Your Christmas Turkey

Cooking on Christmas Day

Our method should help you to produce a truly tasty turkey with especially succulent breast meat.

Whole Turkey

How to place your Pop Up (trademark) Timer1. Remove your turkey from the fridge 2 hours before cooking.

2. Your turkey has been string trussed for presentation purposes. Please remove the string before cooking. Do not rinse or wash your turkey.

3. Insert the Pop Up® fully at a point 2” to the right or left of the front tip of the breast bone (as pictured). The timer should not touch any bone. Do not use the Pop Up® if cooking the turkey breast down.

4. Do not stuff your turkey. Cook stuffing separately. You may like to put a large peeled onion into the body cavity. Place in roasting tin, season as preferred and add a little water to the tin.

5. The oven should be preheated before cooking:

Fan ovens – 160ºC / 320ºF
Conventional ovens – 180ºC / 375ºC
AGA – Hot oven

6. See the table for suggested cooking times. The giblets are included in the weight on the box – remember to deduct approx 10% of the weight to allow for this when selecting cooking time. Or you could weigh the giblets separately and deduct this from the weight on the box.

7. We do not recommend the use of tin foil. However, you may find foil is helpful towards the end of the cooking period to avoid excess browning as some ovens, particularly fan, can vary.

8. Your Pop Up® will tell you when your turkey is deliciously done. Cut through the skin between legs and breast to allow juices to run and also to allow thighs to cook more evenly. Test with a carving fork on the inside of the thigh – the bird is ready when the juices run clear. If still pink, return to oven.

9. Remove your Pop Up® and allow the turkey to rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Please do remember that oven temperatures and coldness of the turkey will affect the overall cooking time.

Suggested Cooking Times

Whole Birds/Crowns
 KILOS TIME

3 kg

 1 hr 30 mins

4 kg

 1 hr 45 mins

5 kg

 2 hours

6 kg

 2 hrs 15 mins

7-8 kg

 2 hrs 45 mins

9-11 kg

 3 hours

Carving

You will find the following sequence makes for easy carving:

1. Hold the leg by the end knuckle. Cut close to the body and twist off. Carve this dark leg meat.
2. Similarly remove the wing and cut in half.
3. Slice the breast meat from one side.
4. Repeat for the other side.

Jamie Oliver Demonstrates How to Carve a Turkey

Phil Vickery – Cooking & Carving a British Turkey