Cooking a Turkey

I've been tasked with getting this done. Never done it before.

I really don't want to smoke it or fry it or anything like that- I'd really like to just do it in the oven.

I'm planning on putting celery & onions inside the cavity, and basting with butter- and rubbing kosher salt on it. From what I've read you're supposed to let it roast for about an hour, then cover with foil the rest of the way.

I'd love any advice or tips from people who have done it before though. What about an oven roaster bag?

Personally i prefer fryed as it only takes about 30 minutes and is delicous and frees up the oven for other things

Sounds good, but we always roasted it then the last 30 minutes or so cooked it uncovered to brown it up. Never heard of doing that first.

Sounds good, but we always roasted it then the last 30 minutes or so cooked it uncovered to brown it up. Never heard of doing that first.

what did you baste / stuff it with?

And what I've read says to use a foil "tent"

What-exactly- is a foil "tent"? Do I put the foil on there so it's not touching the turkey? Do I tuck it around the edge of the roasting pan or let it lay loose?

Oven bag and Italian dressing,butter if you wish...good stuff,moist and flavorful

Not even my wife can screw that up ....much;)

Perfect thread.

This will be my first time cooking a turkey as well.

And I hate dry turkey.

Oven bag and Italian dressing,butter if you wish...good stuff,moist and flavorful

Not even my wife can screw that up ....much;)

thats a little vague- what do you mean italian dressing? to baste it in?

And what I've read says to use a foil "tent"

What-exactly- is a foil "tent"? Do I put the foil on there so it's not touching the turkey? Do I tuck it around the edge of the roasting pan or let it lay loose?

Lay foil loosely over top, tuck around sides of pan. Cooking uncovered to start isn't necessary, last 30-60 minutes leave uncovered to brown.

Make some sort of stuffing out of bread and your favorite ingredients to stuff it. Don't stuff it with celery

what did you baste / stuff it with?

Nothing really, but what you suggested would be fine, it will flavor it some.

Make some sort of stuffing out of bread and your favorite ingredients to stuff it. Don't stuff it with celery

Thanks- got any good suggestions for a stuffing?

Is stuffing the Turkey vastly overrated?

Alton Brown from the food network recommends NOT stuffing the turkey or basting as they increase cooking time, which = dry turkey.

thats a little vague- what do you mean italian dressing? to baste it in?

Put the bird in the bag,pour the dressing in...cook

If you wish to be fancy rub it down with butter first and dust lightly with sage

thats a little vague- what do you mean italian dressing? to baste it in?

I use butter, olive oil, salt, pepper.

Put some (not lots) of water in bottom of pan. Rub olive oil over skin, then butter.

Cook, eat.

Thanks- got any good suggestions for a stuffing?

Whatever kind you make its gotta have sausage in it.

Alton Brown from the food network recommends NOT stuffing the turkey or basting as they increase cooking time, which = dry turkey.

well thats no fun.

How can basting anything in butter be a bad thing? :hungry: mmm... butter

I use butter, olive oil, salt, pepper.

Put some (not lots) of water in bottom of pan. Rub olive oil over skin, then butter.

Cook, eat.

You sound like you've done this a few times.

Water in the pan? Never heard that one- how much? What does that do?

And do you rub the salt/pepper on the outside or inside or both?

You should roast a turkey according to it's size..about 3 - 3.5 hours for a 10 - 18lb bird. I use a "tin foil tent" for most of the roasting..remove the foil for about the last 45-50 minutes in order to allow the bird to brown. Rubbing w/butter and salt gives it a crisp a flavorful outside. Once roasting is done..remove it from the oven and let it "rest" before you carve it..this locks in the juices therefore not dry. I found this out the hard way. I also use a meat thermometer and ensure the bird is done. Internal temp should be 165 degrees. Or you could just buy a butterball w/it's on "pop up" thermometer..they work!.

I don't stuff my birds...I cook the stuffing separately..less cooking time on the bird. But using celery and onions inside will flavor the bird nicely. Good luck and start early enough that folks aren't starving b/c the bird is "not quite done yet". If you buy a frozen bird make sure to thaw it slowly..about a day for every 5lbs of bird.

Whatever kind you make its gotta have sausage in it.

That sounds like Turkey 305. I'm still in 101. Maybe next year

Thanks- got any good suggestions for a stuffing?

I like simple stuffing. Saute onions, celery in butter. Cut up bread. Add celery onion mix to bread until damp, not wet. Add seasonings like sage. Stuff the bird.

It's really easy.

I like stuffing thats cooked in the bird, vice outside. The dryness sometimes occurs because the legs/thighs take longer to cook than the breast meat. So *sometimes* the breast is finished prior to the legs/thighs being completely cooked. I find it varies by turkey.

Stuff it with Pepperidge farm stuffing (the type that comes in a bag).

Rub olive oil or butter under the skin. Roast for about an hour, then cover the bird with a foil tent.

Once I cooked one for like 14 hours at 225 degrees. It was the most tender and moist turkey I ever had, but it fell apart and didn't look good.

Put a little water in the bottom of the pan and baste it with that about every 45 minutes.

You sound like you've done this a few times.

Water in the pan? Never heard that one- how much? What does that do?

And do you rub the salt/pepper on the outside or inside or both?

I cook a turkey every christmas for family. Just enough water to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan. The water keeps the inside of the "tent" moist plus collects with the fat that drips from the gravy if you want to make gravy. A dry pan can lead to dry turkey.

Oyster dressing:)...good stuff

We usually just make the plain old cornbread dressing

Oh, salt and pepper outside, I actually rub olive oil on top of skin and under skin for a crispier skin.

Make sure you pull the bag of turkey parts out of the cavity before cooking.