When I first heard about cooking turkey upside down for Thanksgiving dinner, I was tempted. On Thanksgiving, there are many things to think about, such as how much turkey to serve each person, what sides to serve with your main dish, the best desserts to end the meal, and more. Anything to make cooking a turkey easier or tastier is music to my ears.
The countdown to Thanksgiving often feels like a frantic race to the finish line. In the midst of all the shopping, cooking, cleaning and planning, mistakes inevitably happen. You realized in horror that your turkey is cooked completely upside down! Before you panic, take a deep breath. With some creative problem-solving, you can salvage your holiday centerpiece.
Cooking a turkey upside down may seem like a total kitchen catastrophe. However, with the right techniques, you can still achieve a beautiful, delicious bird. Follow the guidance below to flip an accidentally inverted turkey into a Thanksgiving triumph.
How Does Flipping a Turkey Affect Cooking?
Some cooks purposefully flip turkeys breast-side down with the belief it leads to juicier white meat. So cooking upside down isn’t necessarily disastrous but it does impact results
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The breast cooks more slowly when inverted, This can cause uneven cooking between breast and thighs
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The thighs and legs brown deeply when cooked face up. Tenting with foil may be needed to prevent burning.
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The breast skin doesn’t brown well when inverted. It may appear pale and flattened.
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Total roasting time decreases slightly with an inverted bird. The legs cook faster faced upwards.
While cooking upside down won’t ruin the turkey, it can lead to lackluster breast skin. With extra steps, you can still roast a stellar bird.
Achieving an Even Golden Turkey
With an accidentally upended bird, the thighs and legs will be gorgeously browned, while the breast stays pale. Here are tips to still achieve an evenly golden turkey:
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After cooking, let the turkey rest about 20 minutes. Carefully flip it breast-side up.
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Tent the wings, thighs and legs with foil to prevent further browning.
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Broil the breast for 4-8 minutes until evenly browned and crisp. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
It requires some extra work, but broiling the breast after roasting will help your upside down turkey look beautiful and appetizing.
Maintaining Moistness When Flipped
Since an inverted turkey breast cooks more slowly, you may worry about it drying out. Prevent this with:
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A thick butter or oil rub under the skin before cooking. This bastes the breast meat.
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Frequent basting during roasting. A turkey baster helps reach the inverted breast with pan juices.
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Halting cooking once the breast hits 165°F. The thighs may hit this temp sooner when faced upwards.
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Letting the turkey rest before carving. This allows juices to redistribute for moist meat.
With extra bastes and a thorough rest, you can still achieve a juicy turkey, even when cooked upside down.
Can I Salvage the Skin?
Sadly, the flattened breast skin on an upside down turkey can’t be revived to crisp perfection. But you can improve its texture and flavor:
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Rub the skin with butter or oil before broiling to lightly crisp and brown it.
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Sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper for enhanced flavor.
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If needed, remove the skin before serving turkey. The meat beneath will be juicy and tender.
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Use excess skin to make turkey stock for gravy.
While less than ideal, the skin will still add flavor and moisture when cooking inverted. Don’t let it deter you from enjoying delicious turkey.
Adapting the Sides and Gravy
Since an upside down turkey yields morphed pan juices and drippings, adapt sides and gravy:
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Use broth, wine and aromatics like onions, garlic and herbs to make gravy.
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Prepare gravy in a saucepan instead of the roasting pan for better control.
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Roast vegetables in a separate pan instead of underneath the turkey.
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Cook stuffing in a casserole dish, not inside the bird.
With these tweaks, your favorite Thanksgiving fixings will still shine, despite the turkey mishap.
Persevering Through Turkey Blunders
An upside down turkey can ruffle feathers, but don’t let it ruin your holiday. With extra diligence and some creative problem-solving, you can still end up with a beautiful, mouthwatering Thanksgiving centerpiece. Focus on the blessings of gathering with loved ones and you’ll find that even kitchen mistakes hold memorable lessons to be thankful for. Just go with the flow and gobble up the humor of imperfect holidays!
What happens when you cook a turkey upside down?
Heres what I learned after roasting the upended bird at 375°F until the internal temperature reached 165°F:
- It’s faster. From what we know about past turkey recipes, it should take a little over 2 ½ hours to roast a 12-pound bird. The same size bird flipped over only took 2 hours. It’s likely because the legs and thighs cook faster when they’re facing up, which cuts the cooking time and saves time.
- The legs and thighs get beautifully golden brown. The bird turned brown so quickly that I had to cover it with a tent after only an hour because I didn’t want it to burn. As a bonus, the skin stayed crispy until we were ready to eat, which doesn’t happen with most birds.
- The breast is lackluster. While the legs and thighs were shocking and amazed, the breast was mostly pale and had marks where it had been on the roasting rack.
- It requires broiling. You’ll need to wait until the bird is a little cooler before you can flip it back over to brown the breast. Trust me, browning the breast will make it taste and look better. This part is tricky; after a bird rests, it’s likely ready to carve. When I broiled the breast, it wasn’t evenly golden brown, and it was hard to get the sides of the breast done. It’s better than no browning, but not ideal. Check out the picture below to see how the dark and white meat are different in color.
Why roast a turkey upside down?
The idea is that flipping the bird during cooking keeps the breast from coming into direct contact with the oven’s heat, which makes the white meat juicy and the dark meat perfectly cooked. According to some cooks, the fat from the legs and thighs drips into the breast meat. This idea makes sense if you look at gravity, but maybe not if you look at physics.
I had to find out for myself so I ordered a frozen, 12-pound gobbler. Once it was no longer frozen, I took it out of the fridge and patted it dry. Then I drizzled it with oil and sprinkled it with salt. Then it was time for the flip. As if I were in cobra pose, I turned the turkey over so that the breast side was down and the tips of the wings were tucked under the drumettes.
TIFU by accidentally cooking the turkey upside down. #tifu #reddit #redditstories
FAQ
What happens if you cook a turkey upside down?
Can you cook a turkey upright?
What happens if you cook a Turkey upside down?
Cooking a turkey upside down can have a number of negative consequences, including: * The turkey will not cook evenly. The breast meat will be overcooked, while the legs and thighs will be undercooked. * The turkey will be dry. The juices from the turkey will drip down to the bottom of the roasting pan, leaving the turkey dry.
Should you cook a turkey breast upside down?
The idea is that by roasting your bird breast side down, it’s further away from the heat source and the juices from the dark meat can trickle down to the white meat, resulting in juicier white meat that won’t dry out. Then you flip the turkey right side up so the skin on the breast can crisp up in the oven. So should you cook a turkey upside down?
How long do you cook an upside down Turkey?
Answer: The ideal cooking time for an upside-down turkey varies based on its weight. Generally, you should cook it at 325°F, allowing about 15 minutes per pound. For a more precise estimation, use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the turkey. 2. Do I Need To Flip The Turkey During Cooking?
How do you keep a Turkey from turning upside down?
A: To prevent your turkey from cooking upside down in the future, there are a few things you can do: 1. Use a roasting rack. A roasting rack will help to keep the turkey upright while it cooks. 2. Tuck the wings under the turkey. This will help to keep the turkey from tipping over. 3. Secure the turkey with kitchen twine.
Can you flip a Turkey upside down?
Flipping your turkey can take away from your unveiling. When cooking turkey upside down, we found that the roasting rack can leave unsightly marks and indents on the turkey’s breast, which is the display side of the bird. Or worse, you could tear the skin during the flipping process. For the most beautiful bird, stick to roasting right-side up.
Can you taste the difference between roasting a Turkey upside down?
“You can definitely taste the difference.” When Greenberg says to roast the turkey upside down, what he really means is flip the turkey over and cook the bird breast-side down. By cooking your turkey upside down, all of the juices that normally drip to the bottom of the pan—the ones you’d use to baste your turkey—naturally seep into the breast.