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Our Guide To Christmas Meat Cooking Times

Blog • December 20th 2018

In this Christmas meat cooking guide, our Michelin star chef Jeff Baker, takes you through the ins and the outs of all you need to know about cooking your festive meat this year. Hosting Christmas Day does not need to be a stressful experience.

Traditional roast Christmas turkey weighing around the 6kg mark will take around 4 hours to roast. Adding a trivet of vegetables to the tray and covering with foil will help keep the turkey super succulent, removing the foil for the final 30 minutes or so creating a rich, golden skin. If you are unsure on what size turkey to buy to feed all your guests this Christmas, look to our guide. We have worked out the calculations for you to make your dinner go as smoothly as possible.

To work out the cooking times for a Christmas turkey, simply calculate the weight of your turkey then x by 40 minutes per kilo (20 minutes per lb.).This is the simplest and most accurate way to gain the time you need to roast the bird.

The best way to check if your meat is cooked is by using a digital cooking thermometer. See our helpful chart below!

It's extremely important that poultry is cooked through. If using a digital thermometer, always double check the reading by sticking the probe in several different spots within the thigh or breast, to find the lowest reading. If returning to the oven allow 15-20 minutes then test again until the correct temperature is achieved.

Without a thermometer, the classic way to test is to push a skewer under the leg of the bird so that it pierces the skin, the juices released should be pale and clear, if there's any traces of blood return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes then test again

To make sure you get the perfect succulent roast, leave the joint to rest on a platter so the juices get a chance to settle and run back into the meat. Cover with foil to stop all the heat escaping. Leave for 15 -20 minutes for small joints, 30 minutes to 1 hour for larger roasts.

If you haven't already thought ahead to what meat you may be presenting at your dinner table this festive period, discover our helpful tips to deciding what meat to have for Christmas dinner.

It is important to rest your meat joint before carving. Allow 30 mins to 1 hour for a traditional 6kg roasting turkey.

Keep the joint in a warm place, loosely covered with foil. During this time the roast will finish cooking, become juicier and easier to carve.

Rare Medium Rare Medium Well Done
Beef & Veal Out of the oven:48-50°C Out of the oven:52-54°C Out of the oven:58-60°C Out of the oven:65-68°C
After resting:52-54°C After resting:56-58°C After resting:60-62°C After resting:70-75°C
Venison Out of the oven:48-50°C Out of the oven:52-54°C Out of the oven:58-60°C Out of the oven:65-68°C
After resting:52-54°C After resting:56-58°C After resting:60-62°C After resting:70-75°C
Lamb Out of the oven:48-50°C Out of the oven:52-54°C Out of the oven:58-60°C Out of the oven:65-68°C
After resting:52-54°C After resting:56-58°C After resting:60-62°C After resting:70-75°C
Pork Not recommended Not recommended Out of the oven:58-60°C Out of the oven:65-68°C
Not recommended Not recommended After resting:60-62°C After resting:70-75°C
Poultry Not recommended Not recommended Not recommended Out of the oven:65-68°C
Not recommended Not recommended Not recommended After resting:70-75°C

Getting the nation to eat better meat this Christmas is an important value we stand behind and want to see encouraged more. From showcasing our traceability and meat provenance ethos to shouting about our British breeds. All of these elements go into providing you the best quality meat direct to your homes.