How To Tie Down A Turkey For Roasting

Heres the secret to an evenly cooked gorgeous turkey with crisp, golden brown skin all over and juicy meat!

There are a few secrets to a perfectly roasted turkey. The most important part is that it’s roasted evenly so that the whole bird is juicy and properly cooked. Trussing helps you achieve that. The other thing that trussing does is give you a really pretty bird! So if it is your tradition to show off your gorgeous roasted bird before carving it, then get out your twine and let’s get trussing!

There’s no need to be intimidated. It’s really not difficult to truss, and it only takes a minute or two and some kitchen twine, which you can pick up at your grocery store (ask the butcher!).

First things first: you need to make sure that your turkey is thawed. This is best done in the refrigerator over a day or two. Now, make sure that you have emptied your completely thawed turkey of the neck and the innards. Personally, I like to keep the neck for gravy and dispose of the organs, but what you do with those little guys is totally up to you!

I like to rinse and pat dry my turkey and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. For the trussing, you need a nice long length of cotton butchers twine (several feet long). Take your bird and lay it on a cutting board facing away from you, drumsticks pointed towards you!

Fold the twine in half and make a loop at the center point. Tuck that over the top of the neck “stump” (sorry). Pull the twine downward and then wrap tightly around either side, underneath the breasts, bringing the twine back towards you.

Then tie the twine in a tight double knot just under the tip of the breasts.

Next, take each length of twine and put one side under the drumstick and loop it over. Put the other side over the drumstick and loop it under.

Now pull those ends tight (which will pull the drumsticks tightly together!) and then wrap the twine back around, underneath the breasts (you will be doubling back).

Instead of going all the way back to the neck, you will stop and hook each piece of twine through the little weird small nub that sticks out of the wing.

That little nub is what will hold the string to the wings and anchor them to the side of the bird …

… as you now turn the bird over. Take those twine pieces and cross them in the back.

Then bring the twine back to the front of the bird where you tied the knots earlier at the tip of the breasts. Tie a tight double knot and cut off the extra twine.

Now let’s roast this bird. Preheat your oven to 400 ºF after removing the extra racks. You want your rack low in the oven so the turkey has plenty of room. (This temperature may seem a bit high to you, but I’ll explain more later.)

First of all, I like to use a roasting rack with my roasting pan so that the bottom of the bird doesn’t braise in its own juice. I like crispy skin all over. In the bottom of the roasting pan, I put the turkey neck. I cut a large yellow onion into thick rings and stick that in there, too. I also add 4 cups of chicken or turkey broth and about a cup or two of white wine because we like quite a lot of gravy in my family.

Now I prepare the turkey seasoning. In this case, I made a compound “butter” out of coconut oil (and yes, it was insanely delicious!) but you could easily use butter instead of coconut oil.

In a medium bowl, I mashed together garlic, lemon zest, parsley, sage, thyme, and coconut oil.

Then I coated my turkey in a thick layer of the coconut oil mixture. Next, I generously seasoned the turkey with kosher salt and pepper and shoved the lemon halves from the zested lemons into the cavity of the bird. (Please note that these cooking directions are for an UNSTUFFED turkey!)

I transferred the whole thing to the roasting rack set in the roasting pan that has the turkey neck, onions, wine and broth in the bottom.

The rule of thumb is that you roast turkey for 12–13 minutes per pound. I like to start roasting it at a higher temperature for the first 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to finish roasting. This gives the turkey that gorgeous golden brown color.

Place the turkey on the lowest rack in the oven so it has plenty of room and cook the turkey for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350ºF and continue roasting for the remaining time. (Since my turkey was 13 pounds and needed to roast for 2 hours and 45 minutes, the initial 30-minute roast was at 400ºF, followed by 2 hours and 15 minutes at 350ºF.) If you are less concerned about the dark color of the skin and just want it to be easy, then roast the turkey at 350ºF the entire time, 12–13 minutes per pound.

I like to baste the turkey about every 45 minutes with the juices in the bottom of the roasting pan.

When the turkey is done, the skin should be golden brown, the juices should run clear, and a thermometer inserted deep into the thigh should read 160ºF. Remember that as the turkey rests, it will continue to cook.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. Display the whole roasted turkey for the buffet if you wish, or go straight to the carving. (We’ll talk all about that in the next post!)

If you are interested in the presentation I created for the roasted turkey, here is what I did: I made a bed of Tuscan kale leaves (this took about 1 1/2 bunches). Around the edges, I added rose hips from my garden, satsumas with the leaves on, and sprinkled a few fresh cranberries around. I also tucked fresh sage from the garden and a few marigold buds which are still in bloom. All of this takes about 5 minutes and really enhances the presentation. After you carve the turkey, you just tuck it right back onto this platter. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Trussing or tying a turkey is an essential step to ensure even cooking and a picture-perfect bird when roasting a whole turkey Properly securing the legs and wings helps the turkey hold its shape, resulting in gorgeous presentation. Don’t be intimidated by trussing a turkey – with a little practice, some kitchen string, and a few simple techniques, you can tie up a turkey like a professional!

Why Tie Down A Turkey?

Tying down the legs and wings serves several useful purposes:

It allows the turkey to cook evenly, preventing the extremities from overcooking.
It presses the legs against the body so they don’t dry out as much.
It creates a compact shape so the turkey roasts uniformly.
It looks beautiful and orderly when carved and served.
It helps the turkey rest stably on the roasting pan.
It keeps the wings tucked under to prevent burning.

So while trussing isn’t absolutely necessary, it does provide practical benefits besides just looks.

Tools For Trussing Turkeys

Tying a turkey doesn’t require any fancy gadgets – just some basic supplies:

Kitchen twine or butcher’s string
A sharp skewer or thin knife
Scissors
A cutting board for leverage

Special turkey trussing needles or hooks can be used but are not essential. Simple kitchen string works perfectly.

How To Tie A Turkey’s Legs

Securing the legs is the most important step in trussing a turkey. Here’s how:

Place turkey breast-side up on a cutting board.
Take a long piece of string. Position it between the turkey legs.
Cross the legs one over the other.
Wrap the string tightly around the crossed ankles a few times.
Tie the legs together snugly with a double knot.
Remove excess string and trim ends.

This should securely hold the legs during roasting. For extra stability, use butcher’s knot: Wrap string twice and tie a double knot.

How To Tie Down The Wings

Turn turkey breast-side up.
Pull tip of each wing back and tuck under shoulders.
Take a 12-inch piece of string. Wrap once around wings/body.
Tie tightly with a double knot at the neck end.
Remove excess string. Trim ends.

How To Close The Body Cavity

Fill neck and body cavity loosely with aromatics.
Use a skewer to pin the neck skin flap closed.
Take another piece of string. Wrap once around widest part of cavity.
Tie tightly with a double knot at the back.
Remove excess string and trim ends.

And that’s it – you now have a trussed turkey ready for roasting! Don’t be afraid to pull that string extra snug. The tighter the trussing, the better your turkey will hold together. Just take care not to pierce the skin.

Alternative Trussing Techniques

If you’re still unsure about trussing, there are a few easier options:

Simply tie the legs together. Forget the wings and cavity.
Use metal turkey leg clamps instead of string.
Insert skewers through wings/legs into the body.
Roast untrussed. Use foil to protect extremities.

Any attempt at securing the legs will help the turkey cook more evenly in the oven. Do what feels comfortable to you and don’t stress. With practice, trussing becomes very quick and easy. Your holiday guests will be impressed by your excellently tied turkey!

how do you tie down a turkey

How to Truss a Turkey with Alton Brown | Food Network

FAQ

How to lace a turkey with pins?

Pass trussing pins through the skin on both sides of the body cavity. Starting at the topmost pin, lace a piece of kitchen twine back and forth as you would shoelaces. Pull it snug and tie it securely at the bottom. Pull the neck skin over the dressing and fasten it underneath with trussing pins or sturdy toothpicks.

What can I use to tie turkey legs together?

Using a long piece of kitchen twine, tie the ends of the legs together tightly. Test Kitchen Tip: Some turkeys come with a metal or plastic piece that holds the legs together called a “hock lock.” If you’re roasting your bird unstuffed, you can leave this in place.