Yes, breast-down will result in juicier breast meat, but I vote brine, too. I seriously HATED turkey before i started brining them. And flipping a huge, hot turkey is dangerous.
Brining is the best way to retain moisture. The upside down trick does help but getting a big, hot bird flipped can be difficult, and I have seen birds get dropped on the floor in the process. So I brine mine. :-)
Yes...It helps keep the dark and white meat closer to the same temperature, so you don't overcook the breast to get the dark meat cooked. I generally start the bird breast down, then after an hour flip it over. If you cook it breast down the whole time the skin will not be crispy or pretty. If you are doing a large bird (20ish lbs) start it out at 425 F, and once you flip it drop the temp to 325 F.
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