How to cook your christmas meat

cooking your Christmas meat

1. stuffed turkey breast or leg 2. whole turkey 3. turkey crown 4. spiced beef 5. gammon 6. goose 7. duck

stuffed turkey breast or leg

The cooking time can vary considerably depending on your oven, so check the juices carefully to make sure they are thoroughly cooked. Allow the joints to rest for 10-12 mins before carving. Good with bread sauce – see our website for the recipe.

stuffed breast

prep: 5 mins cook: 65 mins approx, depending on your oven Preheat the oven to 180°C. Calculate the cooking time on the basis of 15 mins/450g + 15 mins. Place in a roasting tray, brush with melted butter, season lightly and transfer to the oven.

Roast for the calculated cooking time, then test with a skewer. If the juices run pink, return it to the oven for a further 10 mins, then test again. Repeat as necessary.

stuffed leg

prep: 5 mins cook: 90 mins approx, depending on your oven Preheat the oven to 180°C. Calculate cooking time on the basis of 20 mins/450g + 20 mins. Place in a roasting tray, brush with melted butter, season lightly and transfer to the oven.

Roast for the calculated cooking time, then test with a skewer. If the juices run pink, return it to the oven for a further 10 mins, then test again. Repeat as necessary.

whole turkey

tips

Remove the giblets as soon as the turkey arrives and freeze them (remember to defrost them to make stock for your gravy).

I f your turkey has been frozen it must be completely defrosted before cooking, with no sign of ice in the cavity.

Allow your turkey as much air as possible, preferably by untying it to let air into the cavity.

on’t use the cavity space for stuffing – D it slows down the cooking, absorbs the fat and will mess up the gravy. Instead use the neck cavity for stuffing.

Remove your turkey from the fridge several hours before cooking to get it to room temperature.

Make sure your turkey isn’t too tightly trussed – if the legs are held tightly to the bird it will increase the cooking time.

weighing your turkey

emove cooked leftovers from the R carcass and put them in the fridge as soon as possible. Eat within two days.

If you cook with leftover turkey, make sure it is piping hot.

A large turkey is difficult to balance on domestic kitchen scales, but your bird will have its total weight printed on the label, so remove the giblets, weigh them separately and deduct their weight from the total. Once you have the bird’s weight you will also need to add the weight of your stuffing (if using) to get the right cooking time.

how to cook

prep: 15 mins cook: 45 mins/kg (or 40 mins fan-assisted oven) + 30 mins resting time

you will need

50g melted butter 1 lemon, quartered 1 large onion, peeled & quartered 450g stuffing a generous sprig of herbs (bay, thyme, rosemary, sage etc) Preheat the oven to 190°C. Remove the giblets if you didn’t remove them on arrival (keep them for your turkey stock). Lift the flap of skin at the neck end and pack in your stuffing, then pull back the skin and secure under the bird, using wooden cocktail sticks if necessary.

Season the main cavity, then push in the quartered lemon, onion and herbs.

Transfer to a large roasting tin, breastside-up and brush the breast and legs with the melted butter before seasoning.

Cover the whole bird loosely with foil to protect the skin from over-browning, and transfer to the oven for the calculated time. Every hour, baste with its juices,

turkey crown

replacing the foil before returning to the oven. 30 mins before the end of the cooking time, remove the foil to allow the skin to brown up. At the end of the cooking time, check if the meat is thoroughly cooked by inserting a carving fork into the thickest area of both breast and thighs. If the juices run pink, return to the oven for a further 15 mins before testing again. Repeat until the juices run clear. Once your turkey is cooked, cover with foil again and leave to rest for 20-30 mins. This will make it more succulent and easier to carve… and don’t worry, your turkey will stay hot for an hour after leaving the oven.

The quick and easy option. Remove from the fridge at least half an hour before cooking. Roast at 200°C for 20 mins, then 30 mins per kg at 170°C. Try spreading a parsley, thyme and lemon zest herb butter under the skin.

spiced beef tips

There are two options for cooking your joint: poached in barely simmering water or baked in a low oven.

Your joint will bear traces of curing spices, so to avoid a gritty result you may want to rinse it in cold water and pat dry before cooking.

nce cooled, weigh the beef down by O placing a chopping board or plate over it with 1-2kg on top (bags of sugar work well). Do this overnight in the fridge, then wrap the joint tightly in clingfilm. This makes it easier to cut it into wafer-thin slices when it comes to serving.

Cook the beef slowly and gently for the most tender result.

ou could add a bottle of Guinness to Y the poaching water for extra flavour.

prep: 10 mins cook: 3 hours plus overnight pressing

poaching method

Place the joint in a saucepan (one that fits it fairly snugly) and cover with fresh water to 2-4cm above the top of the beef. Bring very gently to a bare simmer (the surface should not be bubbling) and cook like this for 3 hours, by which time the meat will be tender. If the liquid level drops, replace with more water so it is always covered. Remove from the cooking liquid and rest for an hour, before pressing overnight in the fridge as described above.

to serve

baking method

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Place the joint in a snug-fitting casserole or deep ovenproof dish, add 250ml water and seal tightly with a double layer of foil tucked firmly around the edges. Transfer to the oven for 3 hours, until the meat is tender. Discard the liquid and allow to rest for an hour, before pressing overnight in the fridge as described above.

Slice very thinly and serve as you would ham; it’s excellent with pickles or horseradish and apple sauce – see our website for the recipe.

gammon

tips

There are two basic cooking methods: simmering or baking. Use whichever fits your cooking schedule. Both involve a final blast in the oven to give the gammon a classic golden glaze.

Though our gammon is not excessively salty, it is worth soaking it for 8-10 hours in cold water before cooking, discarding the soaking water at the end. Alternatively, if you’re reading this the day you want to cook your gammon, place the joint in a pan of cold water, bring to a simmer and discard the water before further cooking.

I f you are poaching your gammon it must be in barely simmering (not boiling) water; 85°C is the perfect temperature.

I f you are serving the gammon hot, allow the joint to rest for 30-40 mins before carving. If you want to eat it cold, allow it to cool slowly, before putting in the fridge (this could take several hours – for a large joint it may need overnight).

poaching your gammon

prep: 20 mins cook: 20 mins/500g once the water is simmering + 30 mins in the oven to glaze

you will need

1 large onion, peeled & quartered 2 leeks, trimmed & halved 2 carrots, peeled 2 celery sticks 2 bay leaves 10 peppercorns enough water to cover (or apple juice/cider) Calculate your total cooking time. Place the gammon in a large but close-fitting pot with a trivet or upside-down saucer underneath to keep it off the bottom of the pan. Cover with cold water and add the vegetables, bay and peppercorns, before slowly bringing to the boil. Once boiling, lower to a bare simmer (timing the cooking from the moment it comes to the boil), skim away any scum and replace the water as necessary to keep the joint covered. The surface should at no point be bubbling; you are aiming to poach very gently at the barest simmer. At the end of the cooking time, carefully remove the joint from the cooking liquor. Now follow the glazing instructions.

baking your gammon

prep: 5 mins cook: 55 mins/kg + 30 mins (this includes glazing time) Calculate your total baking time and preheat the oven to 170°C. Place the gammon in a large roasting tray lined with foil; pleat 2 lengths together if necessary. Lift the ends up and over the

joint so that the whole thing is protected and loosely tented by the foil. Transfer to the oven and remove 30 mins before the end of the cooking time. Now follow the glazing instructions.

glazing your gammon

Allow the gammon to cool enough to let you lift the skin with a thin-bladed knife and separate it from the joint without removing the layer of fat underneath (take your time to do this). Once removed, discard the skin and score the fat layer with the sharp knife (without touching the meat) into a diamond, lattice pattern. If your joint is of a shape liable to roll, cut away a slice of meat to create a flat base (this you can eat as a cook’s perk). Preheat/turn up your oven to 220°C. Take a skewer and make a tiny incision at the crossing point of each diamond and insert a clove in each. Mix your glazing ingredients (see options below) and brush over the surface of the joint before putting it in the oven for 20-30 mins, or until golden and glistening.

citrus glaze

For a citrus note, warm together half a jar of Seville marmalade with 2 cloves crushed garlic, a 4cm cube of finely grated peeled ginger and 75ml fresh orange juice in a small saucepan. Once the marmalade has melted into the juice, it’s ready to brush over the joint.

to serve

mustard glaze

Spread either 2 tbsp (not powdered) English mustard (or 4 tbsp wholegrain mustard) over the surface of the joint, then sprinkle over 3 tbsp muscovado sugar.

Gammon is especially good with buttery mustard mash and of course parsley sauce – recipe on our website.

goose

cooking instructions for 1 goose, weighing 4-5kg prep: 15 mins cook: 3½ hrs Preheat your oven to 190°C. Remove the giblets and use them for gravy. Prick the skin of the goose all over so the fat can run out during cooking. Trim off any excess fat from the bird and season with salt and pepper. Put on a wire rack in a large roasting tin and cover with foil. Roast for 3½ hours until the juices run clear. Take the foil off 30 mins before the end of roasting so the skin can crisp up. Allow to rest for 20 mins, then carve.

duck

cooking instructions for 1 duck, weighing 2.3kg prep: 10 mins cook: 2¾ hrs Lightly prick skin over the breast and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven, cover the duck with foil and roast for 30 mins at 220°C. Baste the duck with the fat and reduce the heat to 200°C. Roast for two hours, basting again half way through.

Increase the heat to 220°C and cook for a final 15 minutes. Use the giblets and wing tips for stock/gravy.

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