How to Make a Tender, Juicy, and Succulent Turkey

SCRATCH THE 175 RULE: Most recipes tell you to take you turkey out when it reaches about 175-180 degrees. Well, what they don't tell you is that when you take that bird out it's still cooking itself. In fact it will be cooking itself for about the next 20 minutes; so that 175 degree kicks itself up to about 190-195 degrees!! You know what that means...a dry nasty bird. Try taking it out at about 165 instead that way when it continues cooking itself it'll end off at that perfect 175.

X-NAY THE BUTTER AND USE MAYO: Okay so pretty much everyone likes to peel up that skin around the breast of the turkey and mix their herbs and spices with soften butter which makes this beautiful buttery paste. So why is it that when you taste the bird it's still dry, but with lots of flavor, but dry? The butters consistency and viscosity just doesn't hold through long enough to cook that big butt bird for hour after hour after hour. Try using mayonnaise (and no you won't taste the flavor of the mayonnaise). Mix you herb and spices with the mayo- all the oils in the mayonnaise will penetrate the bird quite nicely giving it lots of tenderness.

USE BACON OR PROSCUITTO: Try wrapping you entire turkey in thick cut bacon or thin salty prosciutto. mmmmm! The salt content and fat from the bacon will give a great flavor and a wonderful tenderness. Note- before wrapping in bacon try brushing your turkey with a cranberry chutney. The mixture of it's sweetness and the bacon' s saltiness go wonderfully together. YUM!!

TRY COOKING BREAST DOWN AND USE SOUR CREAM: Okay I know most are skeptical of this and are scared of ruining their turkey by using this tip. Therefore, try doing it on a little cheap whole chicken just so you can gain that self reassurance you're looking for. Cook you turkey breast side down...yea I said it. Also stuff under the skin a mixture of sour cream, minced garlic, and rosemary. Ohhhh the fragrant aroma and tender tastiness this will be.

USE A ROASTING BAG: Pop your turkey in one of those huge roasting bags. Nobody has to know that you didn't really use the actual roaster. As long as it taste good. And if you insist on using your roasting pan wrap you turkey up loosely with foil and then take a fork and poke holes in the foil to promote even heat circulation.

DON'T BE A PEEPING TOM: I know it's so tempting to peep at your creation but, opening and closing the oven will just doom your turkey to be dry. The tenderness can withhold against this fluctuation in heat. Furthermore, because of this aspect try basting every hour and fifteen minutes as oppose to every forty-five minutes to an hour

BRINE: Brining is a pretreatment in which the whole turkey to placed in a salt and water solution known as brine. This pretreatment produces a wonderfully moist and well-seasoned bird. Brining should be done in the refrigerator or in a cooler with 5 to 6 ice packs to keep the turkey and brine at 40 degrees or below during the entire brining process. Brining is more manageable with a rather small turkey from 12 to 14 pounds.