This year I roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving for the first time, and – let me tell you – I had an absolute blast. For some reason, I was under the impression that cooking a turkey was this stressful process, with lots of complex steps, where so much can go wrong. I discovered that, in reality, roasting a turkey is a fairly straightforward process! After plenty of research and following some basic steps, I was completely blown away at the end result.
And I wasn’t the only one! I was so pleased with the feedback I received at Friendsgiving dinner that I have to share with you guys the secrets to my success! In this blog post, I have created for you a Beginner’s Guide to Perfectly Roasting a Holiday Turkey! This way, you can present a turkey to your family that you are PROUD OF, and avoid your Christmas dinner looking like that of the Griswald family LOL.
(Note: Don’t be intimidated by the length of this blog post! The process is very simple – but I give lots of detail for those of you who prefer more explicit instruction. If you want less detail click the Jump to Recipe button below for a more concise summary / my two minute recipe video!)
Jump to Recipe
LEAD UP TO COOKING DAY
TO BRINE OR NOT TO BRINE
Brining a Turkey is a very polarizing topic. The theory behind brining is to soak the turkey (before cooking) in a salty solution that will tenderize the meat and infuse moisture, leaving you with a flavorful, juicy bird. In my research, I discovered that turkey brining has about as many die hard advocates, as those who say it’s not worth the time.
Due to this mixed feedback (and the fact that it was my first attempt at roasting a turkey), I decided to get the best of both worlds and buy a pre-brined turkey. This way, I’d leave the brining to the experts, and spare myself the hassle of unnecessary preparation.
THAWING THE TURKEY
If you have the option, I highly recommend you buy a fresh, NOT a frozen turkey. This will save you SO much time and minimize error come cooking time. If your butcher does NOT offer fresh turkeys, there are two ways you can thaw your frozen bird.
The first, and the faster, option is to soak the turkey in the kitchen sink with cold water. Keep the turkey in the original packaging, and change the water every 30 minutes to prevent the water from getting warm. You will know that the turkey is thawed when the bag feels soft.
Thawing Frozen Turkey in Cold Water:
8-12 lbs – 4-6 hours
12-16 lbs – 6-8 hours
16-20 lbs – 8-10 hours
20-25 lbs – 10-12 hours
If you have the foresight to buy a frozen turkey far enough in advance, you can also let the turkey thaw on its own in the fridge. This thawing method is less involved, obviously, but is bit of a slower process. See the thawing times below.
Thawing in Fridge:
8-12 lbs – 2-3 days
12-16 lbs – 2-4 days
16-20 lbs – 3-5 days
20-25 lbs – 4-6 days
TURKEY ROASTING SUPPLIES
The most important equipment needed to oven roast a turkey is a roasting pan. I bought this roasting pan on amazon for only $30. If you don’t have a roasting pan, you can also order a disposable aluminum foil roasting pan from Amazon, or buy from your local grocer. You can’t go wrong either way!
The only other supplies you may need are kitchen twine (to tie up the legs) and an oven safe thermometer.
Pro-tip: Buy the oven safe thermometer, as opposed to instant read thermometer, because you can leave it in the turkey throughout the entire cooking process, making your life easier (which is what this guide is all about!)
TURKEY COOKING DAY
Avoid disaster!
It’s cooking day! At this point, your turkey is thawed, and you’ve obtained your cooking supplies – now, it’s time to get working on this turkey.
First, remove the turkey from its packaging. Before you do anything – ANYTHING – I repeat, before you do ANYTHING. You need to remove the bag of giblets AND the turkey neck from the cavity of the turkey. If there is a plastic clip holding the legs together, remove this as well – it will melt in the oven, and we DON’T want that. Next, rinse both the inside and outside of the turkey with cold water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
Get your roasting pan ready by placing a few handfuls of roughly chopped celery, onion, and carrot in the bottom of the pan, and pouring in 2-4 cups of water. Lay the roasting rack back on top.
Seasoning the Turkey
Before we lay the turkey on the roasting rack, we want to prep it with seasoning, fat, and aromatics that will infuse flavor into the turkey during the roasting process.
The first part of the turkey we want to focus on is the cavity. Liberally season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper (Ratios on recipe card below). Really go crazy. Even if it seems like a lot I promise it is not. Scoop a few handfuls of your celery, carrot, onion mixture into the turkey.
Next, lets focus on the outside! Starting at the neck side of the turkey, use a rubber spatula to loosen the skin from the breast and legs. Make sure that the spatula does not have sharp edge or you’ll rip the skin! For any areas that are harder to reach, use your hands.
Now that the skin is loose, spread ¼ cup of butter under the skin on the breasts and legs. After you’ve buttered under the skin, spread the remaining ¼ cup of butter on top of the skin, and then season liberally with salt and pepper.
Tie the two legs together with kitchen twine to keep the stuffing inside and tuck the wing tips underneath to keep them from burning (see my video!).
Placement of the Thermometer in the Turkey Thigh
This is the part of roasting a turkey that plagued me the most. I have included the below diagram to help you see exactly where to place the thermometer. You are basically going to insert the thermometer in the seam between the breast and the leg.
Make sure it doesn’t hit the bone, otherwise the reading will be off. The thermometer should read 165-170° F when the turkey is fully cooked. DON’T COOK TO 180-185° F (these are outdated cooking temperatures) – If you do your turkey will be very dry.
Cooking Times:
8-12 lbs (1.5-2.5 hours)
12-14 lbs (2.5-3 hours)
16-18 lbs (3.75-4.25 hours)
18-20 lbs (4-4.5 hours)
20-25 lbs (4.5-5 hours)
Before putting the turkey in the oven, place a layer of aluminum foil loosely over the breasts. This will prevent them from drying out before the rest of the turkey is cooked. Remove the foil half way through!
Once you remove the roasted bird and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. Then carve up and enjoy!!!!
If you enjoy this post, you will love my other holiday recipes! Check them out below!
Pink Panty Cocktail | Pumpkin Sheet Cake | Soft, Gingerbread Cookies
Juicy, Oven Roasted Holiday Turkey
Equipment
- Kitchen twine
- Roasting pan
- Oven safe thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey I used a 15 lb bird!
- 4 stalks celery rough chopped
- 5 carrots rough chopped
- 2 medium onions rough chopped
- ½ butter room temperature / roughly mixed
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- In the bottom of the roasting pan, place a few handfuls of roughly chopped celery, onion, and carrot and pour in 2-4 cups of water (should be roughly ½ inch of water). Lay the roasting rack back on top.
- Remove your thawed turkey from its packaging. Run under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Remove the bag of giblets and the turkey neck from the cavity of the turkey. If there is a plastic clip holding the legs together, remove this as well – otherwise it will melt in the oven.
- Liberally season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Insert a few handfuls of your celery, carrot, onion mixture into the cavity as well.
- Starting at the neck side of the turkey, use a rubber spatula to loosen the skin from the breast and legs. Make sure that the spatula does not have sharp edge or you’ll rip the skin! For any areas that are harder to reach, use your hands.
- Now that the skin is loose, spread ¼ cup of butter under the skin on the breasts and legs. After you’ve buttered under the skin, spread the remaining ¼ cup of butter on top of the skin and then season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Tie the two legs together with kitchen twine (to keep the vegetables inside), and tuck the wing tips underneath to keep them from burning (see my video!).
- To place the thermometer, you are basically going to insert the thermometer in the seam between the breast and the leg. Make sure it doesn’t hit a bone! (otherwise the reading will be off)
- Before putting your turkey in the oven put a layer of aluminum foil loosely over the breasts. Remove half way through cooking.
- Cook turkey 15 minutes per pound, or until the thermometer reads 165-170° F. This means the turkey is fully cooked. DON’T COOK TO 180-185°F (these are old cooking temperatures) – If you do your turkey will be very dry.
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