roast turkey plus corn syrup

[cteavin]

I'm having a lunch and need to transport one large turkey and six game hens. (sigh)

I need to have everything at the venue by 8:00a.m. and I'm right now debating on when I should put the birds in the oven. Part of me says cook it tomorrow to be finished around midnight. That would give it eight hours to rest. The other part of me is thinking I should start cooking at 2 or 3 a.m. What do you think is the best option? There will be an oven I can reheat the birds.

About roasting the turkey, I like to slather it in butter, put long strips of bacon all over it and seal it in foil till the cooking is just about done; then I open it and baste it every few minutes with olive oil until it's golden. The meat stays moist with this method but the color is never perfect. It's often darker at the breast and the inner thighs are pale. I was thinking of basting with olive oil and corn syrup or butter and corn syrup to give it that beautiful brown color. Has anyone ever tried this?

Cheers,