Turkey on Christmas, Why Not!

Turkey on Christmas? Why Not?

Turkey is one of the best birds to feed an Army of friends and relatives. BUT, how often do we mess up the bird by over cooking the bird to get that beautiful brown roasted Amber color.
I have a recipe that your friends and relatives will rave about for years. I guarantee it will be moist and delicious! Here we go:
Ingredients:
1 package of Bacon
Mayo
scallion
soy sauce
fresh garlic or powder
pepper, salt
Preparation:
-Wash the turkey inside an out.  make sure turkey is breast up and dry.
-Slather the mayo all over the exterior of the bird, breast, legs and wings and inside the cavity. The mayo acts as a sealant. it keeps the moisture from evaporating and therefore a more tender bird. 
-Season with salt pepper, garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic. Do the same for the bird's cavity inside. The meshing of flavors both inside and out will permeate throughout the bird.
Add the bacon slices raw in a layer side by side. bacon has so much salt it will provide additional flavor along with the pork fat of the bacon for additional flavor.
Chop up scallion and throw into the bird's cavity, add soy sauce in cavity and spread with your hands. When soy sauce is heated, it tends to stick to whatever is being made.
You may want to cover the wing and drum stick with aluminum foil to prevent dryness.
Place bird in a Dutch oven and bake at 350 degrees uncovered for about 20 minutes. Then cover and reduce heat to 300 to 325 for about 2 1/2 hours for a small bird weighing about 12 lbs on average. For larger ones, add about another hour or 2. More density requires more cook time. The best way to check is every hour, pull the bird out of the oven and cut the drumstick where its attached to the body. if there is still blood, its not ready but if it clear, its ready and take out.
All ow to sit out for about 30 minutes. This allows the meat to retain the juices. If you cut prior, the juices will run out and you'll defeat the whole purpose of making a moist Turkey.
Ok, time for cutting. make sure you have a sharp knife. An electric carving knife is great too. Find the breast bone. The breast bone will be your guide to slicing in a downward curved trend. Cut all the way down. The cut horizontally at the bottom. You'll have a block of deliciously moist turkey, set on butcher board and slice evenly, thick or thin. each person will get the same size piece.
On a separate plate, carve the dark meat from the wing and drum stick. The skin is so delicious!
By
Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocanmaryland.com