Have you ever pulled your Thanksgiving bird out of the oven, only to slice into it and find it’s lost all of its delicious moisture? We’ve all been there—but there’s a simple trick we can use to prevent dry turkey this year. According to a food scientist, cooling the breast meat before roasting the bird ensures it cooks at the same time as the dark meat. This allows you to roast moist and tender turkey to carve and serve to your holiday crowd. Keep reading to find out more about this unique hack and a mouthwatering roast turkey recipe to try!
What causes turkey meat to dry out during cooking
This issue occurs because dark meat needs to be cooked to a higher temperature than light, which then dries out the lighter meat. Sure, you could simply slice those sections away from each other and roast them separately. But if you’re hoping to keep the whole bird intact, a few ice packs can easily solve the problem.
Food scientist’s trick for roasting a moist turkey
Before popping your turkey in the oven, place ice packs over the light meat of the breast area while keeping the legs and wings clear to warm up to room temperature. Then when you cook it, the dark meat will be able to reach a higher temperature while the white meat stays lower since it’s starting from a cooler temperature than the dark.
Harold McGee, a food scientist and author of Keys to Good Cooking, shared this tip with NPR back in 2011. He advised, “Take the bird out [of the fridge] ahead of time and let the legs warm up a little bit while you keep the breasts covered with ice packs. That way, you keep the breasts cold. The legs warm up by maybe 10, 20 degrees, and that way, when you put the bird in the oven, you’ve already built in a temperature differential.”
McGee admitted it might look a little weird sitting on your counter before you put it in the oven, especially if you use Ace bandages to keep the ice packs in place like he does, but the initially strange appearance will result in a gorgeous, juicy turkey after you roast it.
Chef tests out this unique cooking hack
Justin Wangler, the executive chef at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens in Sonoma County, CA, tested McGee’s theory with two turkeys: one prepped with ice packs and one without.
He started by letting them both warm up to room temperature (aside from the iced section on one), which took about 15 minutes. The chef then removed the packs and noted an eight degree temperature difference between the breast and thigh meat of the iced bird. He roasted both birds in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours.
After taking the turkeys out and letting them rest, Wangler said the one that had been prepped with ice packs were able to retain more moisture which “added a little something extra to the tenderness of the turkey.” In fact, it convinced him to always use the method for his annual bird.
Grab a few ice packs to give this simple technique a try with your bird and we’re sure you and your family will be just as pleased by the results!
Bonus: A moist and tasted roast turkey recipe
This roast turkey recipe comes from Meat n’ Bone, a purveyor of premium quality meat. The recipe features their ethically-raised and free-range Amish turkey, which the brand notes is raised by Amish families in Troy, MI. But, any whole organic turkey works fine too. Additionally, there’s no measurements for many ingredients in this recipe—so you can use as much or as little of each to your liking!
Roast Whole Turkey
Ingredients:
- 1 whole turkey (at least 8 to 12 lbs)
- Fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, and sage
- Vegetables: onion, garlic, carrot and celery
- Lemon
- Unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Get your turkey ready by patting it dry and removing neck and giblets.
- Add salt to your turkey.
- Stuff the turkey cavity with quartered onion, lemon and fresh sprigs of herbs.
Directions:
- Yield: approximately 6 to 9 servings
- Preheat your oven at 300°F.
- Blend olive oil, butter, fresh garlic and salt.
- Spread seasoning all over the turkey. Let turkey rest 10 minutes. Add rest of vegetables to roasting rack and place turkey on top.
- Cook turkey approximately 3 hours for 8 to 12 lb. turkey (or add 30 minutes for every 1 lb.). You want to reach 158° to 160°F internal temperature.
- Remove your turkey from oven and rest at least 30 minutes before carving. Serve with your favorite sides and dig in!
