Turkey experts share Thanksgiving cooking tips for family meals

Of course, there are many ways to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey—but which one is best?

Purists insist that roasting is the only way, while other cooks and chefs point to deep-frying, smoking or grilling as perfectly viable options for preparing a bird for its trip to the holiday table.

Some turkey experts shared with Fox News Digital how they’ll be cooking their birds this Thanksgiving—and offer tips for making the best meal possible.

DEALERS ANNOUNCE ‘INFLATION-FREE’ THANKSGIVING DINNER OFFERS

A premium turkey should be roasted, insisted Heidi Diestel, a fourth-generation turkey farmer who lives in Sonora, Calif., on the Diestel Family Ranch.

“Roasting the turkey is super easy and simple, and it just brings out the beautiful natural qualities and flavor of the turkey itself,” she told Fox News Digital. “That would be our choice.”

Smoking a turkey is also an option, she said – but with an important caveat.

“If you are going to smoke your turkey, it would be best to choose a brined bird and/or brine the bird yourself before smoking,” she said.

CHOOSE TO PREPARE YOUR THANKSGIVING KALKIET IN A CERTAIN WAY, SAYS THE CHEF

Brining, whether by injection or the “bucket method” of soaking, adds moisture to the turkey and prevents it from potentially drying out, she said.

“Smoking typically has a drier environment in your smoker,” she said. So it’s probably a good idea to use a “salted bird for that purpose.”

Chef Todd English told Fox News Digital that his favorite way to cook a turkey is to smoke it.

English is a multiple James Beard Award winner and owns many restaurants throughout the United States, including at the Bentley Residences Miami in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. (See the video at the top of this article.)

While the specific brine he uses varies, he sometimes adds “a little sweetness” in addition to the salt, as it helps caramelize the turkey’s skin and adds flavor.

STATES WHERE TAKKE CALKINS COST THE MOST AND LOWEST ARE DEFINED IN NEW SURVEY

When smoking a turkey, English first brings the raw bird to room temperature and preheats his smoker to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

“A meat thermometer is important.”

The turkey is then smoked for about three to four hours, he said, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

“A meat thermometer is something that’s important. It really helps you control it,” he said.

One of the biggest mistakes English sees? He said people assume that because a turkey is “such a big bird, a lot of people think they have to roast it for seven or eight hours.”

“And that just defeats the purpose and makes it very dry and tough and not good,” he said.

One method English isn’t too fond of is deep-frying, he told Fox News Digital.

When a turkey is deep-fried, it can be difficult to gauge whether the bird is cooked through.

This chef advises against cooking a turkey that weighs more than 18 pounds.

“I think sometimes it dries it out even more,” he said — though he noted that “the legs actually come out better” after roasting.

If someone is set on deep-frying a turkey, English suggested removing the legs and breast and cooking them separately.

GRATEFUL TURKEY COOKED FOR 21 HOURS ‘LITERALLY FALLING DOWN,’ KARDASHIAN FAMILY CHEF SAYS

“The dark meat is very different from the white meat. And the white meat has to be handled much more gently,” he said.

English also advised against cooking a turkey that weighs more than 18 pounds.

“I go for a 15-, 18-pound bird. I think the bigger ones are just more flavorless and you have to cook them so long that they get drier,” he said.

Regardless of how a turkey is cooked, Diestel advised checking the temperature of the bird beforehand.

“You want the turkey to be super tender and oven-ready as possible,” she said.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

She said it’s important to take the temperature of the turkey while it’s cooking.

“When it’s about the halfway mark in the roasting or smoking process, check the thickest part of the breast and the thickest part of the thigh,” she said.

But many people don’t realize that turkeys “cook faster in the second half of the cooking time than they did in the first half of the cooking time,” Diestel said.

“Checking the temperature while it’s in the oven is paramount,” she said.

There are post-cooking steps that can also ensure the best possible turkey, Diestel also said.

For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

Let the turkey rest on the counter for at least 20 to 30 minutes after cooking, she advised.

Doing so will “lock in the juices” of a turkey and keep it moist for eating.

Another pro tip is to warm up the plates while the turkey is resting on the counter.

“Pop your plates that you’re going to use — as long as they’re ceramic — in the oven,” she said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This way, while everyone is waiting for others to sit down at the table, “you have nice hot food and it doesn’t get cold so quickly.”