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The Turkey
Are you ready? It's time to prepare the turkey. Please keep in mind that this is just the way that I do it, and you can change anything to do it your own way. Please, if you have any suggestions make sure you post them for others to see. This is just what has worked for me over the past few years so here we go.
Here is what you will need:
A thawed turkey
BUTTER
Salt
Pepper
An Aluminum Pan with handles
Another big aluminum pan or any big roosting pan you have is fine
String and a needle or one of the trussing kits you can buy from the store
Roughly chopped Onions, Carrots, and Celery
Chicken Broth
Your prepared stuffing if you are going to stuff the turkey
Bleach (no I'm not kidding)
BUTTER! Make sure you have lots of butter! Take it out an hour or two before you are going to do the turkey so it can get soft. And as I said earlier you can prepare the turkey the night before, or the day of, whatever you are most comfortable doing.
Get one of those big aluminum pans with the handles, and I always get another aluminum pan that is bigger to put underneath it to catch any excess juice.
Roughly chop up your bunch of celery, carrots and at least 3 onions, set aside I will tell you what to do with it later.
A word of caution. Once you touch the turkey try not to touch much of anything else except the ingredients you are going to use. You don’t want to get turkey bacteria over everything in your kitchen.
OK unwrap the turkey and I suggest you put it in the sink.
Look inside the cavity of the turkey and pull out all of the "yucky" stuff. I do not save any of that stuff some people use it for the gravy, or you could use the neck when you are preparing the broth for your stuffing.
What I do is take the butter and you want to shove it in between the skin of the turkey and the meat. Start at the larger opening up by the breast. Grab the skin and with your other hand push in between the skin and the breast. As you start you will see as you move your hand around in there the skin will loosen. Try to get as much butter in there and over as much of the area even down to the thighs. Its gross I know, but it makes a huge difference.
Once you have done that take more butter and get it spread all over the outside of the turkey, even on the bottom. Then salt and pepper the entire outside of the turkey.
The chopped vegetables? Well if you are not going to stuff the turkey, put them inside of the turkey. If you are going to stuff it, throw the vegetables on the bottom of the pan you are going to put the turkey in. Don’t forget to put the surfing in if your are going to do that. Just do not over stuff it!
Tie that sucker up! The first thing to do is to try to tuck the wings under. I am not sure if this will make sense, but I will try. You want to take the wing and bend them so the are tucked underneath the turkey. Its not the end of the world if you do not do this. Then get your needle and string or trussing kit. I find that by just using a needle it is easier its just like sewing. If you are using string after you thread the needle wet the string with water. Start at the larger opening, there is usually a big old bunch of skin that hangs down. You want to make sure that gets totally tied shut. So just weave in and out and go all the way around. When this is closed take the string and tie it around one of the legs, then to the other and pull, make a knot and whala you are done! Then just pour a little chicken broth over the turkey and it is ready to go. Cover completely, and loosely, with foil. Another trick that you can try is if you have a roosting rack, you can place the turkey breast side down on the rack and cook it that way. I did it one year and it was yummy. The theory is that when the turkey cooks all of the juices go down, and if the turkey is breast side down it will absorb all of the juice and be very juicy and yummy. So you could try that if you wanted to.
How long to cook What temperature?
OK so here are some guidelines for the cooking of the turkey. First thing is keep the foil on the turkey until the last hour, except when basting which you should do every half hour. Check the list below for cooking times and keep in mind they do differ depending upon if your turkey is stuffed or not.
With the oven set to 325°F degrees:
Unstuffed
8 to 12 pounds 2 3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds 4 1/2 to 5 hours
Stuffed
8 to 12 pounds 3 to 3 1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
A whole turkey is done when the temperature in the thickest part of the inner thigh reaches 180°F and the stuffing is 165°F. The juices should run clear (not pink) when a long-tined fork is used to pierce the thickest part of the thigh. Remember that once you take the turkey out of the oven the temperature will rise approximately 10 degrees as it sits so you may want to take the turkey out at 170°F-175°F
Check the internal temperature of the stuffing. Insert the thermometer through the cavity into the thickest part of the stuffing and leave it for 5 minutes. The stuffing temperature will also rise a few degrees after the turkey is removed from the oven. If the center of the stuffing has not reached 165°F after stand time, return the turkey to the oven and continue cooking.
Allow turkey to set 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.
It is not recommended to cook the turkey at a temperature below 325°F. Although I did do that one year. I put the turkey in the oven the night before, at approximately 200°F and let it cook all night, and turned the temperature up for the last hour. No one got sick and I do believe it was one of the best turkeys I ever made. But do this at your own risk!
When its all ready find your carving person and enjoy!
What's the bleach for? After I am done preparing the turkey I fill the sink with hot water, soap, and bleach and clean everything off with that. It’s the best way to ensure you kill all the bacteria.
What to buy and When
Things you can make ahead of time
Preparing the Turkey
The Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
The Table and Beverages
Left-Overs
Favorite Recipes
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