Feasting on Christmas Day
There are more than 25 varieties of turkey, a centre piece of Christmas celebrations. Here we consider the KellyBronze
Turkey is intimately associated with the Thanksgiving celebrations in the US, and for December 25, Christmas Day lunches on the Christian calendar. While there are many contenders for the main dish on the Christmas Day table, such a salmon and beef (steaks and Wellington, for example) for meat eaters, the choice is ever-growing. For diners seeking a vegetable plate, it may include a Sweet Potato, Cheddar and Chestnut Galette from home delivery company Abel & Cole.
Neither of these meals are ordinary; they’re feasts steeped in folklore and myth. Native to North America, turkeys first appeared in England during the Tudor period (1485 - 1603) and were seen as exotic delicacy. Flocks were walked from Norfolk and Suffolk to market in London where they would be served at gatherings and feasts, alongside peacocks, souse (made from pickled pig trotters and ears) and roast swan. A popular Tudor centrepiece was the boar's head, a tradition dating back to Roman times. This custom outlived the Roman Empire as roast beef, goose and later turkey gradually took over. A cooked boar's head is still celebrated in a few places, including Queen's College in Oxford, UK, in its Boars Head Gaudy ceremony (See video below).
Also, English Heritage has done a great job of compiling a history of Christmas feasting. Read it here.
Speak to Paul Kelly, scion of the KellyBronze turkey family, and it won't be long before he mentions intramuscular fat, the part of a turkey that gives it the extra flavour that this breed of turkey is known for.
In the UK, the Kelly family have farmed for 50 years in Danbury, Essex and more recently in the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, USA. They also supply fertilised eggs and young chicks to farms around the world.
I recently met Paul and his family at an event hosted at the Jamie Oliver HQ in north London, and he explained the story behind this particular breed of turkey and how his family got involved in the business. Flashing carving knives and a sharpening stone, Paul also shared carving tips for free-range turkeys, which stay intact on touch, unlike poorly bred supermarket poultry. Click here for carving tips.
There are many varieties of turkey, some of which are suitable for commercial breeding, while others are better suited for allotments and back gardens. For example, in Britain, we have breeds such as Bronze, Cambridge Bronze, Crimson Dawn, Norfolk Black, British White, Slate, Bourbon Red and Cröllwitzer, while in the US, breeds such as Bronze, Black, White Holland, Beltsville Small White, Narragansett, Slate and Bourbon Red are better known.
Bronze turkeys are named for their feather colour regardless of the breeding and production methods. "KellyBronze is our unique breed; it's a slow-growing bird allowed to forage in woodlands, growing naturally to full maturity, says Paul. Back in the 1980s, he suggested to his father, Ken and mother, Mollie, to diversify away from the fast-growing, cheaper white turkeys and focus on a then-rare breed. They bought up most of the British flock of Bronze turkeys, a heritage breed that had fallen out of fashion.
Then there is the age, combined with our free-range farming, hand plucking, traditional finishing and dry hanging for maturity.
To cook your turkey, place breast-side up in a roasting pan on a rack. No rack. Halve several red potatoes, place cut-side down and sit the bird on top. Add chicken or vegetable stock water to the pan. This allows air to circulate around the turkey, with the added bonus of delicious potatoes to go with your meal.
The success of the Bronze turkey has also had negative consequences. For example, while the KellyBronze bird is left to grow to full maturity outdoors on locally grown cereals without the addition of growth promoters, additives or drugs, other producers genetically enhance bronze feather colour onto mass-produced white turkey. These are then raised indoors and ready for market in just 10 weeks, says Paul. A KellyBronze turkey can take up to 24 weeks to reach full maturity.
This year I’m going for turkey, and I will be cooking a 5kg KellyBronze (gifted by the company) with all the trimmings.
FIVE TURKEY COOKING TIPS
Source: Paul Kelly & www.kellybronze.co.uk
To what temperature should you cook turkey?
Use a meat thermometer to check that your turkey reaches a core temperature of 75°C for a standard wet-processed turkey (check the thickest parts of the bird, in the thigh and the breast) and 60°C for a KellyBronze (because they don't have the level of bacteria present in wet-processed turkeys, says the company). The temperature at the core will not fall for at least 20 minutes or so after it's removed from the oven.
Should you cover a cooked turkey with tin foil?
No! Once up to temperature, it's important to get the heat out of the bird and let it cool down. Covering it in tin foil creates a secondary oven, and the bird will continue to cook.
How long should turkey rest?
Let the bird stand uncovered at room temperature for at least an hour before carving. It will take 2-3 hours for the turkey to become tepid. It's easy to bring the meat to temperature if needed by getting the gravy piping hot and pouring it over the meat.
How to make cracking crackling.
Peeling all the skin off and laying it on a baking tray before popping it back into the oven for 20 minutes is a top tip to get the best 'turkey crackling'.
How to carve a turkey.
The basic principle is to break the bird down into its primal parts before cutting it into portions to serve. Remove the wings first, then the legs, followed by the breasts. Once off the bone, cut slices for serving. Click here for an online guide.
BRUCE & THE LEMON GROVE'S EVENTS DIARY
Hosting & Cooking on the Demonstration Stage at:
Tonbridge Farmers Market (every second Sunday of the month, 9.30am - 1.30pm)
Next market in Tonbridge, Kent is on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
Aylesford Farmers Market (every third Sunday of the month, 9.30am - 1.30pm)
Next market in Aylesford, Kent is on Sunday, December 17.
I'll be sharing recipe ideas using food from the farmers market and interviewing many great local growers and producers making wine, bread, jams, marmalade, and much more. Follow Tonbridge Farmers Market for updates.
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