How to make a delicious & moist Thanksgiving Turkey

As a girl who grew up on a turkey farm and one who currently lives on the same turkey farm, I have eaten turkey pretty much every week of my life. When you eat turkey that often, putting up with dry turkey (that has to be drowned in gravy to be swallowed) is not an option. I want to enjoy my turkey.

Let me share some tips on how to cook your Thanksgiving bird in a way that is delicious, everyone in your family will gobble, ask for seconds, and maybe even convince you that you can eat turkey more than twice a year.

Brine it Refer to my blog post on brined turkey pieces here. Brining it traps in so much amazing flavour and the salt keeps the turkey from becoming dry. It takes a little more preparation (the turkey has to sit in a brine for 24 hours before baking) but I find the prep work is totally worth it - especially for a special dinner like Thanksgiving.

Smoke it You may not have a smoker, but you can also buy smoked turkey. It tastes like ham, but better! The salt and smoke retains the moisture plus add delicious flavour. Smoked turkeys are usually partially cooked, so cooking it doesn’t take too long. Cook at a low temperature (275 degrees) for about 3 hours or until turkey tests done with a meat thermometer. If you are fortunate enough to own a smoker, brine the turkey for 24 hours. (My general rule for brine is four cups of water to a quarter cup of salt. Add a bit of brown sugar and allspice berries for flavour.) Smoke for half a day, and then cook for three to five hours (depending on the size of your bird) until turkey tests done. We bought a wood pellet smoker last year, and totally love to use it for this purpose.

Slow Roast It This is how my mom made turkey for us almost every week of my childhood. Cover the turkey and bake low and slow ALL day. My moms rule was one hour per pound at 200 degrees. The meat literally falls off the bone and it is amazingly moist with gravy or without. Here is a link to a recipe for slow roasted bird. RECIPE We generally bake it similarly to this recipe, although we often make it without the extras - just turkey - and it is always turns out great.

Please note, if you have a very large bird (over 14 pounds) you won’t be able to use this method due to food safety reasons.

Turkey is a tasty versatile meat, but if you want to enjoy it fully, care must be taken to retain it’s moisture. With one of these options, I’m sure you will be happily surprised you never have to eat dry turkey again!