CTS Foreyule Feast - Turkey Instructions

Buying

It has been traditional to buy the turkey from S. Fabish & Sons on Mill Road (tel. 353092), now Andrew Robinson. There's no reason why another local butcher couldn't be used, though Fabish's / Robinson's have served us very well.
It's usual to buy a fresh turkey, rather than frozen - they usually taste better, and it saves a lot of faff with defrosting. In order to ensure that one of the desired size can be obtained on the day, it's a good idea to reserve it in advance - about a week's notice should be sufficient.
As for size, an allowance of between ¾ lb and 1 lb per head seems to be about right. A reservation can probably be made fairly safely before the exact final numbers are known - there's usually some left over.

Equipment and Extras

Large roasting tin - can be borrowed from Mark Waller
Wide "turkey" foil (1 metre) - from supermarkets
Basting - butter, lard or bacon rashers

Cooking

There are a variety of instructions for cooking turkeys - the details here seem to work well. In practice, the most important thing is that the bird is fully cooked: if it's overdone, it may be a bit drier and tougher, but if it's underdone, there's a distinct risk of food poisoning! The test is to pierce the thickest part of the meat with a skewer or knife - it's cooked only when the juices run clear.

Start with a fresh turkey (or a fully defrosted frozen one).
Remove any packaging, and such things as rubber bands around the legs, and ensure the giblets are removed from the central cavity.
Wash the turkey thoroughly in cold water, inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.
Apply lumps of butter or lard for basting, or alternatively use rashers of bacon (note this colours the outer meat pink!). Wrap in foil and place in the roasting tin.
Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven, at 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. The cooking time is 15 minutes per lb (450g), plus 25 minutes.
Once an hour, take the turkey out and baste it in its own juices.
For the last half-hour, open the foil (and remove the bacon, if present - a cooks' perk!) to allow the skin to brown.
As the turkey approaches its nominal cooking time, test for clear juices as above. If it's not done, continue cooking and repeat the test every 15 minutes.
Once the turkey is cooked, take it out of the oven, and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before carving.

As far as overall timing goes, preparation is 10-15 minutes, cooking is 4-4½ hours, and standing and carving is perhaps another 30 minutes. The carved meat can be served directly onto the plates of the queuing participants, or onto a pre-warmed plate for later self-service.

Last update 2001-10-25 by Mark Waller
Version 1.0