The Extra Step Gordon Ramsay Takes For Ultra-Flavorful Turkey (And Gravy!)

Roasting a beautifully-flavored turkey that doesn't dry out is one of those life skills that will pay off year after year. After all, no one wants to bite into what should be a juicy piece of turkey breast and instead get a disappointingly dry, flavorless mouthful. Chef Gordon Ramsay has the secret to ensuring that never happens at your table, and it involves an ingredient that can't help but make everything it touches more delicious: bacon.

Ramsay's lemon-overloaded turkey recipe takes multiple steps to ensure the lean meat doesn't turn dry during the cooking process. The first is to create a lemon and parsley butter, coupled with a dash of olive oil to keep the butter from melting, which he inserts under the skin to soak into the breast as it melts. He then stuffs the cavity of the turkey with halved onions, lemon, and bay leaves. After 10 minutes in the oven at 430 degrees Fahrenheit, here comes the real trick — covering the breasts with raw strips of bacon. 

The bacon will not only insulate the meat and keep it from drying out, but as the fat renders, it will infuse the turkey drippings with an extra salty and smoky flavor, which in turn leads to a more decadent gravy. Ramsay coats the bacon in a few spoonfuls of the already-present drippings, then finishes cooking the bird at a lower 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

You should always let your roast turkey sit for a while before carving it. Resting the meat is a key part of maximizing the flavors of your bird, and will allow you to focus on the critical last step: nailing the gravy. Gordon Ramsay uses the bacon-y drippings from the pan, the now-crisp bacon from the outside of the turkey, and the onions and lemon from inside the cavity. 

The bacon, onion, and lemon get chopped up and sauteed as a starting point for the gravy, which will add a complexity of flavor not found in other recipes. Ramsay adds in scraps from the turkey, dry apple cider, and chicken stock to round out the flavors. All that being said, you can use the bacon-roasting trick for any turkey recipe, and the resulting gravy will also be delicious.

While the taste of your finishing sauce is paramount, the texture is crucial as well. If you find that your gravy is too thin for your preferences, a flour or cornstarch slurry can always help, but there's also a way to thicken your gravy without a slurry: try roasting and then pureeing root vegetables like potatoes or carrots. These naturally starchy veggies will thicken the gravy as they simmer, while infusing an extra dash of flavor into the dish. And remember, you don't need to make gallons of the stuff. If you struggle to determine how much gravy to serve with your turkey, three to four ounces per person is a good starting point.