How do you cook your turkey?

[Bluetickmom]

I've cooked many a turkey, and they take all day. My MIL last year told me I should of been cooking in at 425 degrees which seems super high to me.

So, how and at what temp do you cook your turkey?

 

[Judy in Texas]

I use cooking bags and put the turkey breast side down so it cooks in the broth. It's not pretty (should be carved ahead of time and presented already cut) but it is VERY moist. Check them out at the grocery in the plastic wrap/foil area.

 

[dejr_8]

325oF and baste with beer/butter

 

[mlclements]

We put our turkey in the oven on a low temperature and cook it all night. We just put a stick of butter inside it and let it go. I don't get up to check on it. We may turn the temperature up and take the lid off to brown it up when we get up. It comes out perfectly and moist.

 

[MELSMICE]

I use cooking bags and put the turkey breast side down so it cooks in the broth. It's not pretty (should be carved ahead of time and presented already cut) but it is VERY moist. Check them out at the grocery in the plastic wrap/foil area.

Same here & I highly recommend it. People think I'm crazy when I tell them I cook the turkey upside down, but it's the moistest turkey they've ever eaten after they've tasted it. I think I saw a segment on a morning show one year about it & have done it ever since.

As far as the cooking bags.........my mom used them also so I didn't even know that people didn't cook turkeys in a bag! It's so much quicker!

 

[Kim&Chris]

My husband normally cooks our turkeys. He rubs mayonnaise all over it, then cooks it for a few hours at 400 degrees, then lowers the temp and lets it finish 'til the popper-thingy pops. The turkey is always very delicious.

 

[SpecialK]

325 - 15 to 20 minutes per pound, unstuffed. I've never left one in the oven all day or night.

 

[Crystal0608]

I always cook mine according to what the pkg says per lb, then I add about 30 minutes. I wash & dry the turkey and cut the extra fat off the butt and throw away the neck & insides. This year, I mixed butter, black pepper, rosemary, and dried herbs and rubbed in under & on top of the skin. I put in a roasting pan with a rack and covered in foil, basted it every hour and took off the foil the last 30 minutes to get a crispy skin. I usually use the reynolds bag, but this way tasted even better to me this year.

 

[tasha99]

Stuffed and in a Reynolds bag. It comes out really moist, but the trick is to use a meat thermometer. Even a little too long dries it out, and they cook faster in the bag, I think.

 

[okeydokey]

Brined overnight using Alton Brown's recipe, then at 500 for 30 minutes, lower to 350 until it's done. Best turkey ever.

 

[JCJRSmith]

Brined all night. Rinsed, dried and rubbed with a BBQ rub and into the smoker for about 5-6 hours at 200. Into a 350 oven for about 30 minutes to crisp the skin.

Moist, tender and delicious every time.

 

[JodyLynC]

Brined overnight using Alton Brown's recipe, then at 500 for 30 minutes, lower to 350 until it's done. Best turkey ever.

This is how I do mine as well.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

usually deep fry it, takes about an hour for a 20 pound turkey.

if that is not an option,

one year we used an electric roaster and that was pretty quick too!

but If I remember it was like 375 or so for about three hours. maybe a bit more.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

The night before, I tell DH not to wake me up when he gets up early to cook the turkey. I'm not sure what happens after that.

 

[Kimberle]

In a cooking bag w/ a little flour. Nothing else. Breast up. I use a good meet themomoter (the kind with the the wire going out of the oven so I have a constant reading of the temp.) When it hits 180, the bird comes out to rest. (Make sure the themomoter is positioned correctly.)

The top is brown, the meat is juicy.

YUM!

 

[chobie]

brine it overnight. I use a dry brine from William Sonoma http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fd603/?pkey=cspices-seasonings

The rub some melted butter all over the skin and pepper it good. Put it breast side down in 400 oven, for 45 minutes, then rotate it on its side (use oven mitts) another 30 minutes, rotate to other side for 30 minutes, then put it breast side up for another 30 - to 45 minutes or until thermometer in thigh registers 170.

Gets the skin crisp and brown all over and the breast is not dried out.

 

[dnoyes]

Brine it for several hours (apple juice or pineapple juice) and cook it on a Turkey Cannon. With the cannon you can cook a 17 pound bird in 90 minutes and they are moist as can be. Best $30 bucks ever spent.

 

[Bluetickmom]

Well, so much for a concensus.

So, it appears that no matter what I do or what temp I set it at, as long as the thingy pops and the meat reads the correct inner temp it's all good!

Maybe I should write all the temps down and just meet in the middle.

I'm not using a cooking bag as I feel it changes the texture of the turkey. (could be some weird OCD thing I have, but let's just say no bag)

I'm not brining.

I am stuffing.

I usually slather with butter and add some poultry seasoning.

It's 23 pounds and I need it out of the oven about 4-4:30.

I swear, anything you want to know about anything can be found on the DIS!

 

[LindaM]

Bought an electric roaster a couple of years ago, I love it. I put some spices and butter, stuff my turkey and leave it on for the day at about 325.

 

[cheermom1]

I use a roasting bag too - I heard about this a long time ago and I tried it one year and OMG I was in love

It cooked so much faster and it was moist and the skin was crispy...

I do stuff and I use lots of butter and salt and pepper...