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The Secret to Juicy Roast Turkey

Sarah Breckenridge, producer

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Usually when you roast a turkey, by the time the dark meat is done, the breast meat can be overcooked and tough. But in this video, you can learn the trick for keeping that breast meat juicy and tender even while the legs and thighs cook fully. You could say it's all about flipping the bird.

Start cooking your turkey upside-down--that is, breast-side down--in a v-shaped rack in your roasting pan. As the turkey cooks, the juices accumulate in the breast meat, essentially basting it from within.

After about an hour of roasting, flip the turkey over onto its back. It's easiest to do this if you protect your hands with two wads of paper towels. Put the turkey back in the oven, and let it continue roasting as directed by your recipe. Any indentations made in the breast meat from the rack will smooth out and disappear during the remaining roasting time.

Get our simple recipe for Juicy Roast Turkey using this trick, or browse our Thanksgiving Guide for hundreds more recipes and tips.

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