Overnight Turkey Recipes

NO-BASTE, NO-BOTHER ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Adjust the oven racks so the covered roasting pan fit easily inside. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Rub the butter on the outside and in the cavity of the turkey. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on the inside and the outside of the turkey. Put the celery, onion and carrot in the cavity. Place the turkey, breast-side up, in a large roasting pan. Pour the boiling water into the pan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and put the pan in the oven.
• Start a timer when the oven temperature returns to 500 degrees F. Bake for exactly 1 hour and turn off the oven. Do not open the oven door! Leave the turkey in the oven until the oven completely cools; this may take 4 to 6 hours. Reserve the pan juices and refrigerate the turkey if it will not be served soon after roasting.

OVERNIGHT TURKEY

Steps:

• SAFETY NOTE: This method is designed for turkeys cooked ONLY in heavy-duty roasters with roaster lids, such as the old blue enameled ones. This method is NOT designed for use with semi-translucent oven roasting bags, uncovered roasters, or turkeys covered with aluminum foil, as they may not retain a high enough heat for long enough to complete the cooking process.
• Remove all internal organs from both ends of the turkey.
• I usually cook these in a pot to make broth (strained, of course) for my dressing, discarding the organs after cooking. If you make giblet gravy, chop and include these cooked organs in your gravy.
• Rinse and drain turkey. Spread seasonings of your choice all over the turkey, inside and out.
• Put the onion, celery and garlic cloves inside the turkey, along with several bay leaves.
• Place turkey, breast side up, in a HEAVY-DUTY roaster and cover with roaster lid.
• Look on the outside of the bag in which you bought the turkey.
• Find the baking chart and the size of your turkey.
• Here is how to calculate the length of time to cook your turkey: Use the chart on the turkey bag, (using 13 lb. turkey as example).
• If it says cook 4 hours at 325 degrees, DIVIDE THE RECOMMENDED COOKING TIME IN HALF (4/2=2 hours) and ADD 30 MINUTES.
• Thus, the cooking time for this example would be 2-1/2 hours at THEIR recommended temperature of 325 degrees.
• Cooking time for a larger turkey would be calculated in the same manner.
• When cooking time is up, DO NOT open oven door.
• No Peeking! This will lower the oven temperature.
• Turn oven OFF and leave covered roaster in the oven until morning OR 6+ hours, removing roaster while it is still nice and warm.
• When you open the roaster, the turkey will be falling off the bones, and ever sooo moist.
• NOTE:If you have any question about the turkey reaching the safe internal temperature of 170 degrees, insert one of those new thermometers that let you put a temperature probe through the side of the oven door and into the turkey.
• Set timer to alert you when it reaches 170 degrees.
• My alert goes off every time, so I know this method is cooking the turkey safely.
• NOTE: If you like an even moister turkey, soak it in a brine/buttermilk solution for several hours before roasting.
• Or you can use an injector to inject liquid seasoned marinade into the turkey meat before cooking.
• SAFETY NOTE: Once the turkey reaches room temperature, it should be served or refrigerated.

THE SIMPLEST ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove any feathers and quills with pliers (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others).
• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly in turkey cavities and all over skin. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired, secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.
• Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F). Cut off and discard string from turkey.
• For a stuffed turkey:
• Twelve cups of stuffing will fill both cavities and leave you extra to bake separately. Just before roasting, spoon room-temperature stuffing loosely (stuffing expands as it cooks) into the neck (smaller) cavity. Fold the neck skin underneath the body and secure with a small metal skewer. Then loosely fill the body (larger) cavity, and tie drumsticks together. If you don't want any stuffing to spill out, cover the opening with a slice of fresh bread, tucking it inside the cavity before tying the drumsticks. Follow roasting directions above. (Timing for a stuffed bird may be slightly longer, but start checking the temperature at 1 3/4 hours.) Immediately transfer stuffing from body cavity to a shallow baking dish (separate from one for stuffing baked outside the turkey). Take temperature of stuffing in neck cavity and if less than 165°F, add it to the baking dish. Bake (covered for a moist stuffing or uncovered for a crisp top) until it reaches a minimum of 165°F. This can take 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oven, which you may have lowered to reheat side dishes.
• For a roast turkey breast:
• The same method used above can be applied to a whole turkey breast (instead of the entire bird). For a 6- to 8-pound breast (with skin and bone), reduce amount of salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons and pepper to 3/4 teaspoon. Use a V-rack instead of a flat rack. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted in thickest part of each breast half (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 30 minutes (temperature in breast will rise to between 175°F and 180°F). (For a grilled turkey option, see Grilled Whole Turkey.)

MARINATED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine the first 7 ingredients; set aside and refrigerate 1 cup for basting. Place 1 oven roasting bag inside the other. Place turkey inside inner bag; pour in remaining marinade. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible; turn to coat turkey. Place in a shallow roasting pan. Refrigerate overnight, turning several times., Remove turkey; drain and discard marinade. , Prepare grill for indirect medium heat. Tuck wings under turkey and arrange breast side down on grill rack. Grill, covered, for 1 hour. , If using a charcoal grill, add 10 briquettes to coals; turn the turkey. Baste with reserved marinade. Cook, covered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, adding 10 briquettes to maintain heat and brushing with marinade every 30 minutes until thermometer inserted in thigh reads 170°. Remove turkey from grill; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. , Conventional roasting method: Follow steps for marinating turkey overnight. Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a large roaster. Bake, uncovered, 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in a thigh reads 170°. Baste frequently with reserved marinade. When turkey begins to brown, cover lightly with a tent of aluminum foil. Remove turkey from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy; serve with turkey.

ULTIMATE TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir salt and sugar into the water until dissolved; bring water again to a boil. Add cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme to the water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook mixture at a simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Refrigerate brine until completely cooled.

PERFECT TURKEY

Steps:

• Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
• Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
• Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.