Please share your (easy) roast turkey recipe

[4forMe]

It looks like I may have to host Thanksgiving this year. I have not hosted in over 20 years. We will probably have about 12 people.

I am terrified of making the turkey! I am looking for your fool proof turkey recipes, suggestions, etc.

Do you buy fresh or frozen? Do you put the bird in one of those bags or baste frequently? Do you buy a turkey with one of those pop up timers? (my mom always does, my brother never does)

Has anyone ever cooked their turkey in an electric Nestco roaster? My SIL has one I can borrow if I neeed it.

I have no idea what size turkey to get as well. It will be cooked unstuffed as the stuffing will be cooked separately.

I am all set on side dishes, desserts, everything else-just need help with the turkey.

 

[mom2rtk]

If I can do it, anyone can. Wash and pat dry. Put it on a roasting pan. Check the temp when the pop up timer deploys. Voila.

If you're feeling creative, cook it upside down so all the juice flows into the breast instead of out of it.

 

[Hikergirl]

If I can do it, anyone can. Wash and pat dry. Put it on a roasting pan. Check the temp when the pop up timer deploys. Voila.

If you're feeling creative, cook it upside down so all the juice flows into the breast instead of out of it.

I once cooked a turkey upside down, but it was because I didn't know which side was the top


OP, I do what mom2tk said plus I melt butter and brush it all over the skin so it browns.
I sprinkle some salt, pepper and garlic powder on it.

 

[leebee]

I agree with mom2rtk. Put it in the oven at the recommended temp and wait for the pop-up timer to pop up. I always buy frozen, especially if I am doing dressing (baked outside the turkey) rather than stuffing (inside the bird) as I find fresh turkeys to be dry. If you are doing a dressing, you might want to cut up some onion, celery, and carrot and stick that inside the bird with some sage, garlic, parsley, and maybe a slug of white wine; this'll give the turkey some aromatics and help keep the bird moist as it roasts. If you are roasting breast-up, rub on some butter and sprinkle on some garlic powder, salt, and pepper. If you are roasting it breast-down, you might want to flip it so the breast is upright for the last hour, so that the skin browns and the turkey looks delicious!

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t-129-/cooking-temperature-and-time.asp

 

[mom2rtk]

I once cooked a turkey upside down, but it was because I didn't know which side was the top


OP, I do what mom2tk said plus I melt butter and brush it all over the skin so it browns.
I sprinkle some salt, pepper and garlic powder on it.

My FIL cooked it upside down once by accident and it was the best turkey we had ever had.

 

[amberpi]

Frozen, cooked as per @mom2rtk with olive oil, white wine, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and some lemon juice. Also, throwing in apples into the cavity; although the onions and carrots idea is good too! I treat it the exact way I roast a chicken. Super easy! You got this!

 

[leebee]

DON'T FORGET to take the bag of giblets out of the cavity before roasting the turkey!

 

[Mermaid02]

I buy fresh and brine it... Makes a delicious moist bird. I usually use Alton Browns brine recipe.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I make a paste of garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. I rub that under the birds skin and over the skin. All over the bird. Everywhere. I sprinkle Sazon on the bird to give it color. I put onions, lemons and a stick of butter into the bird. I cook it breast down and flip it about an hour before it’s done.

I learned this from my grandma. My gmom would pound the garlic by hand with a pilon. I use my ninja. She cringes at that. Lol

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I use Alton Brown's recipe. I don't brine it but use his roasting directions.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271

 

[powellrj]

I buy frozen because I am cheap. I also use a nesco roaster and cooking bags. It’s not a pretty bird, but it tastes really good. I always carve it in the kitchen, so it doesn’t matter if it’s not pretty.

 

[BrianL]

My Mom's trick (and my Grandmother's) is to put the turkey (slathered with butter, etc.) into a brown paper bag and staple the end shut. I don't know about the physics of it, but it works. The turkey always comes out moist with a nice skin.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I cook around 12 pd bird. I wrap it in tin foil and put butter on it and put it in the oven. About 3 hours it is done and then I just leave it unwrapped to brown the skin.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I make a paste of garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. I rub that under the birds skin and over the skin.

This is what I do. The key is to loosen the skin carefully by hand (without detaching the ends) and put butter underneath, between the skin and the breast meat, which keeps it moist. You can use whatever herbs and spices you like with the butter. A simple mix is salt, pepper and garlic powder. Another one is easy to remember like the song: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. I also fill the cavity with some "aromatics", usually some chopped up onion, celery and apples.

DON'T FORGET to take the bag of giblets out of the cavity before roasting the turkey!

Yes, and always check both ends. Often the neck is separate from the package with liver, heart and gizzard, and can be hard to remove if a frozen turkey is not defrosted enough.

I place the turkey on a rack inside the roasting pan and baste every half hour or so.

*Edited to add: After removing from the oven or roaster, be sure to let it sit for 20-30 minutes before carving.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I don't know how many people you are hosting but a rule of thumb is 1-1.5 lbs per person which includes leftovers. No matter how many people are coming to my home I always opt to cook a 9 lber instead of larger birds since I'm sure it'll fit in any of my ovens (I have a convection "nuker" as well as a range) and cooking pans. Sometimes I need to roast up to 3 small turkeys but since I can spread that out over a few days it's fine.

Sometimes I buy fresh, sometimes I buy frozen. Depends on cost and availability. I try to avoid birds with that useless red pop up thermometer in it and those that are pre brined like the classic Butterball and kosher birds. Been brining birds for a good 20+ years so prefer my own.
Since I almost always wet brine and air dry (air drying gives crispier skin) the birds I'm assured they will be moist.
The only time I don't brine the bird is when I'm making Julia and Jacques deconstructed turkey with stuffing. This is a bit of a project so I won't even detail the how tos here, LOL.

Here is a universal chart for meat brining. Very simple when you follow the directions.:

http://www.dipee.info/pdf/OnlineResearch/2.pdf

I generally add whatever kind of seasoning I want to the brine...simplest is citrus and thyme:

http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/lemon-thyme-turkey

Oh and if you don't have an adequate roasting pan a baking sheet that looks like this is fine:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/half-sheet-pan

I haven't used a turkey baster in decades since discovering that cheesecloth draped over the breast and soaked in the liquid of your choice (wine? Champagne? apple cider? melted butter mixed with chicky broth? You choose) did the job quite nicely with minimal oven opening or burnt wrists, LOL. Be sure to remove the cheesecloth in the final hour to brown the breast meat.

If you've an electric carving knife now is the time to pull it it. You can carve a bird up without it looking like mice have been gnawing at it beforehand. First I cut
half the breast off starting at the keel bone in one hunk. Then the other side of the breast. Slice the meat on the diagonal in easily to eat pieces....about 1/4" thick. Next tackle the thigh and drumstick. Push the leg up and to the side as if the turkey was doing leg lifts and cut straight through the joint. Now slice the meat off the bone in whatever manner makes you happy. Major bones and joints out the way you are free to cut the delectable meat under the bird.

I parade the whole bird around the table so all can see the beauty a la Norman Rockwell and then retire to the kitchen to slice it up returned on a platter easy to serve.
Finally (and sorry this is a bit out of order) I make sure my sensor thermometer has up to date batteries. Set the probe in the breast, choose a temperature (generally 150-155 F), 30-60 minutes of foil tenting and I'm done and so is the bird.

HTH, good eats and trust me you don't need to be the person who forgot to defrost the bird until the day, and grumbled when your Mom and elder sister hacked the thawing bird to death in an effort to get it into the oven faster....this would have been my first time hosting if only I admitted it was me......

 

[NYCgrrl]

This is what I do. The key is to loosen the skin carefully by hand (without detaching the ends) and put butter underneath, between the skin and the breast meat, which keeps it moist. You can use whatever herbs and spices you like with the butter. A simple mix is salt, pepper and garlic powder. Another one is easy to remember like the song: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. I also fill the cavity with some "aromatics", usually some chopped up onion, celery and apples.



Yes, and always check both ends. Often the neck is separate from the package with liver, heart and gizzard, and can be hard to remove if a frozen turkey is not defrosted enough.

I place the turkey on a rack inside the roasting pan and baste every half hour or so.

*Edited to add: After removing from the oven or roaster, be sure to let it sit for 20-30 minutes before carving.

One year I found I only had chopped parsley, shallots and butter to stuff under the skin. Bird looked like it was set for St. Patrick's Day until roasted.
Errrrrrrrr you should also limit self to 1/2 a stick of butter under the skin. More might cause a fire.....

 

[Mermaid02]

I like to use the Nesco roaster... leaves the oven free for pies, breads and that green bean casserole everyone except me loves....

 

[mjkacmom]

I just saw a segment on TV that pop timers guarantee a dry bird, because they pop up when it’s over cooked. Brining really makes the turkey moist.

 

[Kitty 34]

I put the bird in a bag. Never have had a problem with a nicely roasted turkey except for the time that two of my pot holders used to help put the turkey in got cooked with it. The turkey was fine; they were a mess. Not sure if they even added flavor to it. Probably not.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Praying Colonel]

We buy a pre-brined bird from Trader Joes and spatchcock it--cut the backbone out and lay it flat on a rack/baking sheet. Some seasonings and that's it.

Spatchcocking ensures it all cooks evenly, and it also cooks really fast. More here:

How to Cook a Spatchcocked Turkey: The Fastest, Easiest Thanksgiving Turkey