Here's the thing.
Never cooked a turkey before.
This year, cooking 20lb bird for family of 4 breast-only eaters
and me (love the dark meat but like a slice of breast too.) So large because himself ordered it, wanting one big enough for The Day and then some to chow on for a few days after too (but only breast meat
)
Have always cooked my choox breast down, turn over to crisp for last 20-30 mins. Never had a dry one.
Too nervous to see if chook-cooking method scales up to do massive turkey.
So am going to follow Delia's instructions, which is breast up, uses loads of butter and strips of fatty streaky bacon (which I saved from the last bacon pig for exactly this purpose. And sausagemeat for stuffing ditto.)
Oh, except I'll be cooking a one-legged bird. One drumstick's going in the freezer straight away for a later day. Maybe the thigh from that side too, haven't decided yet. One leg's staying on as one family member 'wants to see the whole bird' (but only wants to eat breast
) - so I just have to be sure to position the cooked bird so that no-one sees the amputated side!
Like FW, I will be carting the bird to another venue for eating. I've done it with legs of Castlemilk Moorit and it's worked brilliantly - the meat 'rests' on the journey and is ready to carve on arrival!
Don't have a Le Creuset big enough for a 20lb turkey though, so it'll have to travel on a platter with tin foil. I don't know whether they'll want the skin crisped again on arrival - I suspect there's enough to do without adding that step but I will ask, now you've put the idea in my mind
May we all have success in our ovens tomorrow and a lovely time sharing food and good cheer with family and friends