I don’t understand why anyone roasts a whole turkey without cutting it up first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:untrue, my wife just did a whole one that was both visually beautiful and juicy. And if presentation matters to you, you want to do it whole. But I agree it’s not easy! And if you can only have either looks or taste, definitely go for taste.

What presentation though? Do you all come to the kitchen and look at it? Does everyone sit at the table and wait while it is carved? Then you’re just looking at other hungry people and a carcass anyway.

Just our immediate family so not a crowd. Not gonna lie, she made us come into the kitchen and admire it and I took a picture. It was beautiful! She really loves to cook and gets a lot of satisfaction out of things looking good. If we had a crowd I imagine she would have carved at the table.

No reason to bother if that’s not something you care about. But if you do care, it certainly is possible to have well-cooked whole turkey.

This is OP, I can see it for a small bird and a small gathering. Okay. I’m used to a big crowd, a buffet and usually multiple turkeys anyway.

OK? I'm another one who has a small gathering. How about, "I don't understand how some posters think their way is the only good way to do a thing."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, ever heard of that.

This is OP, do you usually buy precut chicken? I think this might be why so many people roast the turkey whole. If we all still bought whole chickens, we’d be in the habit of cutting them up. A spatchcocked chicken roasts faster and more evenly, and a quartered chicken is great because you can take the legs/thighs out before the breasts. A turkey is the same, if a little harder to cut up logistically.

I do. I can’t imagine cutting up a turkey before cooking, but I am not a great cook. It makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Yes i roast the whole chicken, and yes I roast the whole turkey. I’d rather the longer cooking time than the mess of trying to hack apart the raw turkey/chicken. It taste great- no problems with dryness

[Anonymous]

I’m not that big on turkey but absolutely whole roast chicken I do perfectly as well as beautifully. You may not understand why anyone does it how they like but I at least can understand you doing it how you like. It’s only turkey. I hope you have more empathy and tolerance in other areas! (said in a playful way - there is more than one way to cook a turkey!)

[Anonymous]

We have cooked turkeys that are 25lbs without a problem. Butter and seasonings under the skin, celery, carrots, onions and seasonings in the cavity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:untrue, my wife just did a whole one that was both visually beautiful and juicy. And if presentation matters to you, you want to do it whole. But I agree it’s not easy! And if you can only have either looks or taste, definitely go for taste.

What presentation though? Do you all come to the kitchen and look at it? Does everyone sit at the table and wait while it is carved? Then you’re just looking at other hungry people and a carcass anyway.

Just our immediate family so not a crowd. Not gonna lie, she made us come into the kitchen and admire it and I took a picture. It was beautiful! She really loves to cook and gets a lot of satisfaction out of things looking good. If we had a crowd I imagine she would have carved at the table.

No reason to bother if that’s not something you care about. But if you do care, it certainly is possible to have well-cooked whole turkey.

This is OP, I can see it for a small bird and a small gathering. Okay. I’m used to a big crowd, a buffet and usually multiple turkeys anyway.

OK? I'm another one who has a small gathering. How about, "I don't understand how some posters think their way is the only good way to do a thing."

Sorry for your weak attempt at flexing, OP! I thoroughly enjoyed our beautiful 18-pound bird.

[Anonymous]

Cutting it up seems like more trouble than it's worth, tbh, but I guess I'd be willing to consider the idea.

[Anonymous]

Cutting up a big-azz bird sounds grosser than just dry brine and stick an onion and a lemon up in there.

[Anonymous]

Are you this challenged in other areas of your life, OP?
Is this why you feel the need to presume that others can't handle a turkey?

What a strange thing to post about.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's that hard. Mine turned out incredible this year..

1. Brine
2. Stuff
3. Cook breast side down for 60% of the time
4. Flip over and finish.

This process creates the most juicy moist breast meat there is.

I have follow the USDA guidelines. That’s how you end up with a dry bird. Anything that sits at 150 for 3.8 min or longer is fully cooked. As a matter of fact it's pastueized at that point.

I pull my bird out at 150 and let it rest. It gets to 154.

[Anonymous]

????
The stuffing is best when cooked inside the cavity of the turkey
How can you do that if the turkey is cut up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:????
The stuffing is best when cooked inside the cavity of the turkey
How can you do that if the turkey is cut up?

If you follow food safety guidelines, you check the internal temperature of the stuffed-inside stuffing, and if it ain’t 165, you risk salmonella. Which means there’s no way the exterior isn’t also PAST 165, which means you have dry meat.

Alton Brown on the subject:
https://www.upr.org/post/turkey-tips-alton-brown-dont-baste-or-stuff#stream/0

You can still separately cook your stuffing, then stuff in the bird toward the end, per Alton, or you can do what I do, which is cook dressing in the crock pot, then add drippings from the pan while the bird rests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:????
The stuffing is best when cooked inside the cavity of the turkey
How can you do that if the turkey is cut up?

If you follow food safety guidelines, you check the internal temperature of the stuffed-inside stuffing, and if it ain’t 165, you risk salmonella. Which means there’s no way the exterior isn’t also PAST 165, which means you have dry meat.

Alton Brown on the subject:
https://www.upr.org/post/turkey-tips-alton-brown-dont-baste-or-stuff#stream/0

You can still separately cook your stuffing, then stuff in the bird toward the end, per Alton, or you can do what I do, which is cook dressing in the crock pot, then add drippings from the pan while the bird rests.

add to what? A cut up bird? I'm not following you

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the butcher would do the chopping up for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:????
The stuffing is best when cooked inside the cavity of the turkey
How can you do that if the turkey is cut up?

If you follow food safety guidelines, you check the internal temperature of the stuffed-inside stuffing, and if it ain’t 165, you risk salmonella. Which means there’s no way the exterior isn’t also PAST 165, which means you have dry meat.

Alton Brown on the subject:
https://www.upr.org/post/turkey-tips-alton-brown-dont-baste-or-stuff#stream/0

You can still separately cook your stuffing, then stuff in the bird toward the end, per Alton, or you can do what I do, which is cook dressing in the crock pot, then add drippings from the pan while the bird rests.

add to what? A cut up bird? I'm not following you

No, the turkey is still whole; see the Alton Brown link that I provided and you ignored.