Christmas Lunch Trade Secrets?

[UlsterNo9]

My own has to be cooking the big gammon in coke (coca cola), leaves it absolutely top glass, succulent and tender.

Not a massive secret as I know others that do it.

Has to be a few others.....

[Rooster]

Cook turkey breast down, fat is on turkeys back so it runs down trough and leaves it nice and juicy with no need for that basting lark.

[Shan]

Never ever cook anything that anybody else knows about. That way you can pretend you haven't a clue and let some other poor ballixes do the work at this relaxing time of year.

[Dave]

Cook turkey breast down, fat is on turkeys back so it runs down trough and leaves it nice and juicy with no need for that basting lark.

That's the way I do all my birds.

[Rooster]

Cook turkey breast down, fat is on turkeys back so it runs down trough and leaves it nice and juicy with no need for that basting lark.

That's the way I do all my birds.

Best way to roast birds

[Tender]

I use cider to boil my Gammon, before glazing it with Dijon and a ginger conserve and plenty of cloves.
The sprouts I slice on a mandolin and toss them off (ooh er Missus) in the wok with smokey bacon lardons, garlic and some light soy sauce.
The upside down Turkey flattens the breast too much for my liking, so I slide loads of herb butter between the breast skin and the meat. No need to baste and the resulting fat in the tray makes great roasties.
My stuffing would take to long to describe and may attract attention from the authorities.
Men cook, women follow recipes

[BaggyTrousers]

My own has to be cooking the big gammon in coke (coca cola), leaves it absolutely top glass, succulent and tender.

Not a massive secret as I know others that do it.

Has to be a few others.....

Disgraceful.

Gammon should be boiled for a period in a huge pot with halved onions studded with cloves and a bottle of modest red wine topped up with water, tap is adequate. Then the skin removed, the fat scored, studded with gloves and roasted and regularly basted with a concoction of mustard, demerara sugar, honey & orange juice, 4 or 5 times during the roasting.

Never has gammon tasted better, I've been doing it for over 30 years, I love my christmas dinner & would never entrust it to someone else.

Rooster, as well you might expect is correct on the turkey. However despite what Essex wide boy Oliver says, the cavity should contain a bread based stuffing, simple herb for my liking and the neck should contain a sausagemeat and bacon stuffing. Other incorrect versions may be used.

Accompany with honey roasted parsnips, herb buttered carrots, and Satan's farts with lardons, liberally soused with a good rich gravy when using the turkey juices & a whack of the cooking fat.

That my dear fellows is a proper Christmas Luncheon.

[mid ulster maestro]

Set me a place Baggy. I'll be round.

[BaggyTrousers]

Most welcome Mum, come one, come all.

By the way one last wheeze. If your aga has a timer on it, cook your turkey slowly having set the oven to come on around 3am, then the house will awake to a magical smell that could only be Christmas. My eldest is 32 and he has it as one of his earliest memories of waking up to the smell of roast turkey.

[Tender]

If you boil sprouts, you'd be better throwing them in the bin afterwards and drinking the water used to boil them. The thinly sliced, straight into the wok raw method will preserve their brassica goodness and your post luncheon farts will be the stuff of legend.
The average Brit consumes around 7000 calories on Crimbo day, second only to the Trumpets by a few calories, but those wimps return to work the following day, to a normal diet of cereal breakie, sarnie at lunch and a normal(Yank normal) tea. We are able to maintain the 7000 calories on Boxing Day, with many hardy Brits repeating it everyday until new year.
Then we wonder why we can't get a bed on Mr Cochran's Fun Ward at Dundonald Hospital!

[UlsterAreBrill]

Sprouts deserve no such discussion, they are by far and away the worst part of the Christmas dinner

[big mervyn]

Cut off the legs before cooking and bone and stuff them. Wrap them in bacon before cooking. Best way to cook turkey legs by far and the tenderest and tastiest part of the bird.

[Tender]

YES Merv.

I've been doing that since that Rough Coupened Potty Mouthed Scot showed how it's done on TV a while back. We freeze them and have them at Easter.

[Dave]

Sprouts are excellent. Hard to get this year and any I've seen are small.

[thecrouch]

Love an oul sprout.