How is your Thanksgiving turkey cooked?

[Searc]

Holy moly...that recipe is serious cooking. It sounds amazing though!

Other than making turkey stock, that's how most people brine/roast a turkey.

 

[Kitty 34]

If I were to make a 5-9 lb frozen turkey, how long and at what temp would I put that in the oven for after thawing? I’ll be using an oven bag if that makes a difference

Haley, I find the oven bag makes it so easy. Directions are in the box the bags come in. You should have no problems at all! Enjoy

 

[sksjasams]

If I were to make a 5-9 lb frozen turkey, how long and at what temp would I put that in the oven for after thawing? I’ll be using an oven bag if that makes a difference

There is a time chart in the cooking bag box. The bags make the cooking time significantly shorter, so do not go based on time charts on the internet.

 

[sksjasams]

Haley, I find the oven bag makes it so easy. Directions are in the box the bags come in. You should have no problems at all! Enjoy

Yes! I missed this repsonse when I was typing my reply...

 

[Wood Nymph]

I stuff my turkey and bake it upside down (breast side down). The white meat comes out very moist this way and the dark meat gets thoroughly cooked.

 

[Haley R]

Haley, I find the oven bag makes it so easy. Directions are in the box the bags come in. You should have no problems at all! Enjoy

There is a time chart in the cooking bag box. The bags make the cooking time significantly shorter, so do not go based on time charts on the internet.

Awesome! Thank you both! Dh and I just moved away from our hometown this year so this is our first thanksgiving on our own

 

[Praying Colonel]

We prefer white meat so we'll often just do a couple of turkey breasts according to this Ina Garten recipe.

If we're doing a whole turkey, I spatchcock it, put a rub on it and sit it in the fridge overnight, then cook it the next morning.

 

[_19disnA]

There used to be a recipe that a lot of people used and I actually did it a few times. But I am pretty sure it’s taking a chance of the possibility of food borne illness. You had to do it the night before.

But you had to use a roaster with a tight lid. Salt the turkey well, put a whole apple, a quartered onion and a couple of stalks of celery in the cavity. Put the turkey in the roastter and put in some chicken broth. Heat your oven to 4:50 and cook the turkey for one hour. Then turn off the oven and do not open it. Leave the turkey over night and the next morning it was done.

I would NEVER recommend doing that, sounds like a way to make a lot of people ill. Reputable food websites ALL say to promptly refrigerate cooked leftover turkey no more then 2 hrs after the meal is over. Leaving it overnight in your oven at room temp is TERRIBLE idea even if your oven happens to cook it completely. Ovens are designed/calibrated for use then they are ON, cooking with the oven turned OFF isn't recommended for any type of food. Every oven cools at a different rate so even the beef recipes I have seen using this method can produce unpredictable results.

I cook a stuffed whole turkey covered in the oven @ 325 until about the last 45 minutes, then uncover to brown the skin. All of the major brands of turkeys have websites with lots of good/basic cooking information for those who have never done this before.

 

[maltdizzy]

We eat at my parent's house. My dad smokes a turkey breast and deep frys a whole turkey. Both always turn out fantastic.

That is what we do...

I inject and deep fry 2 turkeys (10-12 lbs) and then smoke a breast. We only host 7 (including us), so there are a lot of leftovers we send home with others, but it's just not cost efficient to fry one bird (I offer to fry anyone else's, but never get any takers). My mama brings gravy (since neither frying nor smoking lend themselves to gravy).

And my mashed taters are seasoned with horseradish.

 

[luvsJack]

I would NEVER recommend doing that, sounds like a way to make a lot of people ill. Reputable food websites ALL say to promptly refrigerate cooked leftover turkey no more then 2 hrs after the meal is over. Leaving it overnight in your oven at room temp is TERRIBLE idea even if your oven happens to cook it completely. Ovens are designed/calibrated for use then they are ON, cooking with the oven turned OFF isn't recommended for any type of food. Every oven cools at a different rate so even the beef recipes I have seen using this method can produce unpredictable results.

I cook a stuffed whole turkey covered in the oven @ 325 until about the last 45 minutes, then uncover to brown the skin. All of the major brands of turkeys have websites with lots of good/basic cooking information for those who have never done this before.

Like I said, a lot of people used to do it this way and but I do think there is a good possibility of food borne illness from it. When I used the method, it was our turkey at home for "leftovers". And it never made any of the 4 of us sick. My sister in law did her turkey this way for years and she has yet to make anyone sick. But I wasn't recommending it and I made that clear, you have to follow the instructions to the letter for it to work and that causes too many chances for messing it up.

I know how ovens work and all the food safety rules. Like, all of them, LOL. I had to take several food safety courses for work. The courses don't always agree with the "reputable" sites but pretty close. There are more variables than just a hard fast "rule".

The idea behind it is the oven stays hot for quite some time, as long as you do not open it; so its not going from 450 to 0. The oven would still be pretty warm the next morning (but probably not as hot as it should be) and honestly the turkey itself in the tight lidded roaster, would be hot. The turkey was not sitting at room temp, either way. But, again, I don't do this now nor would I honestly tell someone to use this method.

Remember that for years and years, our mothers and grandmothers cooked turkeys at a low temp for a lot of hours. I remember my mom getting up at like 2 am and putting the turkey in at some low temp (below 325 for sure). Now, we are told not to do that and I get why. But those were the best turkeys. Not all dried out like can easily happen today. The method I mentioned sort of follows that same theory you just don't have to be up at some horrible time of the morning to do it. But just like we now are told not to cook the bird the way they did back then, this method would be down that same route.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ My point was for the novice cook who might not know any better and tries this method. Everyone can do whatever they choose, but realize food safety experts would never recommend that method of cooking. Modern ovens will gradually return to room temp a few hours after they are shut off due to general heat loss.

 

[disneychrista]

Usually when this happens it’s because the turkey hasn’t been fully thawed.

I’m sure that was the case. If I ever make turkey again I’ll stick to just the breast. It’s all any of us eat anyway.

 

[MrsPete]

I can cook a turkey in a multitude of ways!

 

[design_mom]

My MIL cooks the turkey for our thanksgiving. She does it unstuffed in an aluminum pan. I think she has used the bag before, but more often she tents it with foil.

I am not a big fan of hot roasted turkey though (I do like the cold leftovers on sandwiches). I think I effectively removed myself from consideration of ever hosting Thanksgiving by once saying that if I host, we're going to serve something *I'm* thankful for, and it isn't turkey! (I'm trying to figure out how to get myself invited to @Carol_'s house. I like her style!)

 

[soccerdad72]

We stuff our bird and cook it in an electric roaster - as long as we don't get too large of a bird, it's always worked well. The one year it didn't cook was because we got a bigger turkey than would fit in the roasting oven and the lid never fully sealed.

 

[NYCgrrl]

If I were to make a 5-9 lb frozen turkey, how long and at what temp would I put that in the oven for after thawing? I’ll be using an oven bag if that makes a difference

I have never been able to find a 5-9 lb bird but it would be great for a small gathering with little to no leftovers; smallest I can normally find is 13 lbs.

Since ovens are so rarely calibrated for constant heat (hence the problem with uneven baking/roasting) I don't depend on listed times except to organize my time in a general way.

Around this time of year I find the 15 to 25 bucks a digital thermometer probe costs to be well spent. Just stick the probe in the thickest part of the breast and set the temperature to 161 degrees F. Get one with an audible alarm so you don't need to constantly look at the digital readout or worse keep opening the oven.

AB made a great vid on turkey basics that I always find of use:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271
Since you are braising the bird in an oven bag put the probe thru one of the slits you are making to keep it from bursting. Pay no attention to anything that says cook the bird over 161 degrees as you'll have dry white meat that's chewy and over cooked. AB also discusses that in greater detail w/i one of his videos that you can find on youtube.

HTH

 

[L&Lfan]

I rarely season a bird the same way and through the decades have used a variety of cooking methods. Depends on my guest list, how many guests, and how adventurous I'm feeling.

One of my favorites when hosting a buffet is to debone the legs and fill with stuffing so they slice like a turkey roll/roulade. A hotel breast resting a top a bed of stuffing gives more dark meat as well as white. Removing the wishbone again allows for easier slicing. Nice for a family meal and a boon to those who have problems carving the roast (yes I'm talking about one of my BILs and the man) neatly.

Wet brined small turkeys (average weight 13 lbs) lets me cook two birds in the stove's oven and another in the microwave convection oven . After brining no matter what seasoning use I generally air dry the birds on a rack in a cooler for a few days so the skin will be crispy. Perfect when hosting 20 or more guests.

Making a turkey breast roulade is nice when the meal is traveling to another destination with limited plates and eating utensils. Then I stuff it with the side dishes as well as cornbread stuffing. Looks pretty when cut into.

Deep fried a bird once on a campground. One and done.

Did a turkducken once with a group of people. Never again, LOL. For starters I dislike cooking with people who stand around waiting for you to tell them what to do. Guess I'm really a kitchen loner.

Upside down, right side up, laying on it's side but I haven't basted a bird in donkey years since I learned to douse a few layers of cheesecloth in wine, stock, whatever and lay it atop the breast until almost the end. A foil triangle over each thigh keeps that area from browning too fast as well.

I tend to save oven space for sides and/or dessert and serve the bird(s) room temp or warmed over a heating tray tented with foil. Normally, all the meat is cooked by at least the day before so I always make sure the gravy is piping hot. Always somebody who wants the meat hot as well so I direct them to the paper plates and nuker that I moved out the kitchen into a corner of the dining room.

NYCgrrl, just wanted to say something I’ve wanted to say for a long time. Your posts are a true delight! You must be a blast to have as a friend!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I’m sure that was the case. If I ever make turkey again I’ll stick to just the breast. It’s all any of us eat anyway.

For a number of years only cooked turkey breast (we're a "white meat only" family). But the cost difference between only purchasing a breast vs a whole turkey is just too big. I'm back to cooking a whole turkey and throwing away the dark meat.

 

[Haley R]

I have never been able to find a 5-9 lb bird but it would be great for a small gathering with little to no leftovers; smallest I can normally find is 13 lbs.

Since ovens are so rarely calibrated for constant heat (hence the problem with uneven baking/roasting) I don't depend on listed times except to organize my time in a general way.

Around this time of year I find the 15 to 25 bucks a digital thermometer probe costs to be well spent. Just stick the probe in the thickest part of the breast and set the temperature to 161 degrees F. Get one with an audible alarm so you don't need to constantly look at the digital readout or worse keep opening the oven.

AB made a great vid on turkey basics that I always find of use:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271
Since you are braising the bird in an oven bag put the probe thru one of the slits you are making to keep it from bursting. Pay no attention to anything that says cook the bird over 161 degrees as you'll have dry white meat that's chewy and over cooked. AB also discusses that in greater detail w/i one of his videos that you can find on youtube.

HTH

Target shows on their website that they have a 5-9 lb frozen turkey

 

[RedAngie]

Boneless pre-cooked turkey breast. Either refrigerated or frozen. Just reheat. I don't deal with bones, carcasses, or any of that nasty crap anymore.