jakeseacrest
Well-known member
Does anyone here have a foolproof recipe for a juicy turkey? This year I'm doing the bird at my house and in my 40 years I've never cooked a whole turkey just individual parts. My bird is 12 pounds
Cooking a Turkey
- Thread starter jakeseacrest
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I've never gone wrong roasting in an open pan but at around 325 degrees. I baste often and I start checking the bird for doneness after it has been cooking for 3 hours. I do count on extra roasting time if the turkey is stuffed, though.
One of my really old cookbooks suggested roasting a 10-12 pound turkey in 'fast oven' for 7 to 9 hours... EESH! They must have wanted to take it on a long sea voyage after that!!
One of my really old cookbooks suggested roasting a 10-12 pound turkey in 'fast oven' for 7 to 9 hours... EESH! They must have wanted to take it on a long sea voyage after that!!
Brine only turkeys that haven't already been injected with a saline solution; you'll probably find most have been. If it says "flavor-injected," "self-basting" or "injected with up to 8% saline solution" the brining has been done for you. Brining an injected bird makes for an extremely salty dining experience.
🍽[this post was last edited: 11/18/2015-18:28]
🍽[this post was last edited: 11/18/2015-18:28]I like to roast it upside down in a cooking bag, bastes itself and not a lot of mess to clean up.
Ditto
on the cooking bag. Always comes out moist and tender, doesn't splatter all over the oven and roasts faster too. We don't eat the skin anyway, so the fact that the skin isn't crisp is no problem. The pan is a whole lot easier to clean too. Since the drippings don't get as brown I use a little Kitchen Bouquet in the gravy to boost the flavor and give a richer color.[this post was last edited: 11/18/2015-20:39]
on the cooking bag. Always comes out moist and tender, doesn't splatter all over the oven and roasts faster too. We don't eat the skin anyway, so the fact that the skin isn't crisp is no problem. The pan is a whole lot easier to clean too. Since the drippings don't get as brown I use a little Kitchen Bouquet in the gravy to boost the flavor and give a richer color.[this post was last edited: 11/18/2015-20:39]
michaelman2
Well-known member
Oven bag is great. Also a stick of butter inside the cavity and pats of butter under the skin all over make for a wonderful taste.
jakeseacrest
Well-known member
Roasting bag is sounding like a good idea
I just recently jotted this down from an old Thanksgiving thread the Late Great Kelly Beard had posted:
Breast down, un-stuffed, not trussed, 18 - 20 minutes per pound at 375. I think this could be adapted for a stuffed bird, maybe longer and lower?
Breast down, un-stuffed, not trussed, 18 - 20 minutes per pound at 375. I think this could be adapted for a stuffed bird, maybe longer and lower?
I do the breast down method but flip at the half way point to crisp the skin.
xraytech
Well-known member
I don't eat turkey, so I can't say what this tastes like, but this is the recipe I've used several times.
www.tasteofhome.com
Champagne-Basted Turkey
I've made this turkey every Thanksgiving for the past 15 years. We all love it. The secret is to use lots of fresh parsley on top and inside and to keep basting. That creates a tender, delightful turkey. —Sharon Hawk, Edwardsville, Illinois
www.tasteofhome.com
whirlcool
Well-known member
Stufing a Turkey
Several years ago I read an article that said it's best not to stuff a turkey with stuffing. Why? The internal temp of the stuffing and the turkey may not reach a safe temperature for doneness and bacteria may thrive. It's probably much better to put the stuffing in a separate container which can then be cooked in the same oven as the turkey.
Always use a meat thermometer. The one we use has a magnetic back on it and a probe with about 30 inches of wire. You insert the probe into the turkey and then connect it to the thermometer and place that outside the oven. You can then set the thermometer to alarm when the desired temperature is reached.
Several years ago I read an article that said it's best not to stuff a turkey with stuffing. Why? The internal temp of the stuffing and the turkey may not reach a safe temperature for doneness and bacteria may thrive. It's probably much better to put the stuffing in a separate container which can then be cooked in the same oven as the turkey.
Always use a meat thermometer. The one we use has a magnetic back on it and a probe with about 30 inches of wire. You insert the probe into the turkey and then connect it to the thermometer and place that outside the oven. You can then set the thermometer to alarm when the desired temperature is reached.
Well I have to disagree. I can think of little food worse that a turkey done in a bag. That to me to is just a steamed turkey. I've done turkeys for decades now and tried many differing methods. My recent success is in a convection oven set at 325. A 12lb turkey should be done in a couple of hours that way.
If you just have a regular oven then salt and season it overnight, pat it dry, rub some olive oil on it and put it in a turkey rack, the V shaped kind, breast up with the legs tied and wings tucked. Add some water and vegetables to the pan to flavour the juice and baste it after the first 45 minutes. USE A MEAT THERMOMETER! I take it out when the dark meat of the thigh reaches 160, then let it stand covered with foil for about half an hour for the juices to flow through the meat and to finish cooking a bit.
As for brining, I've had very good success with that method, but you must have either a fresh turkey or one that has not been injected with water. I used brown sugar and some bourbon along with the salt - great flavor.
If you just have a regular oven then salt and season it overnight, pat it dry, rub some olive oil on it and put it in a turkey rack, the V shaped kind, breast up with the legs tied and wings tucked. Add some water and vegetables to the pan to flavour the juice and baste it after the first 45 minutes. USE A MEAT THERMOMETER! I take it out when the dark meat of the thigh reaches 160, then let it stand covered with foil for about half an hour for the juices to flow through the meat and to finish cooking a bit.
As for brining, I've had very good success with that method, but you must have either a fresh turkey or one that has not been injected with water. I used brown sugar and some bourbon along with the salt - great flavor.
I'm also a fan of the cooking bags. I believe the slightly decrease cooking times, help keep the bird moist, and best of all, clean up is easy-breezy! And the inside of your oven is not spattered with turkey fat.
Convection all the way!
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">A lady never reveals her age so I won't say how many decades I've cooked turkeys but I'll say every one I have done in a convection oven has been outstanding. They don't take as long and they are just as juicy as a Bag cooked turkey IMHO. When you pierce the side of the turkey the juice just pours out.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Having said that the times I didn't have a convection oven available I did use the Bag and they do cook a pretty good turkey but towards the end you have to open it up and let the turkey brown because a turkey without crispy skin is, well, a very unappealing turkey. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I have had turkey cooked in roasters and the meat really does fall off the bone but if I don't have that crispy skin I don't feel like it's Thanksgiving. Did I mention I like the skin nice and crispy?</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">When we were younger my older sister and I used to fight over the skin. I know that's frowned upon by the "too much Fat" Gods but it's only one day a year. Live a little!!</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">A lady never reveals her age so I won't say how many decades I've cooked turkeys but I'll say every one I have done in a convection oven has been outstanding. They don't take as long and they are just as juicy as a Bag cooked turkey IMHO. When you pierce the side of the turkey the juice just pours out.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Having said that the times I didn't have a convection oven available I did use the Bag and they do cook a pretty good turkey but towards the end you have to open it up and let the turkey brown because a turkey without crispy skin is, well, a very unappealing turkey. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I have had turkey cooked in roasters and the meat really does fall off the bone but if I don't have that crispy skin I don't feel like it's Thanksgiving. Did I mention I like the skin nice and crispy?</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">When we were younger my older sister and I used to fight over the skin. I know that's frowned upon by the "too much Fat" Gods but it's only one day a year. Live a little!!</span>
hoovermatic
Well-known member
Fanny has the solution to a dry bird
If you can get through it without laughing!
If you can get through it without laughing!
