Turkey

Those of you that have turkey for Christmas dinner, do you have a whole bird or a crown or just a breast?

I like the idea of a turkey crown but it always dries out so much, am I doing something wrong?

Sorry Jen I don't eat birds of any kind .
I usually have free range organic pork loin at Christmas.

I would think a turkey crown would be ok but I think it is important to a good quality one preferably free range organic, stuff it , push butter under the skin and cover with bacon

I have a whole bird and have never yet had a dry one, the trick is to cook it upside down so all the juices run to the breast and not to the manky bit underneath. Does that make sense?

Good tips there Mini
I always cook my chickens that way, makes them lovely and moist but I hadn't thought of doing the turkey that way.
Well I might chance another crown this year and do it upside down then

My mum does a whole bird.

I haven't eaten meat for years so wouldn't be able to tell you how they turn out!

)QUOTE=Nippy;2628056]Good tips there Mini

I always cook my chickens that way, makes them lovely and moist but I hadn't thought of doing the turkey that way.
Well I might chance another crown this year and do it upside down then [/QUOTE]

Way to go Jen, and don't wrap the crown up in foil, just put a cover over the whole tin but very loosly. Crowns are lovely, that's what we have. Lots of butter and lots of bacon to keep it moist and you'll be fine with it

Exactly what I was going to say and I assume it would work with just a crown too.

I've always removed the legs from Turkeys - debone and flatten them out and roll them round stuffing and cook separately.

But I don't have Turkey for Xmas these days - hardly any of us are mad about it. We love our whole gammon and pork and lamb though. If we want poultry we have chicken.

Trouble that does work well and it is a good idea to turn the turkey breast side up for the last 30-45mins to get a nice crispy golden top

I hate the sight of turkeys My Brother's Father in law used to breed them for Christmas and being free range they were much in demand. My parents used to take orders so Christmas week our house at home had every available space covered in dressed turkeys with people coming to collect them at all hours and haggling over the size either to big or too small

I would go for a full bird too but not one of those huge ones.

I find using a tin tray that comes with some chickens (used to with M&S chickens - think they stopped it tho) that are about 6cm high help keeps the chicken moist - so long as you keep basting.

If you want really succulent meat, I would use a cast iron casserole dish, then just remove the cover for the last half hour to get the crispness/colour on the top. This also gives you lots of lovely juices for the gravy

I always get a turkey crown as I get fed up with the leftovers lurking about & I've also got a 3 bird roast. Other years I would cook a duck for my mum but want a change.

Amazingly the turkey crowns have never dried out despite my ability as a cook.