The Best Roasted Turkey

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The Best Roasted Turkey – Roasted turkey is something most people only make once a year. We rely on our mothers, grandmothers and friends to help us. My mother and I have been roasting a beautiful turkey together for as long as I can remember. We've been roasting the Thanksgiving turkey the same way for many years and it is consistently juicy and delicious.

The only variables are whether to brine the turkey or not and the cooking time will vary based on the size of the turkey. You will want to plan for about 20 minutes per pound of turkey based on a 350 degree F oven. However the high and fast method described in this recipe will shorten this time a bit, so it is essential that you monitor the temperature of the bird during the cooking process. Brining the turkey is personal preference. If you like it, do it. If not, don't. Brining is a process of soaking the turkey in a seasoned salt solution to impart flavor and moisture to the turkey. It is done at least one day in advance of roasting the turkey. Personally, I do not think it is necessary to brine the turkey, but please do whatever you prefer.

Part of the success of the roasted turkey is the bird itself. I always choose the highest quality turkey I can find. Fresh, local, free range and or organic if possible. The process described in this recipe is good for any kind of whole turkey that is fresh or completely defrosted. The only special supplies you will need are a large heavy duty roasting pan with a rack, a probe thermometer and some kitchen twine.

I know it can seem a bit daunting to cook an entire Thanksgiving turkey, but really this process makes it much faster and easier with consistently great results. The recipe is based on a 15-16 pound turkey. If yours is smaller of larger just follow the 20 minutes per pound guidelines and you should be on track. Make sure you use a thermometer to check the temperature while it is cooking to insure a cooked but not overdone turkey. Please see the notes section of the recipe for a link to turkey tips from The Culinary Institute of America. Happy Thanksgiving! – Turkey, organic and pasture raised (fresh or fully defrosted), onion (roughly chopped into large sections), carrots (peeled and chopped ), celery stalks (chopped), sea salt or himalayan pink salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh thyme or rosemary, butter (softened, optional ), dry white wine (for basting the turkey), , Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. (Putting your turkey into a very hot oven helps crisp the skin, seal in juices and insure a tasty bird.) Just remember to turn the oven down to 350 degrees F as soon as the turkey is in the oven. Set the oven rack to the very center of the oven or the bottom 1/3 of the oven if you bird is very large. ; Clean the turkey by removing any organs, ice or metal pins that may be attached to or inside the turkey. If you like carefully rinse the turkey, but be very careful not to splash water all over your sink, counter or floor. If water does splash around, please make sure you clean the kitchen area where the raw turkey was as soon as the bird is in the oven to avoid any potential contamination. ; Set a rack inside a very sturdy, deep roasting pan. Spray the rack with cooking spray to help prevent the turkey from sticking to the rack.

; To truss the turkey: Pat the turkey completely dry with paper towel and sprinkle well the inside cavity of the turkey and the top of the skin of the turkey with salt and pepper. Take the fresh herbs and carefully place them inside the cavity of the turkey. (Contrary to many turkey cooking methods that tell you to slather the skin of the turkey with oil or butter, this method of patting the skin dry, seasoning with salt and pepper and using a hot initial oven temp actually roasts the bird and crisps the skin better. If the bird is wet or slathered and full of wet veggies or stuffed, the bird steams instead of roasts which actually toughens the meat while it cooks.) More fresh herbs can be placed just under the skin of the turkey along with the butter. If you choose, carefully slide the butter in between the flesh of the breast of the turkey and the skin of the turkey place some fresh herbs under the skin as well. (this step is optional).
Cut a length of kitchen twin and take the ends of the drumsticks of the turkey and cross them over one another and tie them together. Then take each wing of the turkey and carefully fold the wing backward and under the bird to insure slower cooking and a bit of insulation for the delicate wing meat. The elbow of the wing will be pointing almost toward the leg of the turkey or straight up depending on the length, instead of just hanging down. Carefully transfer the seasoned and trussed turkey to the rack of the roasting pan. ; Place the roasting pan with the turkey into the oven and IMMEDIATELY turn the heat of the oven down to 350 degrees F. Calculate approximately 20 minutes cooking time per pound of turkey, the high initial temperature of the oven will shorten this time a bit so please watch your thermometer carefully. Rotate the roasting pan with the turkey in the oven 180 degrees after the bird is half way through its cooking time. Also at this time, distribute the carrots, onion and celery in the bottom of the roasting pan under the bird carefully. Baste the turkey by pouring a cup of dry white wine over the top of the turkey. Continue cooking until a probe thermometer inserted into the breast of the turkey reads 170 degrees F and the thigh meat registers 165 degrees F. (A 15-16 pound turkey should take approximately 3 hours cooking with the high initial oven temperature. Cook the turkey with the probe thermometer inserted into the breast so that you can watch the temperature. Therefore, you would rotate and baste the turkey in the oven after 1.5 hours of cooking for the 15 pound turkey. The veggies and wine will help to make a lovely gravy while the turkey is resting.; Once the turkey is done and has reached 170 degrees F in the breast and 165 degrees F in the thigh, then carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven. Then carefully transfer the turkey onto a large cutting board to rest. Loosely cover the turkey with foil in order to help it stay warm. Rest the turkey for approximately 30 min. prior to carving. This step is essential to insuring a juicy bird. Do not skip the resting of the turkey. ; While the turkey is resting, finish the other side dishes or reheat any that were made ahead. Also, make the gravy.
See my recipe for homemade gravy. Save all the pan drippings and veggies to use in this process. ; After the turkey is rested, you are ready to carve and serve the turkey. ; ; – For more tips on making your Thanksgiving turkey the best <a href="https://enthusiasts.ciachef.edu/turkey-tips?">click here</a> – Dinner – Main Dish – American – Gluten Free – Healthy Comfort Food – Lectin Free – Low Carb – Paleo – Celebration Food