Cooking a deliciously juicy turkey is highly dependent on resting it perfectly. Resting is just as crucial as cooking when it comes to ensuring a juicy turkey.

To find out the scientific secrets behind cooking the perfect turkey, we carried out the ultimate temperature experiment. Here we’ve summarised our findings on the resting front, but you can read the experiment blog to learn more about the full process.

Read on to find out how long to rest a turkey for the best results.

When to Remove a Turkey from the Oven

First up, before we get into the resting, let’s make sure to remove the turkey from the oven at the optimal time. Turkey is safe to eat once it reaches 74 °C, but it still continues rising in temperature once it comes out of the oven. If your turkey goes much higher than 74 °C, its juices will start to dry out.

Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches 67 °C before removing it from the oven. Our experiment showed removing your turkey at this temperature will allow it to reach 74 °C during the rest.

How Long to Rest a Turkey

The longer you rest your turkey, the juicier the meat will be. Rest your turkey for a minimum of 45 minutes, but ideally for around 1 hour 30 minutes.

Resting time depends on the turkey's size and your room temperature, so using a meat thermometer is more reliable than relying on time alone.

The best way to check your turkey has finished resting is to check the temperature. It should have finished rising and started to drop down to around 60-65 °C. At this point, it will be easier to carve, nice and juicy, and still warm.

You can intermittently check the temperature using an instant-read thermometer like a Thermapen, or you can use a leave-in meat probe like the DOT to keep track the whole time.

Should You Cover a Turkey While It Rests?

Lightly tenting your turkey with foil as it rests will help keep it warm and allow the juices to redistribute, ensuring it stays moist. However, it can trap steam and make the skin soggy.

For extra crispy skin, you can skip covering it altogether. If you do decide to tent it with foil, avoid wrapping tightly to minimise the sogginess of the skin.

Where to Rest a Turkey

Place your bird on a cooling rack over a drip tray to rest. Leaving it inside your hot cooking tray could cause the internal temperature to climb too much and make it overdone. The drip tray will collect the juices so you can use them for the gravy.

Summary

• Remove your turkey from the oven at 67 °C — it will rise to a safe 74 °C as it rests
• Rest your turkey for 45-90 minutes
• Monitor the temperature as it rests and carve at around 60-65 °C
• Tent with foil for juicier results, or leave uncovered for crispy skin
• Rest over a drip tray to collect the juices for your gravy