How Gordon Ramsay Guarantees His Turkey Is Flavorful And Moist

If there's one thing everyone wants to avoid at Thanksgiving dinner, it's a dry turkey. It's a big cooking day, but ensuring your bird is well-cooked and moist should be number one on your list. Luckily, Michelin-starred chefs have been more than generous in sharing their best Thanksgiving turkey tips and tricks, including Gordon Ramsay. Even though he has British roots and doesn't necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving, he's perfected a moist Christmas turkey that can be easily eaten on Thanksgiving.

Julia Child is famous for saying, "With enough butter, anything is good," and turkey is no exception. Ramsay's key for a guaranteed delicious and juicy turkey is a parsley and garlic butter that gets generously slathered both under the skin and on top of the turkey. While the turkey is cooking, you'll want to baste the bird with the melted butter pan juices to ensure a crispy skin while cooking. In addition to a hearty amount of butter and seasonings, Ramsay also ensures the entire bird is moist by adding additional fat and ensuring it does not overcook.

For those of us who like watching cooking tutorials, Gordon Ramsay shared his roasted turkey video on his Facebook. In order to really coat the turkey and ensure it stays moist, you're going to need to become well acquainted with your raw bird. Ramsay isn't shy about loosening the skin with his fingers to ensure the butter mixture completely coats the breasts and thighs. He even takes a ball of butter and slides it down to sufficiently coat the breast, which tends to be the driest part of the bird.

Ramsay knows that fat equals flavor, which is why he also drizzles on some olive oil and drapes uncooked bacon over the top of the bird after 10 minutes of cooking. The bacon doesn't just keep the breast moist, it also drips down and mixes with the pan drippings to create a deliciously flavored gravy. You've got your flavor — now it's time to cook it properly. Ramsay's secret to cooking the perfect turkey includes letting it rest as long as it cooks. Fans of the turkey agree that it is well worth the effort and time put into prepping this festive protein. One person in the Facebook comments had high praise for this method: "My husband used your recipe today for Thanksgiving; best turkey EVER!"