Cooking the perfect holiday meal can be a lot of pressure, so we asked our renowned chef, Brett Uniss, for help on cooking the perfect Source Farms turkey or holiday ham!
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Turkeys
Thaw
Make sure you give yourself 3 to 6 days (depending on the size) to fully thaw your turkey in the fridge. Allow around 6 hours per pound for thawing.
- Medium (12-15 pounds): 3-4 days
- Large (15-16 pounds): 4-5 days
- X-Large (18+ pounds) : 5-6 days
Brine
Brine for 24 hours, then air dry uncovered for 24 hours to dry the skin so it crisps it even better.
Here's what we're putting in our brine: water, salt, brown sugar, bay leaves, garlic cloves, orange peel, lemon peel, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme
Leave the turkey out to temper for a couple hours (around 2) before cooking, it helps for even cooking.
Prep
Use a butter or oil rub on the outside and underneath the skin. Pasture-raised turkeys are slightly leaner than conventional turkeys, so don’t be afraid to add a little extra fat. Remember that if you stuff the inside of the turkey with onions, carrots, or other aromatics, it might take longer to cook - so remember to account for a bit of extra time.
Cook
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes per pound. A low cooking temperature at 325°F will do the trick. Use a cooking thermometer to make sure your turkey is at 165°F (you can take out of the oven at 160
Hams
Method
Preheat oven to 325
Chef Tip!
In place of water, try adding to the roasting pan ½ cup orange juice mixed with ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup honey, 2oz of butter, and a pinch of clove.
Bonus Chef Tip!
Use the ham bone and trimmings to simmer with soup like bean or split pea and embrace the return of rainy weather.
We hope these tips help! Have your own to share? We'd love to hear them. Send us an email with your own tips!
