The kitchen is at the heart of so many Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions. Whether you are hosting a large gathering or a small get together this holiday season, here we share our failsafe turkey recipe to ensure your centrepiece is the very best for your festive table.
3-4kg │ 6-8 │ 2 hours
4-5kg │ 8-10 │ 2 hours 40 minutes
5-6kg │ 10 │ 3 hours 15 minutes
6-7kg │ 12 │ 3 hours 30 minutes
7-8kg │ 14 │ 4 hours
Take the turkey out of fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Pre-heat oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6. Remove giblets and set aside (keep for making a traditional gravy). Stuff the turkey neck cavity with the pork sausage meat. Rub the olive oil and melted butter over the turkey skin and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper inside and out.
Place the turkey in a roasting tin in the oven and cook at 200ºC/Gas Mark 6 for the first 40 minutes of the total cooking time (see guidelines above). Then turn the temperature down to 180ºC/Gas Mark 4 for the remainder of the total cooking time.
Baste the turkey frequently during cooking. If the skin starts to take on too much colour, use foil to cover. Add 250ml water to the turkey juices in the roasting tin to prevent drying out.
At the end of the cooking time, take the roasted turkey out of the oven. We recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature is 70°C for 2 minutes. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before serving. It may be tempting to bring your turkey to the table immediately, but the resting time allows the juices to soak into the meat, which will produce more succulent results. Ensure the turkey is thoroughly cooked, the juices run clear and there is no pink meat.
Head Chef Taylor from The Fox shares his top tips for the perfect roast turkey here.