Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes - How to cook a moist Turkey

Not sure what you are looking at? A bacon wrapped turkey of course, with pear and cider gravy. And if you think that the only way to make a moist turkey is to cover it in bacon fat, here is the recipe.

The presentation might be better without the bacon strips, and to get a golden, crispy skin the bacon must be removed for the last half hour of cooking.

Of course many recipes just substitute butter for bacon and lose what might be gained from the smoky bacon flavor.

But if adding fat to lean turkey meat turns your stomach, then consider a brine solution.  Make sure that you have a sufficiently large glass or food grade plastic container to hold the turkey and liquid, and that time is on your side.  Allow 1 hour per lb soaking time and adequate time for cooking your stuffed or unstuffed bird.  The USDA provides a chart for both situations and more. The USDA is  more concerned about food safety than moist turkey meat so they don't mention that the bird should be placed breast down for best results.

In my opinion, Thanksgiving is not a day to diet or be overly concerned about how the bird was cooked.  Just watch you portions so you don't push back from the table with a stomach that is as stuffed as your bird was.