How to cook your KellyBronze

Paul Kelly, turkey farmer extraordinaire knows his stuff when it comes to cooking a KellyBronze and so he should do – he’s cooked enough. Watch his guide here on the best way to cook your KellyBronze or read the instructions below for a whole bird. Fear not, you do also get a thermometer and a set of instructions with your turkey!

Cooking temperatures

Cooking times

These are a guide only – use your thermometer for accuracy. A KellyBronze will cook quicker because of the intramuscular fat that is not present in a standard bird. Remove the meat from the oven as soon as the needle hits 60C and leave to stand for 30 mins.

The whole bird

1. Remove from the fridge early Christmas morning
   Allow the bird to come up to room temperature to avoid shocking the meat when it goes into a hot oven.

2. Place in a tin breast side down
   With 500ml of water (regardless of the size of your bird) and your favourite vegetables. Season the back of the bird. Do NOT stuff, DO NOT USE FOIL.

3. Turn the bird over
   Half way through the cooking time and pierce with a knife right through between the legs and the breast to allow the thighs to cook and juices to run out.

4. Keep an eye on the temperature
   regularly by putting the thermometer half way in through the thickest part of the meat. Try in 2 or 3 different places on thickest part of the breast.

5. Remove from the oven as soon as the thermometer says 60C
   Leave to rest as per the suggested resting times. No foil as this will mean the turkey continues to cook – it will retain it’s heat by itself.

6. Now to make the gravy
   Skim off any excess fat from the stock. Mix in all the caramelised bits from the tin.

Side notes

• Don’t… stuff it. Seriously, cook your stuffing separately. Stuffing the turkey will mean it takes longer to cook which will in turn dry out the meat. You’re starting of with a great ingredient that doesn’t need any help to make it taste better.

• Don’t… cover it in tin foil. KellyBronze turkeys have natural fat and tin foil is absolutely not needed. If it’s covered after cooking it’ll only continue the cooking process, just leave it to stand.

• Don’t… butter or baste. No need to add butter or baste to keep it moist, a KellyBronze has plenty of natural fat to do that job nicely.

• Don’t… cook it over night. As Sam’s Grandma, Mollie Kelly, always said, “The best way to cook a KellyBronze is quickly”. We do not recommend slow cooking, or worse, overnight cooking!

• Don’t… pull out the black feather stubs. This is the sole reason the bronze turkey disappeared from our shelves in the 1950s. The white turkey has just as many but because they have a white pigment you cannot see them. They are harmless and most of any that may be left will shrivel up during cooking. As the KellyBronze is hand plucked it is impossible to remove each and every one, please don’t waste your time on Christmas day with tweezers trying to remove them!

• Don’t… throw your giblets away. Go on give them a go, the juices from them really do help make a delicious gravy.

• Don’t forget to use your thermometer.

Tap here for ‘how to carve’