I have had a stinking cold. It’s the sort where only full bed rest will do, but life is just not going to let that happen and I do want to tell you about how my mum cooks the Christmas turkey. I am only sorry I didn’t manage to post it earlier in the week. It is the best turkey I have ever tasted, moist and delicious.
The one in the picture above is from last Christmas but I never quite managed to post about it. If you have an Aga then this is the way to cook your turkey. This recipe is based on a 15lb (7kg) turkey.
Mum stuffs the cavity with two types of stuffing, usually prune and sausagemeat and apricot. You can stuff your turkey with your favourite stuffing. She then slathers the entire bird in butter and then on Christmas Eve night she cooks it for 1 hour in the roasting oven. This gives it a good start, crisping the skin and bringing the internal temperature up. She then turns it onto its breast and places it in the simmering oven under a tent of foil and leaves it there overnight. So it gets about 8 hours in the simmering oven. When she gets up in the morning, and she is an early riser, she turns the bird over and places it back in the simmering oven for another hour or so. Then she checks the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to check it is cooked. Then transfers the bird to the warming oven, where it sits happily until we are ready for our dinner at about 1pm. The turkey is still hot and the juices have run back into the meat making for a very delicious turkey.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful time. Kath xx
In my non-vegetarian days, the best meat ever came from my mother’s Aga. Sorry you’re not feeling well, I do hope you feel better tomorrow. Wishing you a very Healthy and Merry Christmas.
I hope you feel better soon, you need to enjoy yourself at this time of year and not feel poorly. Lovely Christmas Turkey, I’ve never tasted anything cooked in an aga but your post is making me crave some lovley turkey right now. Merry Christmas to you and your family, have a great time celebrating ;0)
So sorry to read about your stinking cold. Do hope it did not spoil Christmas day too much for you.
Wishing you and your family a wondrous and merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I always cook my turkey like this, and it’s always delicious. Apart from the one time the Aga mysteriously went out some time in the wee small hours and we had to finish it off in the electric oven!
Oh no Kate, why do ovens always do that at the most critical time of the year? It’s almost as if they know.
Looks lovely.
Your bird was much better plucked than mine was. My last two Turkeys have had a lot of feather bits left behind; so even though I managed to crisp the skin it wasn’t nice.
Hope you’re feeling better.
Hope you are feeling better, Kath. Happy New Year!
I am Tracy, thank goodness. Thank you for asking and I hope you have a wonderful 2011.
OH, my–how did I miss this post until now? The turkey recipe sounds amazing–and I love the idea of the prunes and apricots in the stuffing.
Despite your stinking cold, I hope your Christmas was merry. N.
Can I cook a 22lb turkey by this method. I have always used the fast roast method but would like to try this. Bernadette from newry Co Down northern ireland
Hi Bernadette, You can cook any size turkey this way. My mum cooks very large turkeys this way. It may just need a bit more time in the simmering oven before you transfer it to the warming oven. Make sure you have temperature probe that you test the turkey with.