The unexpected best way to roast a turkey, according to the experts at Jennie-O

Making Thanksgiving dinner is a huge feat. Between roasting a whole bird and making all the sides and desserts, Thanksgiving cooking is a marathon event. As with most cooking, everyone has their tried and true recipes and methods they turn to to get the best possible meal. But we here at Allrecipes are always looking for new ways to make food taste better and make cooking easier.

Whether it’s adding Boursin to mashed potatoes, adding pepper to pie, or taking the time to brine your turkey, we want you equipped with the best Thanksgiving secrets out there. And the experts at Jennie-O just let us in on one of the biggest: how to make the juiciest turkey without even dripping it.

When the turkey is in the oven and you’re running around preparing five other dishes, the last thing you want to do is stop basting your turkey every 30 minutes. But we all know that basting adds extra moisture and flavor to the turkey meat and skin—so skipping the step can result in a less-than-perfect bird.

That’s why chef Barry Greenberg, the culinary team leader at Hormel Foods (which owns Jennie-O), has always followed his Aunt Ruth’s method: cooking the turkey upside down. Ok, so maybe this isn’t a tip from the true Jennie-O experts — whose Thanksgiving turkey credentials include a partnership with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and an emergency turkey hotline – but we trust generations of home cooks as much as any expert.

Why you should roast your Thanksgiving turkey upside down

“My Aunt Ruthe used to roast her Thanksgiving turkey upside down and it turned out great,” Greenberg told Allrecipes. “You can definitely taste the difference.”

When Greenberg says to roast the turkey upside down, he actually means to turn the turkey over and roast the bird breast side down.

By cooking your turkey upside down, all of the juices that normally drip to the bottom of the pan—the ones you’d use to baste your turkey—seep naturally into the breast. So instead of wasting all those beautiful, flavorful juices that typically seep into the bottom of the turkey (where the dark meat and bones are), they’ll flavor your breast instead.

“The theory is that the turkey (fat) drips into the breasts and (makes it) basically a self-basting turkey,” Greenberg said.

Not only does the turkey get juicy because it bastes itself, but roasting it upside down also ensures that you don’t accidentally overcook it and dry it out. Because the breast is typically closer to the stove element on top, it’s easier to dry out the meat while waiting for the rest of the bird to cook. If the brisket is on the bottom, it’s not as close to those burners – and it’s sitting in all the drippings, which will keep it moist.

The only downside to cooking your bird upside down is that your breast meat won’t get that nice brown color or naturally crispy skin, but if you still want crispy skin and a golden brown finish, Chef John has a tip for you. Once you have cooked your turkey to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F, carefully turn the bird over and place it under the broiler for about five minutes. This will crisp the skin and lightly brown it for a more appealing turkey.

If you’re ready to try the method this Thanksgiving, you can definitely use your traditional turkey recipe and just flip it upside down before putting it in the oven. Or we recommend this Chef John recipe for an upside down turkey and filling prepared in just two hours. You can thank us later.

Get the recipe: Quick Turkey upside down