Are you tired of serving the same old, dry, and tasteless turkey at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Well, it's time to change that! In this article, we will take you on a flavorful journey, guiding you through the steps to create the best roast turkey you could ever eat. From selecting the perfect bird to mastering the art of trussing and seasoning, we'll cover every aspect of the preparation process. We'll also explore different cooking techniques, including traditional roasting, brining, and spatchcocking, and provide valuable tips to ensure your turkey turns out succulent, juicy, and bursting with flavor. Get ready to impress your family and friends with a roast turkey that will leave them craving for more!
Here are our top 8 tried and tested recipes!
A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY
Simple, perfect roast turkey just like grandma used to make. Seasoned with salt and pepper, and basted with turkey stock, the flavors of the turkey really stand out. Stuff with your favorite dressing.
Provided by Syd
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
- Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
- Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
- Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 662.6 calories, Carbohydrate 13.7 g, Cholesterol 211.4 mg, Fat 33.8 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 72.2 g, SaturatedFat 10.4 g, Sodium 709.5 mg, Sugar 2 g
THE BEST ROASTED TURKEY
We wanted a moist and flavorful bird with plenty of well-seasoned drippings. (That way we could use them to make the best gravy!) The key is to use traditional Thanksgiving herbs (think parsley, sage, rosemary, bay and thyme) and classic aromatics like onion and garlic. For richness, we basted with butter which also makes the most golden-brown and crispy skin. Leaving the bird untrussed allows the air to circulate for more even cooking.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 3h10m
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Adjust a rack in the lowest position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Remove any turkey parts from the neck and breast cavities and reserve for other uses if desired. Dry the bird well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper the inside of the breast cavity and stuff the onion, garlic, herbs, and bay leaves inside. Set the bird on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan breast-side up. Brush generously with half of the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tent the bird with foil.
- Roast the turkey for 2 hours. Remove the foil and baste with the remaining butter. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F in the thigh of the bird, about 45 minutes more.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carve and serve.
PERFECT ROAST TURKEY
Use lemon, garlic and thyme to flavor Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Turkey recipe from Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, great for the holidays or just dinner.
Provided by Ina Garten
Categories main-dish
Time 3h20m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
- Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
- Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
- Slice the turkey and serve.
PERFECT ROAST TURKEY 101
This recipe yields a plump and regal roast turkey, with crisp, golden-brown skin and an aroma to match.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry Turkey Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Rinse turkey with cool water, and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
- Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, 4-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably; do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.) Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow will be easy to untie later). Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey with the softened butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
- Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.
- After this third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.
- After this fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 180 degrees (stuffing should be between 140 degrees and 160 degrees) and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.
- When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour all the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup dry red or white wine, or water, to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan until liquid boils and all the crisp bits are unstuck from pan. Add giblet stock to pan. Stir well, and bring back to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook over medium-high heat 10 minutes more. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of gravy. Season to taste, strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.
THE WORLD'S BEST TURKEY
This recipe makes a deliciously moist turkey.
Provided by Sarah
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h10m
Yield 16
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey's cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour Champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.
- Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 590.5 calories, Carbohydrate 3.6 g, Cholesterol 213.6 mg, Fat 29.3 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 68.2 g, SaturatedFat 10.5 g, Sodium 207.2 mg, Sugar 2.2 g
BEST EVER ROAST TURKEY
Make and share this Best Ever Roast Turkey recipe from Food.com.
Provided by autretiredchef
Categories Christmas
Time 4h30m
Yield 10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees on bake and adjust racks so the pan is 6 to 8 inches from top inside of oven
- allow 4 hrs before serving.
- wash the turkey well with cold water.
- remove neck ,giblet,heart, liver.
- cut wing and tail off turkey
- remove fat pads from turkey.
- line your roasting pan well with foil spray with pam.
- (easier clean up.
- place a rack on pan bottom.
- no rack?.
- make balls of foil and cover entire bottom of pan.
- place turkey in pan on rack or on balled up foil.
- pat dry with paper towels.
- chop up 1 bunch parsley or use dried parsley leafs.
- place in 1 qt bowl.
- add 2 tbs poultry seasoning.
- 2 tbs sea salt.
- 1 tbs fresh ground pepper.
- add olive oil.
- add 1/2 of melted butter to mixture.
- mix well.
- place wings /tail LIVER roast only HEART & GIZZARD on each side of the pan.
- or make stock for gravy do not use liver it makes the gravy bitter.
- first pour enough sherry wine to cover bird usually 1 cup rub the outer skin well with the wine.
- rub the herb butter oil over entire turkey.
- massage well over skin
- add mixture to cavities too.
- add celery 1 bunch parsley.
- peel cut carrots and onions whole or half to cavity
- after the bird is cooked you can dice the veggies.
- while bird rests and add the cooked veggies to your stuffing.
- if you desire.
- pour rest of butter over breasts.
- add 1 cup of water to pan bottom do not pour over bird.
- place lid on pan or cover well with foil.
- bake the turkey half way (2 hrs).
- after 2 hrs remove pan and bird from oven.
- place on trivets or stove top.
- remove foil baste well.
- no juice? add more water to pan bottom.
- then baste entire bird
- add 1 cup more sherry wine.
- cover pan again w foil or with lid.
- return to oven.to finish baking/roasting.
- baste periodically.
- last hr of roasting remove foil from pan to brown the bird.
- check temp of bird thickest part of breast should read.
- 170 degrees.
- remove bird and place on platter tent with foil
- let rest out of oven.usually 25 minute.
- use a gravy separator -- place the skimmed juices.
- in a separate container (for gravy).
- brush the resting bird w the reserved fat.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1340.1, Fat 65.1, SaturatedFat 24.1, Cholesterol 397.6, Sodium 1911.8, Carbohydrate 12.9, Fiber 0.7, Sugar 3.8, Protein 105.7
THE BEST ROAST TURKEY YOU COULD EVER EAT
While the cooking method is rather unconventional, this is the absolute best turkey you could ever want to eat. Adapted from a recipe by the late Edna Staebler. This is the same way my mother always cooked her turkey each year. We never ever did have a dry turkey. Word of truth.
Provided by MarieRynr
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 4h40m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Rinse the turkey and dry it well. Sprinkle the cavity well with salt. Stuff as desired.
- Rub the softened butter all over the outside of the bird, and sprinkled it lightly with salt.
- Place the turkey on the rack of a large roaster, which has a heavy bottom, pouring about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan.
- Lay the neck and giblets alongside, cover the pan tightly and put it on the large burner on top of the stove. Allow it to boil and then steam gently for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, approximately the same length of time that it would take to roast the same bird. Take care to see the pan does not cook dry.
- When the drumsticks are loosened and the meat thermometer indicates the bird is about done, dribble a bot of soft butter over the skin, sprinkled it with a bit of white sugar and flour and bang it into a 350*F oven to brown while theaccompanying vegetables are cooking on top of the stove.
- The drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan will be a rich dark brown. Skim off any fat and then use them to make a rich gravy.
THE BEST THANKSGIVING TURKEY RECIPE (HOW TO COOK A TURKEY)
We've got the Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe for you. You'll be surprised how easy it is to cook a moist and tender turkey.
Provided by Momma Cyd
Categories Main Course
Time 3h40m
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Remove wrap from thawed turkey, and then remove neck, giblets, and gravy packet if one is included.
- Place turkey into roasting pan breast side up.
- Tuck turkey wings under and tie or clamp legs together.
- Salt and pepper the inside cavity of the turkey.
- Dry outside of turkey with a paper towel (don't wash or rinse your turkey because you will contaminate your sink. The bacteria will die when it cooks in the oven).
- Baste turkey with melted butter. Salt and pepper all over.
- Insert meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Meat thermometer should reach between 165 and 180 degrees and the juices should run clear.
- Add broth into the bottom of the pan. (Water will also work.)
- Tent foil over the turkey as it cooks. Cook in preheated oven for 3 1/2 - 4 hours (depending on the size of your turkey - see notes below to know how long to cook your turkey for).
- After you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing. This gives you time to get a few more things done for the big meal.
- Keep turkey covered with foil to keep warm while it rests.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 12 g, Calories 456 kcal, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 70 g, Fat 18 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Cholesterol 232 mg, Sodium 486 mg, Sugar 1 g
Tips for the Best Roast Turkey:
- Choose a fresh, high-quality turkey: Look for a turkey with a plump breast and moist skin. Avoid turkeys that are frozen or have freezer burn.
- Brine the turkey: Brining the turkey helps to keep it moist and flavorful. You can brine the turkey in a simple solution of water, salt, and sugar, or you can use a more complex brine that includes herbs, spices, and other flavorings.
- Roast the turkey at a low temperature: Roasting the turkey at a low temperature helps to prevent it from drying out. The ideal roasting temperature is between 325°F and 350°F.
- Use a meat thermometer: The best way to ensure that the turkey is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and cook the turkey until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Let the turkey rest before carving: Once the turkey is cooked, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the turkey, making it more moist and flavorful.
Conclusion:
Roasting a turkey can be a daunting task, but it's one that is well worth the effort. By following these tips, you can ensure that you end up with a delicious, moist, and flavorful turkey that will be the star of your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
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