Roasted Turkey Recipe
Thanksgiving is a favorite time of the year in the South because it's when the dinner table takes on a life of it's own. All the special and "once a year" dishes come out and shine. And the cornerstone of it all is Turkey.
There are many ways to cook a turkey, but we suggest the traditional method of roasting. We believe it is the most "fail-safe" cooking method. Cooking a turkey is not difficult if you follow just a few simple procedures. In fact, cooking instruction are written on the package of all store-bought turkeys. And, you will have a beautiful turkey by simply following those instruction. But here's how we do it.
What You Will Need
* A roasting pan large enough for the turkey you purchase
* A basting brush
* An instant read thermometer or a turkey with a "pop-up" thermometer inserted in the bird.
* Aluminum foil
A few Safety Tips
Many people buy a frozen turkey which will need to be defrosted before cooking. Frozen or not, always transport the turkey directly from the store to your refrigerator or freezer. A turkey should
always be stored at a temperature of 40 degrees F. or lower.
A turkey may be defrosted three ways: in the refrigerator (recommended), in cold water or the microwave. We do not recommend the microwave simply because there are too many rules to follow to do it safely.
In the Refrigerator:
It takes awhile, so plan ahead. Here is a schedule for a refrigerator at 40 degrees F.
* 8 to 12 pounds..........1 to 2 days
* 12 to 16 pounds.........2 to 3 days
* 16 to 20 pounds.........3 to 4 days
* 20 to 24 pounds.........4 to 5 days
In Water:
Keep turkey in it's original leak proof wrapper. Submerge the turkey in cold water (do NOT use hot water). Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. The turkey should be cooked
immediately after defrosting.
Cold Water Thawing Times
* 8 to 12 pounds........4 to 6 hours
* 12 to 16 pounds.......6 to 8 hours
* 16 to 20 pounds.......8 to 10 hours
* 20 to 24 pounds.......10 to 12 hours
Cooking Procedure:
If possible, buy a turkey that has a "pop-up" thermometer inserted. It makes things much easier. We do not recommend placing stuffing in the turkey. Cook it in a separate pan or on the side of the
turkey. It is much easier to control the cooking of the dressing if it is not inside the bird. This is a matter of choice so if you like it in the turkey, go right ahead.
1. Remove turkey parts from the neck and tail cavities.
2. Wash the turkey and pat dry.
3. Rub melted butter or cooking oil over entire turkey.
4. Lightly salt the turkey inside and out.
5. Place in a lightly oiled roasting pan, breast side up.
6. Lightly oil a piece of aluminum foil and make a tent over the top of the turkey breast.
7. Cook at 350 degrees F. until the "pop-up" thermometer (if provided) pops up or an instant read thermometer inserted deep in the thigh registers 180 degrees F. (do not allow thermometer to touch
bone).
8. Remove the aluminum tent the last half hour of cooking to brown top of turkey.
9. Important: after removing from oven, allow turkey to sit for 20 minutes before carving to seal in juices.
Use the following as a guide only, you should always use a thermometer to verify the turkey is done.
weight 10-18 lb. 3 - 3 1/2 hr unstuffed 3 3/4 - 4 1/2 hr stuffed
weight 18-22 lb. 3 1/2 - 4 hr unstuffed 4 1/2 - 5 hr stuffed
weight 22-24 lb. 4 - 4 1/2 hr unstuffed 5 - 5 1/2 hr stuffed
weight 24-29 lb. 4 1/2 - 5 hr unstuffed 5 1/2 - 6 1/4 hr stuffed
See our Turkey Dressing (stuffing) recipe HERE
See our Turkey Gravy recipe HERE
In Summary
Over the years we have cooked many turkeys at our house. We had several failures and a couple of disasters. Also, many perfect turkeys. Our conclusion is that our failures were caused by trying to do too much with the turkey. Instead of focusing on cooking a perfect turkey, we got side tracked by deep fried turkey, spiced turkey, BBQ turkey and several other misadventures. We found the most fail safe method for us was to use a simple recipe that concentrates on producing a properly cooked and tasty turkey. We hope the procedures here will help you cook that "perfect" turkey.
