Crispy, Golden Turkey Skin: 4 Methods Put to the Test (and One Winner!)

You MUST, MUST, MUST try cooking the bird breast side down. This has been my go to absolute fail proof method to get the juiciest birds since I was 12! It was a mistake that happened when an emergency happened, and my parents had to go out of town late the night before thanksgiving . I Loved to cook and decided that Thanksgiving would not be ruined or put off for a day, And to surprise my family, I went to work. I kind of knew what to do, and knew how to make stuffing and mashed potatoes. ( if you helped cook and cleaned the turkey, you were exempt from dish duty.
Well, they were so surprised and I Was so proud. My mother didn’t tell me at the time that the turkey was “upside down.” As she wanted me to have all the feels. But, when everyone cut into it and it was THE juiciest we had all ever had, she told me about it being wrong side up. From that moment on… breast side down. All the dark meat on top sends juice down to the breast, breast is just like a tender cup of meat holding all the juices. You don’t get that pretty Martha Stewart golden breast, but, theres tons of crispy skin and we carve and serve it up sliced. Please tell me you will try!

I agree with seasoning the bird well with butter, kosher salt, pepper and thyme. I like butter better than olive oil. I make a paste with the seasonings spreading the mixture under the skin as well cover the outside. Then place in frig for 24 hours. Remove from frig and let warm up for an hour before baking in 425 deg oven to 150 deg temp. Let the bird rest for 30 minutes before carving. I love this method. Try it, you quite possibly will like it!

Baked a chicken today, the 5th method and everyone loved it :) Thank you and Happy New Year!

The goal for us is always a crispy skin, flavorful meat and no dry white meat. A seemingly impossible task until you went and did all the work for me. I made the “Bonus” bird for Thanksgiving yesterday and followed your recipe exactly. I always do that the first time I make something a la James Beard and then make adjustments the next time I try to cook the recipe, adjusting for our taste. This was the most flavorful bird, with the best skin (which I’ve saved to make some cracklings to go on top of turkey Risotto as leftovers). The dark meat was cooked to a turn and the white meat was juicy, yet cooked through, and the flavor was superb. Used the pan drippings to make a great gravy. I didn’t have a lot of fat at the outset to baste, but I added a little turkey stock I had made the day before, and it was perfect. Another bonus, by airing the turkey, you can grab the neck, etc. and make your turkey stock the day before. Just an outstanding, five star recipe. Going to try it out on roast chicken next.

Hi! I did #4 and can’t believe how great it looks. Haven’t tried it yet! Never did the air dry but I’m now hooked. Would love to post a pic but not sure how