Let’s talk turkey: Our top tips for the perfect turkey
To brine or not to brine? What about spatchcocking? Should I get a whole bird or a roll? How long do I cook it for? Whether you’re experienced with cooking turkeys or a first-timer, these tips will answer your questions and help you produce a delicious centrepiece for your guests this Christmas.
Choose the right turkey
Are you thinking a whole turkey? A buffe? What about a turkey roll? There are a few choices in this year’s Festive Food Orders at Hill Street.
Hill Street Kitchen’s Rolled Numurkah Turkey Breast will feed about 6-8 people. It’s just turkey breast, so without the bones, legs or wings there’s no waste and it carves easily into slices. It’s rolled, stuffed with pork, cranberries port and sage, and ready to roast at home at 180C for 2.5 - 3 hours.
Hill Street’s Numurkah Free Range Turkey Buffe is a 5-7 kg whole free-range turkey with the legs and wings removed. It’s a great choice for those who prefer white meat and don’t want a lot of waste or leftovers.
If you decide on a whole turkey, Hill Street has two choices. Our premium product is our Southern Highlands Fresh Turkey which is free-range and comes in fresh (unfrozen) from the southern highlands of New South Wales. Our Numurkah Turkeys are also free-range, grown by the Simmons family in Numurkah, Victoria. They tell us here why they believe that their turkeys are the best in the country! We receive these turkeys frozen and will defrost them for you in the days before your pick-up.
Calculate the right turkey size by allowing 500g of on-the-bone turkey per person. So a 4kg turkey will be enough for 8 guests. Order a larger one if you want second helpings or leftovers on Boxing Day.
Brining
Brining your turkey is a great way to ensure that it remains moist and flavoursome when cooked. This is quite a simple process. To one litre of water in a large saucepan add:
- 200g coarse salt (either sea salt or kosher salt, and not table salt)
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 orange, zested
Simmer for 10 minutes until all the salt and sugar have dissolved. Let cool, add another litre of water, and pour into a clean food-safe plastic or glass container; do not use a metal one. Submerge your turkey and refrigerate for 12 hours (you’ll probably need to remove a shelf from inside your fridge to accommodate the container). Don’t leave it any longer as the meat can break down and become mushy.
Tip: If you intend to spatchcock your turkey, spatchcock it first and then brine it, as this will allow greater penetration of the flavours into the meat.
Spatchcocking
This is an excellent way to speed up the cooking time of your turkey, and to get more flavour in. It involves removing the backbone and flattening the bird. Use a pair of sharp kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Then, press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten the bird.
A 4.5 kg spatchcocked turkey will cook in about 90 minutes in a 180C pre-heated oven, or when the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast reaches 74C (use a meat probe). During roasting, turn the turkey three times, ending the cooking time breast-up.
Cooking your whole turkey
Weigh your bird (if brining, weigh after it has been brined). Calculate your cooking time using our turkey cooking calculator here, for an oven pre-heated to 180C. Prepare and flavour your turkey as you wish – here’s some inspiration:
Bacon Latticed Turkey Buffe
Classic Christmas Turkey with Stuffing
Glazed Turkey with Maple Gravy
Pancetta Wrapped Turkey
Turkey with Apple and Honey Glaze
Again, use a meat probe to check if the turkey is cooked to an internal temperature of 74ºC. Take a temperature reading about an hour before the end of your calculated cook time, to ensure that it is not overcooking and drying out.
When the turkey is ready, remove it from the oven, cover with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Stuffing
Tip: With both the brining and spatchcocking methods of cooking, you should make your stuffing separately. Stuffing a brined turkey can result in a very salty stuffing. And here are a few ideas for using up turkey leftovers:
Tasty Turkey Sandwich
Japanese ramen turkey noodle soup
