Roast Turkey 101 will help you with all the questions you need answered (2024)

Whether you are roasting a whole turkey for the holidays, a family gathering, or just because you are craving sandwiches made from the leftovers, there are many things to consider before getting started. This is why I am talking about Roast Turkey 101 today.

We have for you a few tips to cooking the best Thanksgiving turkey for your family over the holidays. Cooking a delicious, moist and succulent turkey doesn’t have to be complicated.

There are just a few steps that should be taken to ensure you get the right turkey, prepare it properly and follow food safety guidelines.

These are your basic instructions, nothing fancy here. This recipe and post will help the first time cook have a successful meal.

There are more ways to cook a turkey than I can even guess. I have tried many of them. The one question is to brine or not to brine, I leave that for another post.

I have done a bird where I baste it every half hour or done in wine-soaked cheesecloth or wrapped in bacon. We have smoked them, roasted low, roasted high.

The list is endless in things to try. For this post though I kept it simple and didn’t even stuff the turkey.

This post is all about basically just how to buy, thaw, roast and serve a turkey. It will be a good go-to though as we all forget the basics sometimes as this is not something that is cooked everyday.

Buying a Turkey

There are around seven different varieties of whole turkey. Organic, heritage, free-range, Kosher, natural, fresh or frozen, are your choices. While frozen is usually the cheapest and easiest to find at your local supermarket, you will need to purchase it ahead of time. You need to allow for quite a bit of time to thaw in the refrigerator.

When it comes to purchasing your turkey, it is a good idea to follow a general rule of thumb. Be sure to purchase at least 1 pound of turkey per guest to allow for leftovers and seconds.

For example, if you are having 10 guests for your holiday get together, you will want to purchase 10-12-pound turkey. You know your guests best though so buy the size that you feel perfectly suits your needs.

Defrosting a Turkey

The safest method to defrost your turkey is to set it in a large roasting pan inside your fridge for 24 hours per every 5 lbs of turkey.

You will need to ensure that you have enough room in the fridge, because this can take several days to be effective. If you have a 20 lb. turkey you will need 4 days to thaw it.

You will know that your turkey is fully thawed when there are no longer any ice particles inside the cavity. If the turkey is still hard, it requires more time to thaw.

It is important to ensure that your turkey is fully thawed prior to cooking, because if it’s still frozen in spots, the recommended cooking time will not be enough to thoroughly cook the turkey. This will risk food borne illness.

Never defrost a turkey at room temperature.

How to Roast a Turkey

The key to roasting a perfect Thanksgiving turkey in the oven is the temperature. Starting uncovered on a high heat is a great idea.

You will want a crisp exterior and juicy, moist inside. Remove giblets, season with salt and pepper inside and out, and stuff with things like an onion, lemon, garlic cloves and herbs. Do not over stuff or you will have undercooked turkey on the inside.

You will need a large roasting pan for the turkey and preferably with a rack. This a good investment to make along with a gravy separator and large turkey forks to remove the bird from the pan.

Keep your Thermoworks instant read thermometer handy to make sure that the bird reaches a safe internal temperature between 165F for the breast and 180F for the thigh.

Cooking time will vary. You don’t want to cook your turkey for an allotted time but to the correct temperature.

Once your turkey has finished cooking, transfer to a cutting board and tent with aluminum foil to allow it to rest for 20 min. Save the juices from the bottom of the pan to make a delicious gravy.

How to Roast a Turkey Breast

This is one of my favorite things to do. We have a small family so unless we are having company I sometimes don’t want to do an entire bird. Doing a roast turkey breast can be very satisfying and leaves you with little clean up afterwards as compared to cooking the entire bird.

Here is my recipe for Stuffed Roasted Turkey Breast, it is a tried and tested winner. We brine the breast first so that it will never be dry.

We get a large breast that is 3-4 lbs. or at times we have got two breasts. This is solid meat so they do feed more than you would calculate for a turkey.

Cooking a turkey doesn’t have to be difficult, just make sure that you choose the right bird, the right size and allow it to properly defrost prior to cooking. In no time you will be enjoying a delicious turkey dinner, and amazing leftovers the next day.

Didn’t find what you need here? Leave a question and I will be happy to find the answer for you.

Roast Turkey Recipe

1. Remove the giblets from the turkey and set aside. Place your cleaned and dried turkey on the rack of a roasting pan. Salt and pepper on the inside of the turkey. Make up a bouquet garni of the herbs that you would like to use. During the holidays a pack of herbs like this is available at the grocery store. I used sage, thyme, and rosemary. Preheat the oven to 450F.

You may want to truss the turkey but for the one I got its legs were neatly tucked in so it wasn’t necessary. I do always tuck the wings back and under though. This keeps them from burning.

2. Place your bouquet garni inside the turkey along with cloves of garlic (no need to peel), and half an onion or lemon. Do not overstuff, less is better here.

3. Rub the outside of the bird with good quality olive oil. Season the outside of the bird with salt and pepper and herbs. I like to use Herbs de Provence for this but a poultry seasoning that is not too fine would work too. Pour a 10 oz. can of chicken broth and a can of water into the roasting pan.

Roast Turkey

4. Put the turkey into the oven and immediately drop the temperature in the oven to 350F. Cook roughly 15-18 min. per pound. This is where you never cook a chicken, turkey or roast to a specific time but to a specific temperature. The temperature should read165F for the breast and 180F for the thigh.

Baste the turkey two or three times while baking and replace the water/broth as needed. You want to end with about 10 oz. of fluid/drippings (not counting the fat) when you are done.

5. While the turkey cooks, fill a medium sized pot with water to half way and add the neck and giblets. Top with roughly chopped onion, carrots and celery. Place this on the stove to simmer while the turkey roasts. This will be used later for the gravy.

6. Pull your perfectly done roast turkey out and let it rest. Place it on a cutting board and cover it with tin foil for 20 min. while you make the gravy.

Turkey Gravy

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7. Pour the drippings into a gravy separator. This is an invaluable item for making the best gravy. You pour out all the lovely drippings and then stop at the fat. Strain the veggies and giblets from the broth and set aside 2 cups of broth.

8. Melt 4 Tbsp. butter into a medium pan. Whisk in 5 Tbsp. flour, cook and stir for 1 min. Slowly add in the pan drippings while whisking and stop before the fat starts to come out of the separator.

9. Whisk in the 2 cups of hot turkey broth. Season with salt and pepper and bring up to a simmer to thicken. Sometimes I add in a Tbsp. or two of sherry but that is optional.

10. Carve up the turkey and serve with the gravy.

Roast Turkey 101