Lachy Strachan’s recipe for the best Christmas turkey

Well, it’s that time of year again & everyone is trying to prepare their BBQ’s to cook the best turkey for Christmas lunch or dinner. But wait most of us have been stung with a fairly dry & overcooked turkey in previous years. Well, here is some Turkey tips to make sure you present the best Turkey for your loved ones this Christmas.

Instructions

Here is a guide to estimating the approximate cooking time for Christmas Turkey. Cook your turkey on indirect heat at around 180 – 230 degrees Celsius with a light covering of olive oil, salt & pepper. I recommend that you cook the turkey for 20 minutes per kilo, plus an additional 20 minutes. For example, a 5kg turkey will take roughly 120 minutes to cook through (20 minutes x 5 kg + 20 minutes = 120 minutes). Once the turkey is cooked, allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes covering in foil before carving. It is important to remember that these cooking times are intended as a guide only. The actual cooking time can vary depending on ambient temperature, wind and the temperature of the turkey when you start cooking. I would always recommend that you use a meat thermometer to confirm that your turkey is cooked to 74°C (internal meat temperature). I have found that the best position for testing internal temperature is in the front of the breast.

Turkey tip – Turkeys cooked without stuffing are less likely to dry out. This is because the juices in the cavity steam up through the breast while cooking. If you like stuffing, cook it in a foil pan beside the turkey.

A great addition to your turkey is a home-made cranberry reduction!

Ingredients

• 1 Cup dried cranberries
• ½ Cup port
• ½ Cup chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ Teaspoon sea salt
• ½ Teaspoon black pepper

Whilst your turkey is cooking make the reduction on your BBQ side burner or stovetop. Simmer the cranberries, port & chicken stock for around 10 minutes or until it has been reduced, stirring as required. Add the butter & cook down for another 2 -3 minutes. Remove from the heat & season with salt & pepper. Serve the reduction with the carved turkey & enjoy!