(playful jazzy music)
I'm Kelly Senyei with http://www.epicurious.com,
and this is how to put butter under turkey skin.
The first thing you want to do
is loosen the skin away from the body.
So very gently and carefully,
I'm going to separate the skin from on top of the breast.
Just really carefully work your hand under there,
you don't wanna poke through the skin.
Otherwise, once the turkey is roasting,
all that moisture is going to escape.
And what you're doing here
is you're creating little pockets
so that once you put the butter in there,
it can spread all over.
After you've loosened up the skin on both breasts,
you can do the same thing over both legs.
Careful not to tear the skin.
And once we have that loosened up,
we're gonna use our softened room temperature butter,
and we're gonna spread it underneath the skin.
The key here is it has to be soft,
otherwise it won't spread very easily.
And you can figure about one stick of butter
for a 14 to 16 pound turkey.
And adding all this butter underneath the skin
is gonna make it really rich and moist.
Don't forget about the legs.
And if you see any large pats of butter,
you can use your hands to spread them
on the outside of the skin.
And that's putting butter under the turkey skin.
For more recipes and tips,
head over to http://www.epicurious.com.
FAQs
Spread the butter under the skin, pushing it in as far as you can, then smooth the skin back into place. Halve the lemon and orange and put in the turkey cavity along with 2 onion halves and the bay leaves. Rub turkey all over with oil and sprinkle with salt.
How to get butter to stick to turkey? ›
Cut a 20-inch piece of cheesecloth and fold twice, creating 4 layers. Submerge the cloth in the melted butter, making sure it is completely saturated with it. Gently squeeze the cloth, then re-form so there are 4 layers and place on top of the turkey, covering it completely.
How to stuff a turkey under the skin? ›
If you're careful you should be able to pull all the skin away from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides. Go slowly and try not to make any holes! Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking out.
Should I inject my turkey and put butter under the skin? ›
A turkey injection keeps the meat moist without any need for a turkey brine. Butter adds moisture and flavor to turkey throughout the meat, keeping it tender and tasty with every bite. Additionally, a butter injection helps crisp up the turkey skin.
Why won't my butter spread on my turkey? ›
we're gonna use our softened room temperature butter, and we're gonna spread it underneath the skin. The key here is it has to be soft, otherwise it won't spread very easily.
Why isn't my butter sticking to my turkey? ›
Why isn't the butter sticking to the turkey? The bird may be condensating or your butter may be too cold and firm. Make sure the turkey comes to room temperature for an hour and pat it with paper towels to remove moisture before you butter it.
Do you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan for turkey? ›
"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."
What's the best way to stuff a turkey? ›
Stuff both the neck and body cavities of a completely thawed turkey, allowing ½ to ¾ cup of stuffing per pound. Don't pack stuffing too tightly, as it may cause uneven cooking.
Should I salt my turkey under the skin? ›
Use about 1/4 of the salt inside the cavities of the bird, and the rest over the entire turkey, working salt under the skin on the breast and thighs as much as possible. Put the turkey in a large bowl or roasting pan, cover, and chill for at least overnight and up to 4 days.
What to use if you don't have a turkey injector? ›
This is a great injection for any kind of poultry, not just turkey. A simple mixture of broth, butter, lemon, garlic, pepper, and salt delivers moisture and flavor to the white meat and enhances the texture and taste of the dark meat.
The cool, dry air of the fridge will further dry out the skin, ensuring maximum crispiness. Next, just before you're ready to put the turkey in the oven, give it a generous rub of oil. Many people like to use butter for this, but using oil will actually yield a crispier skin because butter is 20% water.
Is it better to put butter or oil on turkey skin? ›
Once you've carefully dried off the skin, the next step you can take to guarantee perfectly crispy turkey skin is to rub it with a fat, like butter or oil. Oil will yield a crispier skin than butter because butter is at least 20 percent water, while oil contains no water.
Does butter crisp turkey skin? ›
Next, just before you're ready to put the turkey in the oven, give it a generous rub of oil. Many people like to use butter for this, but using oil will actually yield a crispier skin because butter is 20% water.
Should you baste your turkey with butter? ›
In the last hour of cooking, you can baste the turkey in additional melted butter or olive oil instead of the pan juices to really make sure that skin turns golden brown.
