Using a Slow Cooker on Thanksgiving for Turkey

[ariana]

Hello everyone,

Something I have struggled for years is getting a roasted turkey to remain moist and tasty. It usually ends up being dry, or flavorless. I tried something new last year: I bought a small turkey, and put half of it in a slow cooker. I added several vegetables and spices (you can use anything you like) and covered it with broth. After several hours, it was done. The turkey was incredibly juicy, and had a better flavor than the typical thanksgiving turkey. It tasted fairly traditional, and was very simple to cook. If you struggle with roasting turkey, or want to try something new this thanksgiving, I highly recommend using a slow cooker such as a crock pot for your turkey.

I put the other half in a toaster oven to roast. It also turned out great. I think cooking half the turkey is what helped, as bigger turkeys can cook unevenly.

 

[OhioTom76]

You could also roast the turkey traditionally in the oven, then slice and transfer it to a slow cooker with a quart or two of turkey broth to keep it moist. I would be concerned about cooking it entirely in the slow cooker mainly because the skin wouldn't brown and crisp up as it would in an oven. Brining is another option that some people do, but I find that too cumbersome to do with something as big as a turkey.

Another method that has gained popularity on several blogs that I read, is to merely break down the turkey into it's separate parts rather than try to roast the bird whole. Not only does this make the whole thing cook faster, it helps each part cook more evenly.

Although I certainly like a whole turkey, the past few years my family has just been buying the boneless turkey breasts (skin on) from our butcher. They are a piece of cake to cook, since you don't have to worry about the breast meat drying out before the dark meat is done. And when it comes to carving it, it's super easy to cut nice even slices since there are no bones getting in the way.

 

[ariana]

The skin tasted pretty juicy and it was very tender. The skin was actually better tasting than oven roasted turkey!