A common Christmas turkey mistake that leaves meat bland and chewy is easily avoidable, according to a top chef.
The cook, who goes by the username @poppycooks on TikTok, is urging people to “say NO to dry turkey” this holiday season, and has shared a turkey preparation tip for a sumptuous Christmas meal.
Poppy claims many cook their turkey incorrectly and promises her advice will prevent you from ending up with bland, chewy meat this Christmas.
The culinary expert stressed: “If I hear one more person say that Turkey is dry, it’s not the Turkey’s problem – it’s the way you are cooking it!”
Poppy highlighted the importance of allowing the turkey “to rest for half an hour at least” post-cooking, which lets the juices penetrate the meat, enhancing flavour and moisture.
Poppy warns those habitual of slicing the turkey immediately after taking it out of the oven to delay the carving for 30 minutes as per her guidance, to avoid serving a desiccated dish. She also recommends starting with a dry brine for about three days to make the meat “make it more succulent and absolutely delicious”.
As a final touch, Poppy advises creating a compound butter mixed with garlic, rosemary, thyme, and the zest and juice of both an orange and a lemon combined with “a load of butter”, to be applied between the turkey skin and flesh before cooking.
“Pat the turkey dry, loads of salt on top of it, and then just stuff the carcass with some lemon, onion, whatever you’ve got,” she explained. “Then that goes into the oven.”
Poppy’s followers flocked to the comments section to express their joy upon discovering these tips.
One enthused: “Finally a not dry turkey!”
Another grateful fan penned: “Thank you @poppycooks I cooked my first turkey this year I used your method it was the best turkey I’ve ever tasted.”
A third voiced frustration over common mistakes, writing: “The amount of people who make dry turkey, complain about it but then continue to cook it that way or eat turkey rather than trying anything different!”
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