This Is Andrew Zimmern's Trick For Juicy Turkey
If you've seen "Christmas Vacation," you remember the scene with the turkey dinner. That poor turkey spent hours in the oven, filling the house with its delicious aroma. Then, it all went wrong and the family was left with no choice but to eat the turkey, dried out and chewy. No one wants that. We want succulent, juicy, and tender.
Those who have prepared a turkey know how difficult it can be to get the cook just right. Is the dark meat cooked thoroughly? Is the white meat still juicy? How on earth do you find that balance without experimenting? Most of us don't have a dozen turkeys standing by in case our first attempt goes awry.
Fortunately, Andrew Zimmern has developed a foolproof way to get juicy turkey, every time, no matter your preferred cooking method. Instead of being the "Christmas Vacation" family, you can be the family in a perfect-scenario commercial.
Andrew Zimmern shares his turkey tip
Zimmern starts his turkey with an extra step: Boiling some turkey stock. This may sound pretty simple, but trust us, it will save your bird. "Roasting turkey always results in dry white meat because dark meat needs to reach 175° to make it tender (white meat is ready at 160°)," Zimmern says (via People). "Give dark meat a head start: Before stuffing, bring 2 inches of stock to a boil in a roasting pan, and sit the bird in it for 10 minutes."
After the dark meat has gotten its head start, you can remove the turkey from the pan and go about your other preparations. You can also save the stock to make an awesome gravy. Once your turkey is stuffed and prepped, it can go back into the roaster or the oven to cook.
Your perfectly cooked bird will be the talk of the dinner party, as it should be. (You can thank us later, but for now, please pass the rolls.)