressing.

 

Deep fried,3mins a pound!,,mmmmm.

[Gregoire]

Grill it up on indirect heat in a pan. Put a rub on the turkey to make the skin brown perfectly.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Roaring Dan Seavey

[woodenboater]

Breast up but tent it with foil for most of the process. Also foil the wing tips and legs. Pull tent last half hour or so for golden, browny goodness . We usually stuff sage under the skin at the breast and bird goes on a rack as well.

[Fish Farmer]

Grill it up on indirect heat in a pan. Put a rub on the turkey to make the skin brown perfectly.

Now that sounds good, do you put it in the gas BBQ or Charcoal?

[Live2fish85]

Now that sounds good, do you put it in the gas BBQ or Charcoal?

 

 

My parents and I cooked a smaller turkey on there gas BBQ, we did it on the rotisserie and it was amazing. Also took a case of beer to be finished but was even better then.

[Sour_Squirrel]

OK, it seems for a turkey cooked with juicy moist white meat to cook breast side down and flip over for the last hour or so.

I'm thinking of cooking at 325 *F to start but when I flip it (breast side up) do I still cook it at the same temp or do I need to increase the temp to brown and crisp the skin? If so, what temp?

 

btw. yes, the neck (cooked crisp) is the best part for knawing on!!

[Live2fish85]

I don't know about everyone else but I usually cook my turkey or roast a bit higher to start. Usually a half hour to a hour, depending on the size. I find it helps keep the juices in the meat.

 

Yes the neck is the best part. Luckily my grandfather and I are the only ones that like it. One thing I hate is the gizards lol. I thought I was being sneaky yesterday eating some of the stuffing while carving the bird and I got the heart and I really dont like them haha.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Live2fish85

[Gregoire]

Now that sounds good, do you put it in the gas BBQ or Charcoal?

I use a natural gas grill. It is just like cooking it in the oven, but the grill gives it extra flavour. The rub goes on and under the skin, with makes the bird caramelize nicely. I am in the process of preparing the bird right now. It just came out of the brine and I am making the stuffing now.

 

The advantages of natural gas grills make the process a lot easier.

[captpierre]

Cooked a lot of turkeys. It's always my job.

 

The key is not to overcook. Make sure the bird is fully thawed. If not, put in a sink filled with warm water. Dry. Salt/white pepper/ paprika(for colour) -I like to make a thin paste with cooking oil and rub in on everywhere.

 

Cover with foil. Breast side up. 325 degrees. Use a thermometer. Stick it into the thickest part of the thigh.

 

Take foil off the last 30 -45 min. Take out when thermometer says 185 degrees and leave to rest on the counter covered in foil for 15-30 min depending on the size.

 

The rest redistributes the juices. Heat will still penetrate deeper to get to the desired safe 190 degrees. I cut the entire breasts off both sides of the carcass, lay flat on a cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch beautiful slices. Keep the slices together and lay on your turkey tray/plate.

 

I leave the drumsticks whole for looks and debone the thighs for dark meat.

 

Easy to serve. White meat is moist and still hot.

 

Goodluck

Edited October 8, 2012 by captpierre

[davey buoy]

Cooked a lot of turkeys. It's always my job.

 

The key is not to overcook. Make sure the bird is fully thawed.

 

Cover with foil. Breast side up. 325 degrees. Use a thermometer. Stick it into the thickest part of the thigh.

 

Take foil off the last 30 -45 min. Take out when thermometer says 185 degrees and leave to rest on the counter covered in foil for 15-30 min depending on the size.

 

The rest redistributes the juices. I cut the entire breasts off both sides of the carcass, lay flat on a cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch beautiful slices. Keep the slices together and lay on your turkey tray/plate.

 

I leave the drumsticks whole for looks and debone the thighs for dark meat.

 

Easy to serve. White meat is moist and still hot.

 

Goodluck

 

I think that is the most common way.That's the way my grandparents,parents,in laws and wife does it. Always moist!

[SirCranksalot]

Best part is the neck if someone doesn't, beat you to it

 

 

I'd fight you for it!!

 

I've tasted them done either way and, as long as someone else does it, it tastes great!!!

 

 

[Twocoda]

We always BBQ our turkeys but tried something different yesterday...instead of one huge bird on the rotiserie we used two smaller 10 pound birds...one on the BBQ rotiserie and one in the deep fryer...both turned out amazing ! special trip home for turkey sandwiches and then back to the river...

[crappieperchhunter]

Up, down... is completely unimportant. Get a digital meat thermometer and cook to the recommended temperature. It will always be perfect and moist. That goes for pork and beef roasts as well. Cooked for a lot of years without a meat thermometer and finally caved in an got one 4-5 years ago. Have not had a over cooked bird or roast since. Cooking wise it will be the best $20 you ever spent.

[captpierre]

Up, down... is completely unimportant. Get a digital meat thermometer and cook to the recommended temperature. It will always be perfect and moist. That goes for pork and beef roasts as well. Cooked for a lot of years without a meat thermometer and finally caved in an got one 4-5 years ago. Have not had a over cooked bird or roast since. Cooking wise it will be the best $20 you ever spent.

Ya, but you could buy a 10 inch Believer for that

[misfish]

Best part is the neck if someone doesn't, beat you to it

 

Right on brother.

 

We went down to Highland farms after work yesterday. They have turkey necks that could feed a family of 4. What the hell are they feeding these things? Bought a drum leg,that was the size of my,,,,,,,,,,,,,, forearm.

That,s the only bit of bird for us. Just back from work,and the mrs,s has the boiled dinner well on it,s way.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Misfish

[crappieperchhunter]

Ya, but you could buy a 10 inch Believer for that

LOL

 

I don't fish for those big boys. But that same $20 would pretty much buy all my panfish plastics for an entire season

[Gregoire]

My neigbour was just over and was sharing a cookbook where they try multiple different cooking techniques and apparently the best way to cook a turkey is to start with the breast down and then turn it over, as this ensures that the meat is evenly cooked.

My Turkey is on the grill right now breast down. It will stay there for 3 hours, at which point it will be turned. I will also be basting it every half hour or so. It is covered in a rub, and the sausage, giblet and scallop stuffing will be cooked seperately in the over. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

[Dutch]

Cooked a lot of turkeys. It's always my job.

 

The key is not to overcook. Make sure the bird is fully thawed. If not, put in a sink filled with warm water. Dry. Salt/white pepper/ paprika(for colour) -I like to make a thin paste with cooking oil and rub in on everywhere.

 

Cover with foil. Breast side up. 325 degrees. Use a thermometer. Stick it into the thickest part of the thigh.

 

Take foil off the last 30 -45 min. Take out when thermometer says 185 degrees and leave to rest on the counter covered in foil for 15-30 min depending on the size.

 

The rest redistributes the juices. Heat will still penetrate deeper to get to the desired safe 190 degrees. I cut the entire breasts off both sides of the carcass, lay flat on a cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch beautiful slices. Keep the slices together and lay on your turkey tray/plate.

 

I leave the drumsticks whole for looks and debone the thighs for dark meat.

 

Easy to serve. White meat is moist and still hot.

 

Goodluck

 

I agree with everything here except the temperature, I cook until the internal temp of the thigh is 165. A turkey can easily rest for 30-60 minutes and the temp will continue to increase over that time if it is tented. Make sure to let it rest at least 30 minutes. Breast up/breast down makes no difference. The juices in the bird don't migrate due to gravity, the muscle is not permeable like that. If you want a real juicy turkey, brine it, but that is some what advanced, save it for next time.

 

NEVER use the old 1/2 hour per pound thing. I ate dry, tasteless turkey doused in gravy until I started cooking my own. The only accurate wast to tell doneness is with a thermometer.

[fish_fishburn]

Up or down doesnt matter, its all about the brine.