How to prepare your Thanksgiving Turkey

A fine dining defined – presenting to you a work of art. Well, Thanksgiving is that time of the year when family’s come together to celebrate the harvest and the blessings of the past year. Traditionally, Turkey is the most favorite meal prepared on this eventful day. Thanksgiving turkey is the trademark of this eventful day and one can’t surely miss to prepare this mouth-watering meal.

Kitchens and restaurants are always busy to give class because we all want this day to go down as one of a kind. This Thanksgiving turkey recipe comes in handy to give you an upper-hand when it comes to how best to upscale your cooking game come this day!

I can’t overemphasize how this meal is gods favorite. You won’t be able to resist every process of it’s preparation. This method is completely fuss-free and EASY. There’s no brining or basting the turkey, no cooking it upside down, or anything weird.

You don’t even need an expensive roasting pan. I’m convinced that this recipe is not only the simplest way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, it also yields a gorgeous, super juicy, perfectly cooked turkey.

The real KEY to baking a perfect Thanksgiving Turkey is not to overcook it–that’s what dries out the meat, and you want to carve into a juicy, moist turkey on Thanksgiving!  So, just plan ahead to get the timing right. You can also have a look at this other favorite Thanksgiving recipe that your family will love.

The do’s, and the don’ts– for How to prepare your Thanksgiving Turkey:

What size to buy for Thanksgiving Turkey:

The general rule of thumb is 1 pound of turkey per person. Or 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person if you want leftovers (and we always want leftovers, right?). It’s always best to have a little extra turkey than not enough, so I recommend:

• For 8 people: get a 10-12 pound turkey
• For 12 people: get a 14-18 pound turkey
• for 16 people: get an 18-24 pound turkey

If you have less than 8 people, I still recommend buying a 10-12 pound turkey. Anything smaller and your paying more for bones rather than meat. Remember, you can freeze turkey leftovers.

If you have more than 16 people, it’s best to buy two turkeys rather than one monster sized turkey.

How to thaw your Thanksgiving turkey:

Make sure and allow plenty of time for your turkey to thaw! A good rule of thumb is to allow one day in the fridge for ever 5 pounds of turkey. I always give myself one extra day, just to be safe. Set the turkey on a cookie sheet or pan, to catch any liquid the turkey may drip as it defrosts in the fridge.

Don’t wash the (thanksgiving) turkey.

If you wash your turkey in your sink you will just contaminate your sink. Remove the turkey from it’s packaging, dry it off with some paper towels, and then prepare it for the oven. Any bacteria on the turkey will be killed in the hot oven while it bakes.

Don’t brine the turkey.

If you buy a high-quality turkey from the store (like Butterball or Norbest), then brining the turkey is an unnecessary step. You can do it if you want, but you can still achieve a deliciously moist turkey without brining it. However, if the turkey is wild, you should brine it the night before to make sure it will be moist and flavorful.

Don’t baste the turkey.

Basting is really unnecessary to produce a beautiful golden brown turkey. It also requires you to constantly open the oven, which causes the oven to loose heat and the turkey to take longer to cook–which could lead to a dry turkey. By smearing an herb butter mixture over the outer and inner skin of the turkey you will ensure the skin will brown beautifully, and taste amazing. 

Don’t cook stuffing inside the turkey.

If you try to put stuffing/dressing inside the cavity of the bird, the turkey will be overcooked by the time the stuffing reaches a temperature that’s safe to eat. Instead, cook your stuffing in a casserole dish.  Then you can fill the cavity of the turkey with things that will give it flavor (and add flavor to the drippings/stock): salt and pepper and any mixture of onion, apple, carrots, celery, or citrus. 

Do test the turkey with a thermometer.

The only way to really tell if the turkey is cooked (165 degrees F), is by using a thermometer. Test the turkey right from the oven—if it reaches 160 degrees F, I take it out and tent it with foil. It will continue to cook inside the foil tent to make up that extra 5 degrees.

Do let the turkey rest.

After removing the turkey from the oven, let it rest for at least 15 minutes, or up to 40 minutes (that gives you some extra time if you need to bake or warm anything else in the oven). If you’re using the drippings for gravy, remove the turkey from its pan, to a cutting board and tent it with foil while it rests there. If you’re not using the drippings, then just leave the turkey in the pan and tent with foil.

You don’t need an expensive roasting pan.

If you have a big metal roasting pan, great! If you don’t, no worries. Just use a casserole dish big enough to fit the bird, or buy a $1 disposable foil roasting pan from Walmart or any outlet (then you can throw it away after). Place a bunch of chopped veggies on the bottom of your pan. The veggies will act like the wire rack in a regular roasting pan by elevating the turkey slightly. Place the turkey right on top of the chopped veggies.

Do save the turkey drippings.

After the turkey is finished cooking there will be juice and browned cooked bits at the bottom of your roasting pan. You can reserve all of it for making turkey gravy. You can also use the leftover neck and giblets you pull from the turkey when you remove it from the packaging, to make giblet gravy.  The most flavorful gravy! Your grandma would be proud.

Print Recipe

After trying this, you'll learn what you have been missing all this while. A Thanksgiving Turkey recipe that packs all of the flavor and juiciness you expect from the perfect roasted turkey!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 30 mins

Total Time3 hrs 50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Best Thanksgiving Turkey, Thanksgiving recipes, Turkey recipes

Servings: 15 people

Calories: 576kcal

Author: daisol plate

Equipment

• Roasting tray
• Thermometer
• Knife

Ingredients

• 1 12-20 pound turkey
• 1 onion , peeled and quartered
• 1 lemon , quartered
• 1  apple (your favorite kind), quartered
• .75 ounce container fresh rosemary 
• .75 ounce container fresh thyme 
• .75 ounce container fresh sage 

For the Herb Butter:

• 1 cup unsalted butter ,softened
• 1 tbsp. salt
• ½ tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh chopped herbs

Instructions

• If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. (1 extra day is not a bad idea, just to be safe).
• Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
• Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
  
• Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
  
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
  
• Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
  
• Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
  
• Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted–just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
• Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees. 
  
•  (I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F)
• NOTE: Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
• Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving then you can serve.
  
• Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

Notes

Herbs: to substitute dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon dried herbs per 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs.

 

Tips for covering with tinfoil:  Start with the bird uncovered.  Once the skin gets golden brown, tent the bird with a large piece of tinfoil.  If you have a roasting pan, you can use the lid to the roasting pan instead.

 

For Disposable Roasting Pan: Place fresh chopped vegetables on the bottom of the pan to act as a rack to elevate the turkey.  Use 4-5 ribs of celery and 4 large carrots, roughly chopped. The veggies will add great flavor for your dripping to use for gravy however I don’t recommend eating them or using them in gravy.

 

For An Electric Roasting Oven: directions stay the same!

 

Convection Oven: You can use the same method to cook the turkey in a convection oven, just check the temperature sooner (start checking after 2 hours) as it will cook faster.

COMMON TROUBLESHOOTING QUESTIONS

Why isn’t the butter sticking to the turkey?

Your bird may be condensating or your butter may be too cold and firm. Make sure your turkey has come to room temperature for an hour and pat it with paper towels to remove moisture. You can also soften the butter for 5 to 10 seconds in the microwave, then it should spread easily.

What happens if my turkey is cooking faster than expected, and it’s already 165°F?

If you’ve checked the temperature in the thickest part of the breast and thigh and it’s at 165F then it’s cooked through. If it’s not golden enough, you can always turn on your top broiler for just a couple of minutes.

What happens if my turkey skin is burning, but it’s not yet done inside?

Lower the temperature of your oven and cover it with aluminum foil. Also, I recommend buying an oven thermometer to double check if your oven is cooking too hot.

What if the very top of the breast skin is turning golden faster than the rest?

Make sure your turkey isn’t positioned too high in your oven. If you can, lower your rack. Then, cover just that part with aluminum foil.

What if there’s a little pink inside, especially around the joints?

It’s normal for there to be some pink on cooked turkey, especially if you have a young bird. As the USDA says, you need to go by temperature, not color. As long as your turkey is cooked to 165°F it’s safe to eat.

I would really love to here from you. I know your kitchen capabilities are on another level as Thanksgiving approaches and I had to try my best to offer you greatness. Try this and let me know how it all went down!