Christmas turkey dinner guide: Tips and tricks for preparing, seasoning and cooking the perfect turkey, recommended by a chef

Christmas is quickly approaching. In addition to shopping for last-minute gifts and finish wrapping presents, it’s time to turn your attention to your Christmas menu — specifically, your turkey dinner.

Although every family has their own traditions for Christmas dinner, turkey still reigns supreme as the go-to meat for the holidays. A recent poll by Research Co. Found that 85 per cent of Canadians prefer turkey for the holidays, and while it may be a favourite, there can be so much pressure to prepare a Christmas turkey.

To help ease the stress of preparing your holiday bird, Yahoo Canada spoke to chef Matt Basile, co-founder and head of culinary for Alchemy Grills. Keep reading to learn his secrets to preparing the perfect Christmas turkey that's sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Should you buy a fresh or frozen turkey? How big of a turkey should you get?

"I always try to buy a fresh turkey whenever possible," says Basile, who grew up working in butcher shops prior to becoming a chef. Basile says fresh turkeys can help you avoid the stress of defrosting a frozen bird.

The size of turkey depends on the size of your group, with Basile suggesting the "sweet spot" of 16 to 20 lb turkeys. If you're hosting a small group, he recommends avoiding smaller turkeys altogether.

"You can get turkeys that are 10 pounds — that would be the smallest turkey you could find in a butcher shop," he says. "That said, they’re rarely meaty. You’re probably better off buying two king capons [large chickens] that are five or six pounds each rather than a small turkey.”

How long does it take to thaw a turkey?

If you decide to go the frozen turkey route, remember to give yourself plenty of time to let it thaw. A good rule of thumb is to defrost the turkey in your fridge and allow one day of defrosting for every 4lbs of bird. For example, a 12lb bird would take three days in the refrigerator to defrost.

A few days before you prepare your turkey (fresh or thawed), Basile suggests getting an "air dry" on your bird to help ensure the skin gets nice and crispy once you cook it. Remove the giblets, neck and organs, dry the turkey with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and store it on an elevated rack so that the bird isn't touching the roasting pan and let it sit in the fridge. Aim to prepare your fresh or thawed turkey within 24 to 48 hours.

Should you stuff your turkey?

Whether or not you should stuff your bird is a hot topic of debate. Basile says he foregoes stuffing his turkey in favour of preparing a dressing (stuffing on the side).

"I feel really good stuffing needs an opportunity to dry out a bit, and it can’t dry out in the cavity,” he explains, adding that there can be concerns that stuffing might prevent the bird from being cooked all the way through. "In order to get the stuffing to a safe place, sometimes you run the risk of drying out the bird in the process.

“I will stuff [the turkey] with whole onions and sometimes lemons or oranges [in the front and main cavities],” he says. “That gives some kind of flavour within the bird, and you discard it once you’re done cooking.”

Basile says that he also likes to spatchcock his turkey, a cooking technique in which you butterfly the bird by removing both the back and breastbone of the bird, and laying it flat (but elevated) in the pan.

"You'll probably shave off about an hour of cook time this way," he says.

What's the best way to season your turkey?

“I like to keep it really simple,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll actually baste the turkey in either room temperature butter or even mayo. Believe it or not, you can rub the whole thing in mayo. But for the seasoning itself, salt and pepper can’t go wrong.”

If you're opting to include herbs on the exterior of your turkey, Basile recommends rubbing dry herbs, like dried rosemary or dried sage on the turkey, rather than fresh, since fresh herbs can burn during the long cook times.

Fresh herbs, like rosemary, thyme or sage, can be added to the interior of the bird, along with the onion and orange.

Should you cover your turkey in the oven?

Basile recommends keeping you turkey covered for the first hour or two of cooking to help keep the meat as moist as possible. Keeping your turkey covered for longer can cause the meat to steam, rather than roast.

“The roasting is what’s actually rendering off the fat, crisping up the skin and caramelizing the flavour profile,” he says. “And then there’s the constant going back and reintegrating all the seasoning and the butter or the mayo.”

Basile says a baster, spoon or brush are handy to help ensure the turkey is constantly getting covered in flavour.

How long should you cook your turkey? How do you know when your turkey is done?

Cook times vary by weight, which is why Basile recommends having a digital meat thermometer on hand. He suggests probing turkey breast and the area by the joint by the hip where it takes a little bit longer to cook.

"You're going to want to pull it out at around 155/160 degrees Fahrenheit in the resting period, it will continue to cook," he says. "It'll bring it up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I think if you've taken it out before 150 degrees it'll never reach 165 — I think if you take it out 165 you're going to probably dry it over."

Should you let your turkey sit after it's cooked?

Like all meat, Basile says it's important to let your turkey sit after it's done cooking.

"Some people like to wait 10 minutes but I'm actually believer in a 30 minute rest prior to carving. It's essential for allowing the juices to kind of settle. You don't want to cut into it right away, and then all the juice just escape the meat — it dries out the meat faster," he says.

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