| I now recommend limiting using this method for cooking turkey to turkeys of 20 lbs. or less. Click here to find out why. If you need more turkey, cook two. |
| How to cook a turkey. This is how you'll be cooking turkey from this day forward! No more fighting for the dark meat because the white meat is just as moist! |
| Preheat the oven to 475°F. This is not a typo! I will explain later.
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| Melt some butter. |
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Peek-A-Boo! My wife tells me this picture is a bit gross. But you're here to learn how to cook turkey and pictures help.
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Now the part that some people find a bit gross. But it's essential! Gently separate the skin from the breast but don't remove it. You just want to be able to get your hand between the skin the breast meat. Your goal is to rub that melted butter on to the turkey breast between the breast skin and the meat. You might want to use a rubber glove. Don't butter the outside of the skin.
| If you agree that this method for cooking a turkey produces the best turkey you've ever tasted, please link to this website from your personal website or recommend that your school or church website link to it as well. Thanks! |
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This part is optional. But I recommend putting some Rosemary and Thyme again between the breast skin and the meat. I've used fresh and dried and I can't really notice the difference. I wouldn't go overboard. Just use a little bit. If you think it needs a little more you can always add more the next time you cook a turkey. |
| Lightly Salt and Pepper all the skin on the outside. This will help make the skin crisp! |
| Don't place stuffing in the turkey! Stuffing plays havoc with cooking times and is a recognized health hazard. Cook your stuffing separately in a casserole dish and be safe. |
| Place the turkey in a covered roasting pan place in the oven preheated to 475°F for 20 minutes. Our goal here is to "seal the bird" to help keep it juicy. |
| Reduce the heat to 250°F. This again is not a typo! Don't let anybody tell you that the temperature has to be higher for it to get done. The reason that turkey is so often very dry is that it's overcooked. We want to slow cook the turkey. You do not have to remove the turkey from the oven. Just reduce the heat. Click Here to find out about concerns when slow-cooking a turkey. |
| Cook the turkey at 250°F for 20 additional minutes for each pound. No basting is necessary. |
| Many variables come into play when cooking a turkey. The only way to be absolutely sure that your turkey is fully cooked is to use a quality meat thermometer. Interior breast meat should be 170°F and 180°F for thigh meat. Using a meat thermometer is particularly important if you are roasting the turkey a high elevations since it will take longer but there is no rule of thumb to predict how much longer. |
Remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest uncovered for at least 20 minutes before carving it. This allows the juices to redistribute themselves inside the turkey making the turkey even more juicy, delicious, and easier to carve.
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Click Here to find a chart with examples of turkey cooking times.
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Click Here to find my Frequently Asked Questions about how to cook thanksgiving turkey.
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