How to Hobble Splayed Legs on a Turkey
Roasting a turkey is an easy and delicious way to feed a crowd at a holiday gathering or family dinner. Preparing a raw turkey for roasting is a challenge. A bird can weigh up to 25 pounds, raw turkey skin is slippery and the wings and legs flop around with every move. By the time you remove the neck and giblets and add stuffing, the turkey legs are often splayed wide apart. Fortunately, it's easy to hobble splayed legs on a turkey. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Remove the giblets from the turkey by pulling aside the flap over the turkey's neck cavity, reaching inside and removing the giblet package from the cavity. Remove the neck bone by reaching into the cavity between the turkey's legs and removing the bone. Reserve the giblets and bone for soup, and add prepared stuffing, if desired.
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Place the turkey, breast side up, in a deep roasting pan. Cut a length of kitchen twine 18 to 24 inches long.
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Hold the end of one turkey leg between your thumb and forefinger. Pull the legs together and hold the end of the other turkey leg between your forefinger and middle finger.
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Using the opposite hand, grasp one end of the kitchen twine. Leaving a free end of twine approximately 3 inches long, wrap the twine around the two turkey legs in a figure-8 pattern.
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Tie the two ends of twine together to secure the turkey legs. Roast the turkey at 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have kitchen twine on hand, use dental floss instead. Snip, remove and discard the twine or floss after you remove the bird from the oven.
Cook your turkey thoroughly to kill bacteria. Use a meat thermometer, and roast the turkey until the breast temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit or the thigh temperature reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
References
- Photo Credit roast chicken image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
