'I tried cooking a turkey in the slow-cooker - it was eye-opening for Xmas Day'

25 November 2023 , 11:08

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Dianne wanted to make a 'juicy bird' (Image: MEN)

Any way Christmas day can be made that little easier, people will want to try - and that includes cooking turkey in a slow cooker.

It may seem like an unconventional method, but the Manchester Evening News' Dianne Bourne tried it, in hopes that she could make a "juicy bird come December 25" as turkey meat "tends to go terribly dry."

Cooking everything in the oven can become incredibly stressful, " when you're trying to juggle a massive turkey alongside stuffing, roast potatoes and pigs-in-blankets on the shelves", so Dianne wanted to give something else a go to see if she could nail it before the big day.

Dianne tried cooking turkey in the slow cooker (MEN)

She wrote about how much she loves her slow cooker, saying that it "makes a mean stew", but can it make a delightful turkey? Dianne reveals all:

I've seen various recipes on the internet suggesting sticking onions, garlic or carrot underneath the turkey before you set it off. But I was a bit low on supplies of veg, so I thought I'll just stick it in with some butter and a sprinkle of thyme on top.

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Now the recommended cooking time in the slow cooker for a fresh meat joint the size I had is six hours on slow. The turkey joint I was using was around about 1.2kg.

But for some unknown reason I thought "hmm, I'll round it up to eight hours then".

I remember when I was a child that my mother would get up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to set off our turkey in the oven as part of a near 12 hour festive prep process. So I think perhaps I've always kept that feeling of "must make sure it's not raw" in my head.

But then I forgot to take it off the heat so it was actually slow cooking away for more like ten hours. I was stuck in the stew mindset of the "longer the better" I think.

Really, I just need to invest in a meat thermometer so I can ensure that the meat is cooked in future without the need to overcook it.

Dianne knows what she'll do slightly differently next time (MEN)

When I got it out to carve though, it smelt delicious and it looked, actually, not bad. There was a bit of a browning to it, and I imagine if you really want that crispy skin look, you could bob it under the grill for ten minutes or so.

I wasn't worried about presentation on this November outing of the turkey, because I simply wanted to see if it tasted better than my usual turkey efforts. As I sliced it up, it looked so moist and a little bit flaky but stayed in good large slices, I really thought I could be on to a winner here.

So did it taste nice? Well, clearly I had overcooked it, hadn't I?

When I ate the first piece upon the first couple of chews I thought: "Oo, nice flavour here" then chew chew a bit more "oh it's a bit dry".

However, once it was slathered in gravy, it actually tasted really quite, quite delicious. It had a rich meaty and slight herby flavour, presumably from the slow cooking process, butter, and thyme.

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For me, the fact I could just stick it in the slow cooker with minimal effort, a blob of butter, and a sprinkle of thyme is the big selling point. For my next attempt I'll reduce the cooking time, sit it on some vegetables, and invest in a meat thermometer I think.

But, for a first attempt at it, I was pretty pleased - and feel that this could be the way to go to cook my turkey for the main event on Christmas Day to free up the conventional oven for all the side dishes.

I also used the remaining slow cooker turkey meat the following day for a classic turkey curry, and it held up well to that challenge too.

Dianne Bourne