Roasting the Thanksgiving Turkey

The Turkey

I now get 13lb turkeys because Chris smokes the other two. However, I used to get a 26lb turkey and roast it covered in a very slow oven. It turns out extremely moist, I’ve written down the times and temperatures for both. We eat in the evening at 6 p.m. but you can recalculate if you eat at midday.

I generally pick up the turkey on Tuesday, I might prepare the turkey the night before, but make sure the stuffing is completely cooled before placing inside the turkey.

A whole turkey requires 15 minutes to prepare for roasting.
Prepare stuffing separately a day ahead, keep stuffing in a covered casserole in the refrigerator. You can stuff the turkey, but you can also bake the stuffing with the turkey during the last hour of roasting time.
Refrigerate turkey below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
A frozen turkey can be kept in a freezer for up to a year, so long as it is in its original wrapper and has never been defrosted.

To thaw a turkey, there is no hurry, place the turkey in its original wrapping in the refrigerator. Allow 24 hours per 7 pounds to completely thaw.
Or for a faster thaw, place turkey in its original wrapping in sink and cover with cold water. Allow about half an hour per pound of turkey to completely thaw. Change water every 30 minutes. Refrigerate or cook once turkey is thawed. Never re-freeze a defrosted turkey.

The best size is about 13 lbs for a turkey, this is good for about 10 people and leftovers the next few days. I buy two 13 pound turkeys for 20 people.
If you are having 30 to 35 people, and only one oven, then you need a large turkey weighing 28 lbs.
I’ll give you the directions for both sizes.
I generally order the fresh turkey(s) from Nichols a month ahead and arrange to pick up on Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Make sure you have all the ingredients needed ahead of time.
You will need heavy duty wide length silver foil, turkey pins, a large roasting pan, kitchen string for trussing, Pam spray, 1/2 cup butter, 1 package of bacon.


Ingredients for the stuffing

1 package croutons
1 pound Gianelli sweet sausage
1 stalk celery chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Campbell’s)
1 package slivered almonds

Directions for stuffing

Remove the casing from the sausage, break up the sausage meat and saute in two batches in a pan.
Mix all the ingredients together and place in the refrigerator covered.
This can be made the day before.
Never stuff the turkey until the stuffing is completely cooled.

To Prepare the Turkey:
Remove the neck from the breast cavity and the giblets from the neck cavity. Rinse the outside and inside of turkey with water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Rub cavities with salt and pepper, stuff both cavities with the cooled stuffing.
Secure the ends with pins, using string, tie up the turkey (known as trussing the turkey) so that the legs and wings are secure to the sides of the turkey.
Rub the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup butter sliced into chunks on top of the turkey, then cover the whole turkey with strips of bacon.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan and cover with silver foil, so that the foil is slightly tented, but tightly sealed so that no air escapes.

Turkey done this way is moist and tasty every time,

For a 13 pound turkey....
To eat at 6 p.m.......
9:30 a.m. preheat the oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
10 a.m place turkey in oven.
3:00 p.m. turn oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, keep turkey covered.
4:30 p.m. remove foil, brush turkey with butter, turn oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5:00 p.m. remove turkey from oven  and let stand for one hour before carving.

For a 26 - 28 pound turkey
To eat at 2 p.m. a large turkey is started the night before, well really in the early morning! Preheat oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit at 12:30 p.m. night before.
1:00 a.m. place turkey in oven covered
7:00 a.m. turn oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, keep turkey covered
12:30 p.m. remove foil, brush turkey with butter, turn oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
1:00 p.m. remove turkey from oven and let stand for one hour before carving.

For 26-28 pound turkey
To eat at 6 p.m.
7:00 a.m. place turkey in oven covered at 275 degrees Fahrenheit
1:00 p.m. turn oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, keep turkey covered.
4:30 p.m. remove foil, brush turkey with butter, turn oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
5:00 p.m. remove turkey from oven and let stand for one hour before carving.