Should I Cook My Turkey Covered or Uncovered? How to Roast for Golden, Juicy Results

As Thanksgiving approaches, home cooks everywhere are preparing for the big event – roasting the star of the show, the holiday turkey. One of the key decisions in cooking your turkey to perfection is whether to roast it covered or uncovered. There are good reasons for both methods, so which is best? Read on as we settle this age-old debate and provide tips for achieving the ideal golden brown, moist and flavorful turkey.

The Case for Cooking Turkey Covered

Cooking your turkey initially covered with aluminum foil has some major advantages

• Prevents drying out. Covering the turkey traps in steam and moisture as it cooks, keeping the meat much juicier than roasting uncovered from start to finish.

• Cooks evenly The foil allows the heat to circulate all around the turkey, preventing hot spots that lead to uneven cooking

• Self bastes. The sealed environment essentially steams the turkey in its own juices self basting it as it roasts for added flavor and tenderness.

• Saves prep time. No need to constantly baste the turkey or tent with foil to prevent over-browning when cooking covered. Set it and forget it (for a while).

For these reasons, most cooking experts recommend starting your turkey roasted covered with foil for at least the first half to two-thirds of the total cooking time.

The Case for Uncovered Turkey Roasting

However, cooking the turkey completely covered does have one major drawback:

• No crispy skin. Covering the turkey the entire time steams the skin and prevents it from browning and crisping as it would uncovered.

That’s why many recipes call for removing the foil for the last 30-60 minutes of roasting time. This crisps up the skin for picture-perfect presentation and added texture and flavor.

Cooking uncovered also allows you to:

• Brown the skin. The high heat will brown the turkey skin evenly, especially important for the paler breast meat.

• Thicken the juices. Uncovered roasting reduces the juices down for rich, concentrated gravy full of turkey flavor.

• Show off your bird. You worked hard on cooking this feast centerpiece. Let it shine in all its golden glory for your guests.

Combining Methods for the Best Results

Given the benefits to both covered and uncovered roasting, the best approach is to combine these methods:

• Start covered. Begin roasting your turkey completely covered in foil. This steams it initially for moist, tender meat.

• Finish uncovered. Remove foil for the last 30-60 minutes. This crisps the skin without overdrying the meat.

• Watch temps. Use a meat thermometer to ensure even doneness, especially in the thick breast meat.

• Shield if needed. If some areas seem to be browning too fast, lightly tent them with foil as needed near the end.

Turkey Roasting Tips for Golden, Juicy Results

Beyond choosing covered vs. uncovered roasting, here are some other tips for roasting the perfect turkey:

• Brine the bird. Soaking in a saltwater brine ensures seasoned, moist meat.

• Pat dry. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat very dry with paper towels for crisper skin.

• Rub with oil. Coat with oil or melted butter for even browning and richer flavor.

• ** Use a rack.** Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan so air circulates all around.

• Cook breast down. Initially cooking breast-side down self-bastes the breast meat. Flip over later to brown.

• Make turkey tent. Loop foil loosely over the turkey to tent rather than sealing tightly.

• Let rest. Allow the turkey to rest 15-30 minutes before carving for juicy results.

With these handy tips, you can look forward to a flawless turkey with crisp, golden brown skin enveloping tender, succulent meat. Take the guesswork out of roasted turkey and relax and enjoy your holiday when you combine covered and uncovered cooking. What are you waiting for? Go get that foil and thermometer and soon you’ll have the Norman Rockwell-worthy bird of your dreams!

Frequency of Entities:
aluminum foil: 3
meat thermometer: 1
brine: 1
saltwater brine: 1
oil: 1
melted butter: 1
roasting pan: 1
Norman Rockwell: 1