Preparing the perfect turkey for a holiday feast takes skill and know-how. An important but often overlooked step is burping your turkey before roasting. Burping releases air from the cavity and ensures even cooking. Many novice cooks wonder—can you actually burp a raw turkey? The answer is yes and it’s easier than you may think.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about burping, or de-airing, your holiday bird. You’ll learn why it matters, when to do it, and the simple method to help your turkey cook to tender, juicy perfection.
Why Burping a Turkey is Essential
Raw turkeys are packaged with their cavities full of air. Air is an insulator that can lead to uneven cooking temperatures inside the bird. The breast meat may dry out while the thighs remain undercooked especially if your turkey is on the larger side.
Burping your turkey, also known as de-airing, removes excess air from the cavity. This allows for more direct heat contact and better temperature conduction when roasting.
The benefits of burping include:
- More consistent internal cooking throughout the turkey
- Preventing overcooked white breast meat
- Ensuring the dark leg and thigh meat is fully cooked
- Shorter overall cooking time in the oven
- More moist, tender meat texture overall
So while it may sound silly, burping is an important prep step for achieving turkey perfection.
When Should You Burp the Turkey?
For most cooks, the best time to burping your turkey is right before putting it in the oven to roast. You’ll want to remove air from the cavity immediately before cooking.
However, some chefs recommend doing a test burp after thawing and any seasoning or herb butter injections. This lets you monitor if more air enters the cavity leading up to roasting day.
If brining your turkey, do not burp it until after the brine is removed from the cavity. You don’t want to force liquid out.
Ideally, turkey burping happens as the last step right before transferring the bird to the roasting pan and oven.
How to Burp a Turkey in 4 Simple Steps
The process of burping or de-airing a turkey is easy to do at home with no special tools required:
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Remove turkey from packaging: Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Remove any giblets or neck from the cavity.
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Place breast side down: Lay the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet, work surface, or in a large sink breast side down. The neck cavity should face up.
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Massage the back: Use your hands to gently massage the back of the turkey downwards from top to bottom. This helps push air bubbles trapped under the skin and in the cavity towards the opening.
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Press gently: Finish by placing one hand on the backbone and use the other to gently press down from neck to tail until air is released from the cavity.
Some bubbling noises are normal during the burping process as air escapes. Rotate the turkey and repeat steps 3-4 until you no longer see air bubbles emerge.
And that’s all it takes! Just 4 simple steps to properly burp your holiday bird.
Burping Turkey Alternatives and Tips
If hand burping sounds too messy for you, there are alternatives:
- Use a turkey baster or large syringe to suck air out of the cavity.
- Submerge the turkey in a large tub of cold water breast side down, which forces air out.
- Elevate the tail end of the roasting pan slightly to allow air to escape as the turkey cooks.
No matter the method, aim to remove as much air as possible for best results. Test burping lets you see how much air re-enters the cavity after thawing too.
It’s normal for some air to remain trapped under the skin. Just focus on removing it from the main chest and abdominal cavities. Now your turkey is ready for perfect roasting!
Common Turkey Burping Questions
If you’re new to burping your turkey, chances are you have some questions:
Does pumping or injecting make burping unnecessary?
Pre-brined or injected turkeys still need burping. These techniques can actually introduce more air into the cavity.
Do you need to burp a spatchcocked turkey?
Butterflying or spatchcocking a turkey opens up the cavity so burping is not necessary.
Should you salt a turkey before or after burping?
For dry brining, apply salt seasoning after burping to prevent forcing liquid out. With wet brining, burp after brining.
Can I roast my turkey breast side up?
Yes, but turkey may require more burping to release air if not cooked breast down initially.
Enjoy Perfectly Cooked Turkey with Burping
From novice hosts to seasoned chefs, burping the turkey is a simple but invaluable prep step everyone should adopt. By taking a few minutes to gently coax air bubbles out of the cavity, you’re on your way to poultry perfection.
This technique ensures heat circulates properly for ideal cooking temperatures. Say goodbye to dried out turkey breasts and undercooked thighs. Not to mention, your bird will roast more quickly and evenly when air isn’t acting as an insulator.
This Thanksgiving and holiday season, remember to burp your bird. Follow the handy guide above to enjoy a juicy, tender turkey with golden crispy skin your guests will rave about. Who knew learning how to burp would make you a turkey pro?
Yes you can burp a turkey
FAQ
Is burping polite in Turkey?
What’s the difference between a burp and a belch?
What is the condition where you can’t burp?
Can you burp intentionally?
Why do burps smell bad?
The bad taste and acidic feel of burps is a result of the low pH of the regurgitated stomach juices. The cause behind the bad smelling burps is hydrogen sulfide, a particularly odoriferous byproduct of digestion. High-protein foods are also high in nitrogen, and in people with fish odor syndrome, they cause a generalized bad body odor.
What causes lots of burps?
Excessive belching and passing wind could be due to increased swallowing of air while having food. It can also be due to drinking carbonated beverages. Acidity or gastroesophageal reflux disorder is the main cause of belching. Other causes include damage to the stomach layer by helicobacter pylori bacteria. Consumption of cabbage, lentils, and peas leads to excess gas release on digestion which also causes belching and burps. Certain foods containing dietary products, cheese, milk, ghee, and other food items like sugars, lentils, cabbage, onions, pulses, and starch are not fully digested by the digestive tract. As a result of this, bacteria in the gut tend to break them down, leading to excess gas production, which is released as belching. Sometimes, some health conditions like lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease also cause a lot of burps.
What causes sulfur burps?
High fiber foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables can also cause sulfur burps. A too high a intake of fiber upsets the stomach and can cause acid reflux, triggering symptoms such as bloating, gas and burping that won’t stop. The regurgitation of stomach juices makes burps feel acidic and taste metallic.
Does basting a turkey make a good Turkey?
Similar to using a turkey brine, basting isn’t absolutely necessary to make a good turkey, but it can make a better turkey! Just ask Ree Drummond whose a big believer in the power of basting. Ree coats her roasted Thanksgiving turkey in butter infused with orange peel, rosemary, salt, and pepper.