Roasting a turkey breast side down is a simple way to prepare a moist turkey without a lot of extra effort. Often, the reason a turkey ends up dry is that white meat cooks faster than dark meat. By the time the legs are cooked, the breast has lost its juiciness. Roasting your turkey breast side down can prevent this by letting the breast skin firm up to trap in juices around the white meat.
Try this recipe and use these steps to roast a turkey breast side down:
Step 1
Season the turkey as desired. Then, flip it over, placing it breast-side down in your roasting rack so that as the turkey cooks, the juices can accumulate in the breast meat (essentially basting it from within).* Wash hands and all items that come into contact with uncooked turkey.
Step 2
Prop an aluminum foil tent over the turkey for the first hour of cooking (or more for a large turkey).
Step 3
Remove the tent for the remaining cook time. This will give the skin time to get brown and crisp.
Step 4
Serve up a delicious, juicy turkey.
*Note that the roasting rack may leave marks on the turkey’s breast, so if you’re looking for a perfect photo op you may prefer to flip the turkey over after the first hour of cooking. That said, the method described above is much easier and safer than precariously flipping a hot, heavy turkey over mid-roasting.
For perfect results every-time with less hassle, try an OVEN READY™ turkey.
Find more whole turkey basics here.
