No Thanksgiving is complete with the delicious homemade roasted turkey! But are you one of those people who still feel like they haven’t found the “perfect” technique to roast their turkey?
Well, there’s a process to follow of course – from choosing the turkey size, to thawing it, cooking it at the right temperature and most importantly, taking it out at the right time!
Want to know more? Check out everything you need to know about how to roast a turkey perfectly, right here, below!
Steps to Roast a Turkey Perfectly
Step 1: Choosing the turkey size
Do not know how small or big a turkey you need for your family? Well, you can choose a turkey that weighs about a pound for every adult. On an average, a small 3 to 4.5 kilogram turkey can feed about 6 to 8 people. So this estimate should be able to help you choose the size of your Thanksgiving turkey accordingly.
Step 2: Thawing the turkey (if it’s frozen)
Method 1: You will require to make a bath to thaw the turkey. So for that you’ll need to fill a bucket or a large-sized tub with turkey brine (or a simple salt-water solution, about ½ a cup of salt mixed in the water) and place the unwrapped turkey in it (breast side down). Place the tub in the refrigerator and let it sit for about 24 hours.
Note: You can also thaw your turkey in plain water (see method 3), but brining can help flavour the meat better.
Method 2: You could also thaw the turkey over 24 hours by placing the unwrapped turkey in the fridge.
Method 3: Place your wrapped turkey in a water bath and keep changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed.
Step 3: Roasting your turkey
Note: The best way to get your turkey nice and moist, is by roasting it in an oven-safe bag.
- Dust flour in the bag, so that the turkey doesn’t stick to the sides.
- Pre-heat your oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes prior.
- Place the bag in an oven tray and then on the bottom, make a bed for the turkey with celery sticks and onion slices.
- Place the ready-to-roast (after stuffing the cavity and seasoning it) turkey inside the bag and seal the bag with the twisty tie.
- Make some slits at the top of the bag.
- Remember to place your baking tray in such a way that it doesn’t touch any rack or part of the oven (failing which the bag can melt).
- Roast the turkey until done (refer step 4 about doneness).
Roasting timings:
Turkey size: 6 to 7 pounds, unstuffed: 2 to 2.5 hours, stuffed: 2.25 to 2.75 hours
Turkey size: 7 to 10 pounds, unstuffed: 2.5 to 3 hours, stuffed: 2.75 to 3.5 hours
Turkey size: 10 to 18 pounds, unstuffed: 3 to 3.5 hours, stuffed: 3.75 to 4.5 hours
Turkey size: 18 to 22 pounds, unstuffed: 3.5 to 4 hours, stuffed: 4.5 to 5 hours
Turkey size: 22 to 24 pounds, unstuffed: 4 to 4.5 hours, stuffed: 5 to 5.5 hours
Turkey size: 24 to 30 pounds, unstuffed: 4.5 to 5 hours, stuffed 5.5 to 6 hours
Step 4: Turkey cooking doneness check
Poke a meat thermometer into your turkey and when it registers 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the things and 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast, it is done.
Roasted Turkey Recipe
Ingredients:
1 full turkey (with the skin on)
¼ cup salt
2 tsp paprika powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp pepper powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 small bunch of thyme
1 small bunch of sage
½ a lemon
1 small onion, quartered
1 head of garlic (halved horizontally)
¼ cup oil
Method:
Pat dry the washed turkey and set aside. Then, coarse grind the salt, pepper, baking powder, brown sugar, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika using a mortar and pestle. Use this as the seasoning to spread all over your turkey. Make sure to spread the seasoning in all the cavities of the turkey. Refrigerate to marinate for 8 to 10 hours.
To roast: Line a baking tray with foil and spray some oil at the bottom. Place the marinated turkey on top and place the onion, lemon, garlic, fresh thyme and fresh sage in the turkey cavity.
Drizzle the oil all over the turkey and roast at 450 degrees in the oven until well browned and well cooked (read step 4 above, for details on turkey doneness check).
Click below for turkey gravy, roasted turkey, pumpkin pie and more thanksgiving recipes –