More Effort Doesn't = A Better Turkey

T- day is coming up and if you are in charge of the big bird, you may be feeling a bit of anxiety. Over the years, I have tried lots of different methods for producing a perfect turkey. Somethings are worth doing, but a lot of things aren't. Here are a some tips for producing a perfect bird with less stress.

NOT WORTH DOING

Stuffing Your Turkey: Here's four reasons why.

1. The turkey will cook more evenly if it's not stuffed.

2. Often getting the stuffing to a safe temperature, means overcooking the bird; so potentially you have an overcooked bird, or stuffing that may harbor bacteria not all that friendly to your post Thanksgiving life.

3. There's not a lot of room to make sufficient stuffing in the cavity of your bird and you may end up having to make an extra dish of it anyway. Save yourself the hassle and do it all in one dish.

4. Frankly, stuffing pulled out of a bird is just not all that visually appealing. Dressing cooked in a pretty dish is much better in my opinion.

• Rinsing: You will not kill any bacteria by rinsing your bird, but you will spread bacteria all over your sink. It's better to rely on the heat of the oven to kill bacteria and save yourself the fuss of wrestling a big bird under running water.

  
  

• Trussing: It's just not worth the effort and more importantly, it prevents air from circulating around the legs. The legs take longer to cook than the breast and this just exacerbates the problem. Go ahead and tuck the wings behind the turkey so they don't get over cooked and forget any about trussing and fussing.

  
  

• Wet Brine: Forget the wet brine. It just makes a mess and spreads germs everywhere!

  
  

• A big bird: A big bird = a big pain. It is a workout to wrestle and season a slippery 20+ pound bird, and it may inspire some bad language. The connective tissue under the skin is tougher and basically all the issues increase with increased turkey size.

  • I would recommend about 12-14 lbs. Under 10 lbs. can dry out. A 16 pound turkey is doable, but not ideal.

  • Consider purchasing two smaller turkeys (12-14 lbs.) if you need more meat, some say they are more moist and flavorful!

  • If you don't have the oven space for 2 turkeys, you could cook a turkey breast in a slow cooker, cook another turkey in a roaster oven, or a turkey in advance and re-heat.

• Basting: Every time you open the oven to baste your turkey, you lose heat. This lengthens the cooking time. Plus, who wants to babysit a turkey with everything else that has to be done? Beyond that, is a tip most people are unaware of: I think the best time to "baste" your turkey to get the most bang from your effort is after it when it comes out of the oven, as well as just after it has been carved and placed on a platter. The warm turkey slices absorb the pan dripping/warm broth, producing wonderfully moist and flavorful meat.

  
  

WORTH DOING

• See instructions for a Make-A-Head turkey in the tips.

  
  

• Thaw completely:

  
  

  • An 8 lb. bird will take approximately 2 days in the fridge to thaw, 12 pounds = 3 days. Check out this for a complete thawing guide.

  • All is not lost if you have reached turkey roasting time and your bird is not completely thawed, estimate 50% longer cooking time for a frozen turkey and 25% longer for a partially frozen one. Cooking a turkey that is not fully thawed is not recommended, as it will not cook evenly and it is difficult to season it well, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

  • Using a thermometer will be even more important. Check the temperature in several places including close to the bone as it may all be beautifully cooked except for meat that is last to thaw and close to the bone

    
    

• Dry: I like to remove the turkey from it's package over a plastic trash bag lined trash can. The excess juice is drained right into the trash can along with the discarded wrapper (make note of the turkey weight before discarding) instead of spreading germs in my sink. I then place the turkey on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. I remove the giblets, neck and heart (not the liver) to a pan to make broth for gravy while the turkey is cooking, or I store in a container in the fridge or freezer to make broth along with the carcass.

  • Dry the turkey. Repeat as necessary. This produces skin that has a better texture.

    
    

• Seasoning: Fresh or dried herbs on the outside of the turkey may dry out or become bitter during the long roasting time, so placing herbs or herbed seasoning salt under the skin works best. Plain kosher salt can also be used under the skin.

  • For the outside, skipping the salt gives the most moist meat and richer drippings, especially if you will be slicing and reheating the turkey.

  • If you prefer crispy, browned skin and are serving the turkey immediately, lightly salting the outside helps the skin brown and develop better flavor. Kosher salt is recommended because it sprinkles more evenly and is easier to control, but table salt works fine if used lightly.

    
    

• See RealTaste Seasoning for some yummy options for seasoning your turkey this year. Hope and Nurture are excellent options.

  
  

• Skip putting oil or butter on the outside of the turkey. It melts off during roasting and makes the drippings less flavorful and greasy. Instead, tuck butter (if using) under the skin where it can actually keep the meat moist and flavorful.

  • Butter:

    
    

    10–12 lb turkey → 3–4 tablespoons

    
    

    14–16 lb turkey → 4–6 tablespoons

    
    

    18–20 lb turkey → 6–8 tablespoons

    
    

• Let come to room temperature: For even cooking, it's important to allow the turkey come to room temperature before roasting. I recommend about an hour at room temperature before placing in the oven. It will still feel cold to the touch, but sitting at room temperature for longer than an hour is not necessary, or recommended.

  
  

• I like to place the neck, gizzard, and heart (not liver) in a small pot and cover them with water (about an inch or so) to simmer while the turkey cooks. This makes a flavorful broth that can be used for gravy or drizzled over warm turkey slices to keep them moist.

• Cook on an oven rack that allows even heat and air on all sides. It will be lower for a larger bird.

  
  

• Temperature: Too low of heat can actually act as a dehydrator in the dry heat of an oven. I use to crank up the heat and then turn it down for more crispy skin, but I have more recently just kept it simple. It takes the guess work out of the temperature adjustment.

  • Roast until temperature in thickest part of breast is 160. If the breast starts to get too brown, loosely "tent" with foil.

• At 325°F, unstuffed:

  
  

  10–16 lb turkeys: 13–15 minutes per pound

  
  

  16–22 lb turkeys: 12–13 minutes per pound

  
  

• Larger birds (16 lbs and up) may need an extra 15–30 minutes.

• Always check on the turkey about 1 hour before the earliest expected finish time. If it is getting very brown, pull it out and check the temperature, otherwise, leave it in and check temperature 30 minutes before the earliest expected finish time. If you have a thermometer, cook until the thickest part of the breast is 160 degrees. The temperature will rise about 5 degrees after removing turkey from the oven.

  • Temperature Expectations:

    • 120–140°F → slow climb

    • 140–150°F → speeds up

    • 150–160°F → very fast

      
      

• Add liquid to the bottom of roasting pan: This keeps the drippings from burning. It can be water, broth or a mixture. I like to add 1 cup of liquid to a roughly 16x13 pan, but this will depend on your pan size and roasting rack.

  • If you don't have a roasting pan with a rack, prop your turkey up on onion halves and carrots.

    
    

• Roast uncovered. Covering traps steam and keeps the surface moist, but it actually pushes more moisture out of the meat as it cooks faster. Uncovered roasting cooks more gently, letting fat and juices stay inside the meat, resulting in juicier turkey—especially when reheating.

  
  

• Cover Breast: As soon as the breast is nicely brown, loosely "tent" with foil. This protects the breast from over-cooking.

  
  

• Let Rest: Remove the turkey from oven. Cover and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving, to allow the juices to re-absorb.

  
  

• Keep Safe: Refrigerate turkey left-overs after dinner, don't leave them on the counter until you are hungry enough to make a turkey sandwich. No one wants to get sick from T-Day dinner. On that note, make sure to keep sink, counter, cutting boards, and knives sanitized.

  
  

MORE TIPS

• We all want a beautiful, picture perfect turkey, but the reality is, few people bring the turkey to the table and carve it like in the Norman Rockwell painting. Who would want to sit around witnessing the carving of a turkey? It's not exactly a visually appealing ordeal, not to mention a little logistically awkward for a crowd.

  
  

• Don't worry so much about having perfectly crisp skin. By the time the turkey rests, gets carved, and sits on a plater, perfectly crisp skin is a bit of an improbability. The mere sliver of skin, if any, adorning your turkey slice will be delicious: stop stressing.

  
  

• Spooning warm pan drippings, and/or warm broth over warm sliced turkey is one of the best ways to ensure moist turkey meat. Do I need to repeat this?! Because this might just be one of the best tips on this page!

  
  

  • This is also a great time to adjust seasoning. It often works best to season the hot broth or drippings rather than the slices themselves, since the seasoned liquid distributes the flavor evenly and keeps the meat moist.

    
    

  • I also like to spoon drippings over the whole turkey when I remove it from the oven, before resting and carving. While this might affect the crispness of the skin, I prefer juicy meat to crispy skin.

    
    

  • Store-bought broth can add moisture, but it doesn’t have the natural gelatin and fat that turkey drippings and a quality homemade broth do, so it won’t coat the meat or keep it as quite as tender on its own. That said if that is all you have, it will work well enough.

    
    

• Who wants to fuss with making gravy after the turkey is done? If you do the Make-A-Head turkey (see notes), you can make broth with the carcass and use it to make gravy ahead of time. This gravy will be just as delicious with a lot less stress.

  
  

• You can also make broth while the turkey is cooking with the neck, gizzard and heart. You can use this to make gravy or to drizzle over turkey slices.

  • If you aren't using the neck, gizzard and heart right away, put them in the freezer, as they go south really quickly.

COOKING TIME

• My basic roasting guideline for a whole chicken or turkey is 12-13 minutes per pound at 325 degrees.

• Organic, heritage turkeys can cook faster.

• Brined turkeys cook faster.

• Fresh turkeys cook faster than frozen-de-thawed turkeys.

• Altitude also affects cooking time. I cook at an altitude of about 4,775 above sea level, so adjust your cooking time accordingly. Higher altitude will cook a bit slower and lower will cook a bit faster.

• Ovens vary as well, some cook hotter than others.

• Avoid opening your oven as the temperature drops each time and affects your cooking time. Begin checking the turkey temperature 1 hour before the earliest expected finish time. If you don't have a thermometer, cut into the thickest part of the breast and thigh to make sure it's not pink and juices run clear. Return to the oven and cook a bit longer, if necessary. *Don't leave the oven door open while checking the turkey!

• Temperature, not time, is your best gage as to when the turkey is done, so thermometers can be helpful. But, again, you can cut into it like described above. See below for some thermometer tips.

• The breast will cook faster than the thighs, but if you wait until the thighs are done, the breast will be dry. The residual heat will be sufficient to finish "cooking" the thighs while the turkey is resting on the counter.

• Roaster ovens cook differently, so make sure to adjust.

Thermometers

• The magic number for Turkey is 160 degrees in the thickest part of the breast. The temperature will continue to rise a bit initially as it rests to reach 165, which is the minimum temperature at which nasty pathogens are killed.

• Plastic pop-up thermometers are inaccurate. A better option is an instant-read thermometer, or an in-oven thermometer. Check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast with an instant read thermometer like this one, or this one.

• Taking the turkey in and out of the oven to check the temperature can be a hassle, not to mention losing heat, adding to your cook time.

• Here's a couple good options for an in-oven thermometer here and here. See this video and this article to make sure you get either your in-oven probe, and/or instant read thermometer in the right place.

• Using an in-oven thermometer; as well as an instant thermometer to double check the temperature can be helpful, as occasionally thermometers can be off, or the thermometer can be inserted incorrectly.

  • Personally, even though I have both, I often just go by time and cut into it to make sure it's done.

    
    

Reheating

• Place sliced turkey in a tighly covered pan: steam, low & slow at 275°.

  • About 25–35 minutes for a medium-size pan of sliced turkey.

  • For a 9×13, plan on about 35–45 minutes. 

  • For a larger pan ~16x13x 3.5 plan 35-60 minutes, depending on how deep it is layered.  

  • For a larger roasting pan ~18–20 x 4–6 inches deep, plan on 45–90 minutes, depending on how deeply it is layered. 

    • You’re aiming for an internal temperature in the middle around 140–150°. (You don’t need to hit 165°F again since it was already fully cooked.)

    • Have warm broth on hand as the turkey will have absorbed some/all of the juices.

    • Add more broth as needed. (I am always generous with the broth as I would rather it be setting in a bit of juice than to be dry.)

    • If you need to keep it warm, place the turkey slices in a slow cooker on warm. (Low will over-cook it).

You can reheat it entirely in the slow cooker, if the oven is being used, but it is less ideal as it takes longer, heat is less even, and it is harder to control. If you are going to use a slow cooker, put cold turkey slices in and add plenty of hot broth. Set to Low for 45 minutes, then switch to warm.

Happy Turkey Roasting and Thanksgiving to All!