Is It Best to Cook a Turkey Covered or Uncovered?

As Thanksgiving approaches, home cooks across the country are gearing up to roast the star of the holiday meal – the turkey. Many find themselves wondering, is it best to cook my turkey covered or uncovered? This is an excellent question as keeping the turkey covered for part of the cooking time can help it stay moist while uncovering it later on allows the skin to crisp up. In this article, we’ll examine the pros and cons of cooking turkey covered vs. uncovered so you can determine the best method for your bird.

The Benefits of Cooking Turkey Covered

Cooking the turkey covered for the majority of the roasting time offers some big advantages:

• Prevents drying out. Keeping the turkey covered traps steam inside the roasting pan, which keeps the meat tender and juicy. This steam essentially braises the turkey from the inside out.

• Cooks evenly. Covering the turkey allows it to cook evenly, so no part of it ends up underdone while another is overcooked and dried out. The trapped steam circulates throughout the pan.

• Speeds cooking. The trapped steam transfers heat very efficiently, meaning the turkey cooks a bit faster covered than completely uncovered.

• Self bastes. The steam also essentially bastes the turkey from the inside, so you don’t have to open the oven and baste the outside with pan drippings.

• Protects delicate breast meat. You can specifically cover just the breast meat with foil, which cooks faster than the legs and thighs. This prevents it from overcooking.

Clearly, there are some excellent reasons to keep that turkey covered for much of its time in the oven. During this covered phase, we recommend checking the temperature periodically and tenting the foil loosely over the bird rather than sealing it tightly. This allows some moisture to escape so the skin doesn’t get too soggy.

Why You Should Uncover the Turkey at the End

Although cooking covered offers advantages, it comes at a cost – crispy skin For the perfect turkey with shatteringly crispy, golden brown skin, you need high heat exposure That means uncovering it for the last 30-45 minutes of roasting time.

Here’s why to uncover that bird toward the end:

• Crisps the skin. Direct contact with the hot, dry oven air crisps up the skin beautifully. This adds flavor and texture.

• Browns the skin. The Maillard reaction produces rich, golden browning on the turkey skin when uncovered. This adds deeper flavor.

• Thickens the juices. As moisture evaporates from the turkey, the juices in the bottom of the pan thicken. This concentrates their flavor.

• Adds flavorful fond. The drippings will caramelize on the pan bottom creating tasty browned fond that adds flavor to gravy and pan sauces.

• Improves presentation. A gorgeously browned turkey with crispy skin looks as good as it tastes.

So for the last half hour or so, remove any foil and let that turkey roast uncovered. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning.

Finding the Right Balance

As you can see, there are excellent reasons for roasting your turkey both covered and uncovered. The key is finding the right balance based on your specific bird, oven, and preferences.

As a general guideline, we recommend keeping the turkey covered for about 75% of the total cooking time. Then uncover it for the last 25-30 minutes.

For a 14 lb turkey cooking at 350°F, that might mean:

• Keep covered for about 2 hours
• Uncover and roast for 30 minutes

Adjust these times as needed based on the size of your turkey and your desired level of crispy, browned skin. You can loosely tent foil over any parts that seem to be browning too fast as well.

Additional Turkey Roasting Tips

Beyond deciding whether to cook your turkey covered or uncovered, here are some additional tips for roasting the perfect holiday bird:

• Thaw completely if frozen
• Dry brine for 1-3 days before roasting
• Rinse and pat dry before seasoning
• Rub skin with herb butter or oil
• Use a rack in a roasting pan
• Roast at 325-375°F
• Cook to 165°F in breast, 175°F in thighs
• Let rest 20 minutes before carving

Follow these best practices along with strategic basting, and you’ll have a juicy, flavorful turkey with crisp, golden skin ready to grace your holiday table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I cook my turkey covered the whole time?

No, cooking your turkey completely covered the entire time generally won’t provide the crispy skin most people want. Cook covered for most of the time, then uncovered for 30-45 minutes at the end.

Does covering a turkey make it cook faster?

Covering a turkey can make it cook slightly faster, as the trapped steam transfers heat very efficiently. However, be careful not to increase the oven temperature when cooking covered or the breast meat may overcook.

Should I tent my turkey with foil?

Tenting just the breast with foil helps prevent it from drying out. You can tent it loosely for part of the cooking time, then remove the foil when cooking uncovered towards the end.

Can I crisp up turkey skin after cooking it covered?

Yes, increasing the oven heat to 425-450°F and roasting uncovered for 10-15 minutes at the very end will crisp up the skin nicely. Keep a close eye to avoid burning.

Should I baste my turkey if cooking it covered?

Basting isn’t necessary if cooking covered, as the steam essentially self bastes the turkey. When cooking uncovered, basting every 30 minutes with pan drippings adds flavor and moisture.

The Takeaway

There are good reasons to roast your turkey both covered and uncovered – you get juicy meat along with crispy skin. Cook covered for most of the time, then uncover for the last 30 minutes or so for the perfect holiday bird. With high-quality ingredients and careful roasting, your Thanksgiving turkey will be a huge hit!