Christmas Dinner (preparing in advance)

I could do with some advice as fear I have taken on too much. I have a single oven - grill at the top style. Hubby gets a turkey from his work, good quality bird around 8-9 kilos so approx 6 - 6.5 hours to cook on xmas day. My mum has also bought a double rib of beef, so 3 - 3.5 hours to cook on xmas day. I have 13 or 15 to feed so need large joints.

My first thought was to cook turkey, then cook beef, have both out then leave an hour to do roasties etc. Hubby will not contemplate frozen roasties BTW! Is there anything I can do to keep the turkey hot for c.4hours whilst everything else cooks.

I'm sure last years turkey took up most of the oven so I'm not sure I can fit both joints in whole together - but I will check tonight to see if its feasable.

The only other alternative I can think of is to reduce the size of the bird somehow. Is it possible to joint it before cooking it? My family like dark meat as well as white, so I would have to cook 1 leg and at least 1 breast - can you cook half a bird?

I have to work xmas eve, so cooking then and carving/ reheating is not an option - it has to be all in one go. Any advice or ideas I would be very grateful for. Oh how I would love a range cooker but there just isn't room

It's very possible to joint a turkey - check youtube for examples. You'll need a very sharp knife!

If it was me, I'd cook the turkey overnight if it's going to take that long to cook, and then rest for an hour before carving, and covering. Meantime you can cook the beef/roasties. Once you're almost ready to serve I'd sprinkle the carved turkey with a little water, and then put in the oven again to reheat (or zap, depending on your preference).

Do you really need to do the beef joint on Christmas day? Couldn't you do that on Boxing Day? Just a thought.

HTH

Onestep

I'll not be of much help as I'm catering for two which includes me

I know you said that you are working on xmas eve, but could someone else supervise the cooking of the turkey on that day? then carve up and reheat as you said.

I saw my late mother cut a turkey in half many years ago when there was only 4 people for dinner.....right through breast and back bones, which meant that you have one side of breast and one leg etc.

IMO a large turkey of 8-9kg will more than feed your table for Christmas day, so you should have plenty of meat if you just do the turkey. If you want both, the suggestion of cooking the beef first is a good one I think.

Have just consulted my bible according to St Nigella and her recommendation for a 9kg turkey is to cook it unstuffed at 200c for 3 and a half hours...turkey must be at room temperature when it goes into oven. She advises that it be given 20-40 mins resting, tented in foil, before carving. If bird is stuffed add the weight of stuffing to weight of bird to calculate cooking time.

HTH

Marie

Could you cook the turkey on Christmas Eve - maybe steal a couple of slices for supper?
Then Christmas Day, cook the beef in the morning, leaving plenty of time to do the roasters and stuffing