To Truss or Not to Truss

Many will claim that if you truss poultry before roasting or baking it, the bird will cook more evenly than if you did not. I am not sure about this.

What I do know is that a bird with its rear end hanging open is not as attractive on a platter at the table as one that has been cooked trussed. And I am certain that when cooked on a spit a bird must be trussed, otherwise it will hang on the spit unbalanced, cook unevenly, and ruin the rotisserie motor.

Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to remember how to truss correctly. It is easy only for people who do it all the time. Just get that string out and find a way, without crossing the breast meat (which makes unsightly lines on the cooked bird), to hold the wings in place and keep the legs together and cover the cavity opening.