Super Simple Tips To Help You Cook The Perfect Turkey This Christmas

Christmas is nearly here, and if you've decided to host your whole family then you've probably already started cooking!

One of the biggest challenges is cooking a turkey. It's not exactly something you do every day. 

Award-winning Sydney butcher Adam Stratton from Tender Gourmet Butchery has shared his foolproof method for how to cook the perfect turkey which just might help you out.

The method!

1. If you’ve already bought a frozen turkey – it will take time to thaw out. Don’t leave it until the last minute. If it’s a massive bird, it could take up to 5 days to get ready. Get it out of the deep freezer now and into the fridge.
   
   
2. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees
   
   
3. Push butter under the skin
   
   
4. Salt and pepper the outside skin of the bird then cover with olive oil
   
   
5. Put it into a large roasting tray and cook the turkey breast side down
   
   
6. Add 500ml of chicken stock to the bottom of the pan to keep it moist
   
   
7. Loosely cover with foil
   
   
8. Midway through cooking add more butter and baste with some stock
   
   
9. With half an hour to go, pour out any excess stock that’s still in the bottom to the tray, and turn the turkey breast side up
   
   
10. Melt 250ml of maple syrup and 250g of butter, in a saucepan and basted it 20- 30 minutes before you take it out of the oven
    
    
11. Once the timer goes off, let it rest for half an hour covered with foil before serving
    

Choosing the right bird! 

Use the guide below to help you get the right-sized turkey, to determine how long it'll have to cook for (All turkeys should be cooked at 160c)

• Size 30 (3kg) — 40 (4kg) 2.5-3 hours serves six to eight people
  
  
• Size 40 (4kg) — 60 (6kg) 3-4 hours serves eight to 12 people
  
  
• Size 60 (6kg) — 80 (8kg) 4-5 hours serves 12 to 16 people
  
  
• Size 80 (8kg) — 100 (10kg) 5-5.5 hours serves 16 to 20 people
  
  
• Allow for 500g per person
  
  
• Add an extra half an hour if your turkey is stuffed

The stuffing!

Below is the recipe for Adam's 'secret stuffing'! 

Ingredients:

• Eight slices of bread (Can be going stale)
  
  
• Half a cup of chopped onions
  
  
• Half a cup of chopped celery
  
  
• 150g butter
  
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage
  
  
• 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme
  
  
• 1 cup of chicken stock
  
  
• half a cup of walnuts (optional)
  
  
• one cup of diced apple (optional)

Method

• Melt the butter, then combine all the ingredients, using your hands to mix together
• Stuff tightly in the bird’s cavity.

Good luck!

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