It is always best to begin this culinary adventure by buying a bird that is fresh rather than frozen. Not only is it not packed with a load of chemicals and sugar, it is also a much tastier type of meat. Once you have your fresh bird, you will have to decide how you want to cook it.
Many people find that cooking the entire bird at once is the best way to go about this sort of meal. While this may be the best course of action for a large gathering, there are other ways to prepare this foul throughout the year. If you happen to have a good butcher handy, ask them to break apart your meat for you. You can cook the breast, just the legs, or all parts cut up and cooked together in a hearty stew. Really, the choice is yours.
It doesn’t matter the style you cook, one of the best tips for cooking a turkey is to make sure to season it properly. Another great trick of the culinary trade is to pat the top of your whole bird with butter prior to popping it in the oven. Not only will this provide a golden crust, it will also give it a heavenly flavor. Of course, most of your guests (or family members) will wind up covering the meat with gravy anyway, so it is equally important that you make a fantastic sauce.
After cooking, leave it in the pan while you pour the juices and fat out of the bottom. Then, add a bit of butter and flour to a small pot and cook on low heat until it forms a sort of paste. Next, add the juices from the bird along with the fat, simmer, and add salt and pepper to taste as you go along. You would have an superb gravy for our meal.
