Cooking a Turkey

[TheDoyler23]

well thats no fun.

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

The logic involved is when you open the oven, the hot air escapes and needs to recover to get back to 450 or whatever degrees. It increases cooking time.

I also recommend getting an electric thermometer that can set of an alarm when it gets to the right temp. That popper thing on the bird is garbage. You'll torch it by the time that thing pops up.

[zoony]

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.

Thank you

I'm getting some good ideas- thanks everyone, keep 'em coming

[HOF44]

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

You can go the easy way. Get some stove top cornbread stuffing, some

Jimmy Dean sausage. Cook the sausage and add it to the stuffing when its done.

[chipwhich]

Meat thermometer is a necessity. The popup times in the turkey indicate the breast is done sometimes before the thigh. Use the meat thermometer on the thigh.

If you make your own stuffing. You need heavy bread, like a french bread or heavy white bread. Something like wonderbread would just turn to mush.

[praise_gibbs]

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.

So, wait.. Rub olive oil over MY skin or the turkeys? I am so confused!

[zoony]

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.

okay- really dumb question- but I tend to get caught up in details.

This foil 'tent'- you say tuck it in the sides of the pan. Do you mean crinkle the foil around the rim so that it forms as close to an airtight seal as possible, or just kind of loosely tuck the foil in?

These are the kinds of questions I have that make me not a good cook.

[chipwhich]

So, wait.. Rub olive oil over MY skin or the turkeys? I am so confused!

Well if that works for you

[chipwhich]

okay- really dumb question- but I tend to get caught up in details.

This foil 'tent'- you say tuck it in the sides of the pan. Do you mean crinkle the foil around the rim so that it forms as close to an airtight seal as possible, or just kind of loosely tuck the foil in?

These are the kinds of questions I have that make me not a good cook.

You can crinkle it as tight as you can get it. I tend to baste my turkey every hour or so which requires opening the tent (baste with water/melted butter/oil/fat from bottom of pan) Re-crinkling the foil on a HOT pan tends to be painful :laugh: So its as tight as you can get it but it doesn't have to be perfect...just a light squeeze

[HOF44]

So, wait.. Rub olive oil over MY skin or the turkeys? I am so confused!

[GibbsFactor]

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?

Foil tents are awesome. It makes a steaming effect. Just take foil from either side and move it up from the sides making a tent shape.

[chipwhich]

I like to remove the WHOLE breast instead of slicing at carving time. This method is money.

http://www.butlersguild.com/index.php?subject=105

[renaissance]

Is my family the one one that cooks Thanksgiving turkey on the grill?? I always thought this was the norm until a couple weeks ago I brought up the idea to my roommate and she looked at me like I'm an idiot. :whoknows:

[joeknows]

first off if you want a juicy turkey.... inject it full of marinade

then fry it!!!

in the oven yes .... cook covered except the last hour.....in the last hour flip it over breast side up <yes.... roast with the breast down> ... after flipping it finish uncovered for about an hour

THE TURKEY IS NOT DONE UNTIL YOU CAN GRAB THE DRUMSTICK AND EASILY TWIST IT LOOSE AT THE KNEE!!!

im a chef

[Kosher Ham]

I love fried turkey and will never go back. It's faster and juicier.

As far as roasting (stupid question)...you do have a roasting pan right ?

We roast chicken all the time and never use a tent. The trick is to cook it really high at first and then continue to turn the temp down after 15 minutes, then every half hour or so. Surely with a turkey the times might be longer though.

Good luck with it though Bro. I haven't roasted a turkey in years.

[joeknows]

turkey = 10 mins per pound plus 20

20 lb turkey is 3.5 hours at 400

[Reic]

I usually like to take some stuffing in my hand and shove it inside before I stick it in the oven.

[Fergasun]

zoony,

Here's my turkey log from cooking last year. It was my first time and I put on some pomegranate glaze sauce from Bobby Flay recipe on food network.

I logged the time on the clock:

2007 Turkey (18-20 lbs from CostCo) 4-5 hours estimate @ 325

Salt+Pepper+Butter with pomegranate sauce

Initially @ 450

Clock 60:00

@ 30:00 Reduced to 325

15:00 Basted (1) with chicken stock

1 hour complete

60:00 - basted again

30:00 baste with chicken stock (1.5 hours)

2 hours - basted with chicken stock temperature @ 140+

2 hours - covered with aluminum tent (loosely)

2 hours - fight with grace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2.5 hours - temperature @ 160 in one thigh

2.5 hours - covered with pomegranate glaze

3 hours - more glaze, determination of .5-1 hour left

[Fergasun]

I can't remember if I had stuffing in it... hmmmm... sorry...

[Skinsfan1311]

well thats no fun.

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

Basting does nothing but increase roasting time. There is no baste that will penetrate the skin, or the meat.

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?

Just enough cover the bottom...after the turkey cooks for a while, the juices from the bird will start to fill the pan.

Rub the salt and pepper on both.

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

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

Don't stuff a turkey. That can breed bacteria and it increases the cook time. Again, basting does nothing but increases the cook time.

Oyster dressing:)...good stuff

We usually just make the plain old cornbread dressing

MMMMmmmm oyster dressing is the bomb!!!

Is my family the one one that cooks Thanksgiving turkey on the grill?? I always thought this was the norm until a couple weeks ago I brought up the idea to my roommate and she looked at me like I'm an idiot. :whoknows:

No....we've grilled our bird for years....until we discovered the joys of frying a turkey. We'll still grill one once in a while, depending on the weather.

I love fried turkey and will never go back. It's faster and juicier.

Agreed. You can fry a 15 lb turkey in 50 minutes. That's based on 3 minutes per lb, then adding 5 minutes. Inject it with Creole Butter. Apply a rub, under the skin, fry that sucker. MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Good luck and let us know how you made out!

[Dictator]

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

I disgaree. At least as far as basting is concerned. I basted the **** out of the last Turkey I cooked. It was fantastic.

Also don't stuff **** inside the turkey. That's just nasty.

Z, get a flavor injector also. shoot some spices up in that bird.

[twa]

Bag it, no basting needed and the steam spreads the spices and retains moisture.

That or frying are my recommendations.

[Skinsfan1311]

I disgaree. At least as far as basting is concerned. I basted the **** out of the last Turkey I cooked. It was fantastic.

Also don't stuff **** inside the turkey. That's just nasty.

Z, get a flavor injector also. shoot some spices up in that bird.

We'll agree to disagree on basting.

Your turkey would've turned out great without basting it, because basting a turkey makes no difference in the flavor of the bird. That's because the basting sauce doesn't penetrate the skin or the meat. All it does is roll off of the birds skin and into the roasting pan. It's a waste of time.

If you want to flavor the meat, you need to rub spices under the skin and/or inject the bird.

[Dictator]

We'll agree to disagree on basting.

Your turkey would've turned out great without basting it, because basting a turkey makes no difference in the flavor of the bird. That's because the basting sauce doesn't penetrate the skin or the meat. All it does is roll off of the birds skin and into the roasting pan. It's a waste of time.

If you want to flavor the meat, you need to rub spices under the skin and/or inject the bird.

Well, I'm a big fan of the skin. Dry skin is gross.

[Zguy28]

We'll agree to disagree on basting.

Your turkey would've turned out great without basting it, because basting a turkey makes no difference in the flavor of the bird. That's because the basting sauce doesn't penetrate the skin or the meat. All it does is roll off of the birds skin and into the roasting pan. It's a waste of time.

If you want to flavor the meat, you need to rub spices under the skin and/or inject the bird.

Like putting some rosemary or thyme sprigs under the skin?

[Kosher Ham]

Basting is really not that important.

The skin should be crisp and flavorful.

The turkey meat should be juicy and hot.

My Dad and Myself make the best turkeys in our entire family. I always hated going to my grandmothers house for turkey day.