The Perfect Holiday Oven Roasted Turkey

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How To Make An Oven Roasted Turkey

Don’t let roasting a turkey intimidate you. Here are step-by-step instructions for successfully making an oven roasted turkey for the holidays.

Making an oven roasted turkey is very simple to do and once you have successfully made one you will be a pro. Don’t let that big bird lead you astray.

Three Types of Turkeys

There are three types of turkeys: wild turkeys, heritage turkeys and broad breasted domesticated turkeys.

Wild turkeys have dark brown feathers like the photo above and they live in the wild (hence the name wild turkeys). Although I have never had a wild turkey I have heard they are leaner and the leg meat is tougher.

Heritage turkeys are actually a species of wild turkeys but live on raised farms. There are ten different breeds of heritage turkeys. They come in all colors like solid white, white and brown and there are even some black turkeys. Some chefs prize the heritage turkeys for their flavor. The heritage turkeys have less breast meat with longer legs and more thigh meat than the broad breasted domesticated turkey.

The broad breasted domesticated turkey is what we get at the grocery store.

Whichever type turkey you choose to make they are all roasted the same way.

How many pounds feed how many people?

When buying a turkey the average estimated serving is 1 pound per person

• 10 pound turkey will feed 8-10 people
• 12 pound turkey will feed 10-12 people
• 15 pound turkey will feed 12-15 people

If you are wanting leftovers then figure 1 1/2 pounds per person.

So Much for Turkey Talk; Recipe Please

Rule of Thumb for Roasting a Turkey

Roast turkey 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thawing a Frozen Turkey

Place a frozen turkey in the refrigerator 3 days prior to cooking.

Clean the Turkey

Some say cleaning a turkey is not necessary and can be dangerous. Dangerous? That’s what they say and reason so is because of the potential of spreading salmonella within the kitchen.

I prefer to clean my turkey prior to roasting. I do take special precautions to avoid spreading salmonella. After I clean the turkey I wash my hands real good and also clean the sink and surrounding area.

• Gather supplies and place near sink: small saucepan for turkey neck and giblets. Oven bag prepared and opened up as if you are going to place the turkey into the bag.
• Place thawed turkey in clean sink.
• Cut packaging open while in the sink and carefully discard.
• Run cool water over bird. Gently remove any feather quills and make sure skin is smooth.
• Check inside bird cavity for neck and giblet packet. Remove neck and giblets from packet and place in a small saucepan of water. This is used for making a giblet gravy. Recipe to come.
• Transfer clean turkey into oven bag.

Why the Bag?

There are a few recommended essentials for roasting a turkey. Use turkey size oven bags. The bag helps keep the bird from drying out and keeps all the juices contained in one area making it easy for basting and making gravy. I will share a little tip for this in my gravy recipe (recipe to come).

Season the Turkey

Believe it or not, seasoning a turkey is totally optional. I will usually only pepper the outside of the bird and add a sprig of rosemary on top of the breast. To help with keeping the bird moist while cooking I will also score an orange and apple and place in the cavity of the turkey.

Once the turkey is in the bag and you have seasoned it to your liking close the bag using the tie that comes with the oven bag and place the turkey in a roasting pan.

The Roasting Pan

Use a sturdy pan for roasting your turkey. When I first started out I would use the aluminum pans with handles. To tell you the truth I really was not comfortable using the aluminum pan. It seemed just so flimsy plus I was afraid the turkey would fall through the pan.

So now, when I roast a turkey in the oven I use a real roasting pan. I recommend this one as it comes with the tools like the lifting tongs, the turkey baster, meat thermometer, cutting fork and a knife.

Sometimes if I use my roaster oven I don’t use a pan or the oven bags. But, let me tell you I love using the stainless steel roasting pan and bag method because it makes clean-up so easy and if you know me I am all about going the easy route!

Bake Turkey

Bake turkey 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. For example if you have a 10 pound turkey you would bake it for 2.5 hours.

How to Tell When the Turkey Is Done

Some turkeys may come with a pop-up red indicator to let you know when the turkey has reached temperature and is ready to be removed from the oven.

Another way to tell if the turkey is done is by using the meat thermometer and sticking it in a thick part of the bird like deep in the thigh or in the breast (avoid bony areas). When the meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit the bird is done. Anything over that then the bird may end up being too dry and anything under is an indication the bird needs to be cooked longer until temperature reached.

Turkeys Done

Carefully remove roasting pan from oven using oven mitts and place on cutting board or hot pads. Remove plastic tie and allow bird to cool.

Remove orange, apple and rosemary and discard. Once the bird has cooled using the lift tongs remove turkey from bag and place on cutting board. Save the juices in the bag for making gravy (recipe to come).

If you want to show off your turkey prior to slicing place some dressing at the base of the cavity, sprinkle with fresh rosemary and place on a turkey platter. Be sure to get pictures to show your friends!

Slicing the Turkey

I leave the slicing of the turkey to my husband. He uses an electric carving knife for slicing the turkey.

He will start with removing one side of the breast and slice into pieces, then work on the other side of the breast and then he moves to the thighs and legs.

Arrange the meat on a turkey platter like so, serve and enjoy!

I do hope these instructions were helpful in making an oven roasted turkey.

I AM EXCITED YOU ARE VIEWING HOW TO MAKE AN OVEN ROASTED TURKEY RECIPE AND WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOW YOURS TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!

BE SURE TO COME BACK AND GIVE THIS RECIPE SOME STARS AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE IT IN THE COMMENTS.

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