The Best Turkey Ever Recipes

JUICY TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Use an instant read thermometer to test the internal temperature of the turkey to make sure that no part of it is frozen. Internal temperatures should be above 32 degrees F. Remove the turkey from its packaging and place onto a roasting pan. Discard neck and gizzards.
• Fill two plastic sandwich bags with ice. Clip them together and place them on the bird so that the ice can chill both breasts. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then discard ice bags. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
• Starting at the neck cavity, loosen the skin from the breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers and gently pushing between the skin and meat. Place slices of butter in between the skin and the meat.
• In a small bowl, stir together paprika, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Sprinkle over the skin of the entire turkey and rub in to coat.
• Insert an oven safe thermometer probe so that the tip of the probe is in the center of the breast of the turkey. The probe should be inserted from the neck area and be parallel to the roasting pan.
• Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 150-155 degrees. Baste 1 to 2 times if desired.
• Use an instant read thermometer to test different parts of the bird for doneness and to ensure that the breast meat really is 150-155 degrees in the center. The dark meat in the legs should register between 175 and 180 degrees F.
• Once the internal temperatures reach their desired level, let the turkey rest 20 minutes before carving.

THE BEST AND JUICIEST ROAST TURKEY EVER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 F.
• Remove turkey neck and giblets and set aside for your homemade gravy (it is used for the turkey stock).
• Wash and pat dry turkey with paper towels. Place turkey on roasting tray and tuck the wings underneath the turkey.
• Coat the turkey skin both on top and underneath (if possible) generously with olive oil or butter. You can add some chopped herbs (rosemary, thyme and/or sage) on top of the bird as well (optional).
• Insert apple, cinnamon and fresh herbs into the turkey's cavity.
• Roast the turkey on lowest rack for 30 minutes.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 F and roast until the internal temperature of turkey reaches 165 F. You can check the internal temperature by inserting the thickest part of the turkey breast with a cooking thermometer. For a 14-16 pound turkey, this should take approximately 2 to 2.5 hours.
• Remove from oven and loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil. Let turkey rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the turkey drippings and set aside for your gravy.
• Serve and carve!

THE BEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup salt, the sugar and 1 quart water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the peppercorns, thyme, sage and lemon strips. Let steep and cool to room temperature.
• Pour the brine into a large stockpot or bucket and add 3 quarts cold water. Remove the neck and giblets (reserve for gravy) from the turkey and put it into the brine, pushing it down to cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Cook according to your favorite method.

PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
• Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
• Slice the turkey and serve.

A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
• Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
• Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

THE BEST TURKEY EVER

Steps:

• Thaw turkey as directed on packaging.
• Remove giblets from inside.
• Rinse completely inside and out.
• In a container large enough to hold the turkey, mix the water and kosher salt.
• Place cold turkey in solution and allow to soak for 24 hours.
• Be sure to keep it cold, if you can't refrigerate it, add ice throughout the day as needed.
• Remove the turkey from the brine solution.
• To infuse the meat with flavor, fill the cavity of the bird with garlic, leeks, herbs (set aside enough bay leaves to insert under skin later), citrus fruit, onions, apples, carrots, celery, shallots. You won't use all the fruit and veggies you cut during preparation to fill the bird, so don't panic.
• Preheat oven to 450.
• Use a roasting pan with a V-Rack in the pan.
• Fill 1/3 of the pan with apple cider, beer, chicken broth, and any remaining filling for the bird.
• Truss the bird before roasting if not sold that way.
• Insert Bay Leaves under skin all over, as much or as little as you like.
• Rub entire bird with softened butter.
• Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Place turkey on roasting pan.
• This pan will be VERY HEAVY--you may need some strong arms to assist putting in oven!
• Reduce heat to 325.
• Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes per pound, use a digital thermometer, till internal temp reaches 160.
• The temp will rise while the turkey is resting, be sure not to let it rise above 160 while cooking in oven!
• Tent the bird loosely with foil during the first hour of cooking and cover it again if the skin starts getting too brown.
• Baste the turkey every 1/2 hour with more softened butter and the juices in the bottom of the pan. I use an injector about every hour as well.
• After cooking, allow turkey to rest for a half hour before carving.
• ENJOY THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR!

JUICY THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.
• Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
• Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

THE BEST ROAST TURKEY YOU COULD EVER EAT

Steps:

• Rinse the turkey and dry it well. Sprinkle the cavity well with salt. Stuff as desired.
• Rub the softened butter all over the outside of the bird, and sprinkled it lightly with salt.
• Place the turkey on the rack of a large roaster, which has a heavy bottom, pouring about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan.
• Lay the neck and giblets alongside, cover the pan tightly and put it on the large burner on top of the stove. Allow it to boil and then steam gently for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, approximately the same length of time that it would take to roast the same bird. Take care to see the pan does not cook dry.
• When the drumsticks are loosened and the meat thermometer indicates the bird is about done, dribble a bot of soft butter over the skin, sprinkled it with a bit of white sugar and flour and bang it into a 350*F oven to brown while theaccompanying vegetables are cooking on top of the stove.
• The drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan will be a rich dark brown. Skim off any fat and then use them to make a rich gravy.