Easy Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

EASY ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot large enough to fit the turkey, stir together 2 gallons (7.5 L) of water and 2 1/2 cups (128 g) kosher salt. Submerge the turkey in the brine. Refrigerate for 10 to 12 hours.
• When the turkey is done brining, drain the water and pat dry. Place the turkey onto a roasting pan with a roasting rack.
• In a small bowl, mash together the softened butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, minced garlic, lemon zest, sea salt and black pepper.
• Use your hands under the skin of the turkey to separate the skin from the meat underneath. (Be careful not to tear the skin.)
• Spread half of the butter all over the turkey underneath the skin. Spread the other half over the skin all over.
• Position the oven rack on a low position, so that there is enough room for the turkey. The top of the turkey should end up just slightly higher than the middle when placed in the oven later. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees F).
• Place the turkey in the oven and roast. Check the roasted turkey time chart in the blog post for the amount of time to roast without foil and the remaining time with foil. For a 12 lb turkey, that's 45 minutes uncovered followed by about 2 1/4 hours covered. To cover, tent the top of the turkey with foil, shiny side out, making sure no turkey is peeking out, and return to the oven.
• Check that the roasted turkey is done with a meat thermometer - it should read 165 degrees for the safest option. For the most juicy turkey, aim for 150-155 degrees, and then cover in foil immediately after removing from the oven. Let the turkey rest, covered in foil, for about 20 minutes to come up to 165 to 170 degrees before serving.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY RECIPE (EASY ROAST TURKEY)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F and adjust oven rack to middle-lowest position. Remove the turkey from the fridge 15 minutes before cooking.
• Take the giblets and neck out of the turkey cavity(s) and rinse the turkey inside and out with cool water. Pat the outside of the turkey dry with paper towels. Remove any excess fatty skin and/or pinfeathers.
• Set a metal roasting rack in the roasting pan and spray the pan and rack with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter; set aside.
• Set the turkey, breast-side up, in the metal rack, and liberally salt (do NOT salt if using a brined turkey) and pepper the entire turkey, inside and out. Stuff the cavities with lemon halves, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary and onion quarters. Tie the turkey legs together with string.
• Brush the outside of the turkey with melted butter.
• Turn the turkey breast-side down and continue brushing with the melted butter.
• Roast the turkey at 400°F for 20 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and continue cooking it another 2½-3 hours or until the juices run clear when cut between leg and the thigh. The internal temperature of the breasts should read 160°F and the legs/wings should register 178°F-180°F on an instant-read meat thermometer.
• Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to a large cutting board placed over a towel (to catch drippings) and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest 20 minutes. Carve and serve.
• Enjoy!

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.

WORLD'S SIMPLEST THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity; ditch the liver and save the rest of the giblets for gravy. Dry the turkey with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill the turkey with aromatics like chopped onions, carrots, apples and herbs, then place breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10- to 12-pound turkey; add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds). Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 425 degrees F. Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Let rest while you make the gravy.

ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine the water, apple juice, salt, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, dried rosemary, and orange peel in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat immediately, cover, and allow mixture to come to room temperature. Cool mixture in the fridge until you're ready.
• To brine the turkey, remove the turkey from wrapper, remove interior bags (set aside; refrigerate), and rinse turkey thoroughly under cool water.
• Place the turkey into a plastic brining bag or a very large pot.
• Pour the cooled brine mixture over the top, adding extra cold water if you need more to completely cover the turkey. Seal the bag or cover the pot and allow the turkey to brine in the refrigerator for 16 to 24 hours before roasting.
• Before roasting, remove the turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Then soak in a sink full of fresh water for 15 to 20 minutes. Pat dry. Discard brine. (This soaking process will decrease the likelihood of too-salty gravy).
• Preheat the oven 275 degrees F.
• Truss the bird and place it breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Cover the turkey tightly with heavy-duty foil. Make sure it's entirely covered (cover over the bottom edges of the pan). Place in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes per pound (a 20 pound turkey will roast for about 3 1/2 hours).
• Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the aluminum foil and set aside. Mix the softened butter with the rosemary and orange zest and rub all over the skin of the turkey, covering every single inch of the skin. Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, near the hip joint. Place the turkey, uncovered, back into the oven. Continue roasting the turkey, basting with butter every 30 minutes, until the thermometer registers 170 degrees F and until the juices are no longer pink.
• Remove from the oven and cover with foil until you are ready to carve and serve. Reserve pan juices to make gravy.

"A PIECE OF TURKEY" EASY ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Ask your butcher to cut the turkey into pieces: legs, thighs and wings separate and an attached double breast. Put the pieces skin-side up on a wire-racked roasting pan and thoroughly rub the kosher salt under and over the skin. Leave lightly covered in the fridge for 2 days, but as all dry-brining methods go, uncover for the last 6 to 8 hours to "dry out" the skin.
• When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put the turkey pieces skin-side up in the roasting pan (no rack), then arrange the celery, onions, herbs and garlic in between the pieces. Season with freshly cracked pepper and dot everything, especially the turkey skin, with tablespoon-size pats of butter.
• Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to cook until the breast registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let rest, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes before serving.
• I recommend traditionally carving the breast, hand-shredding the thighs and serving the other pieces on the side.

ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove the turkey from its packaging and remove the bags with the neck and giblets from the cavity. Rinse the neck and giblets and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge; you'll need them for the gravy. Rinse the turkey thoroughly with cold water. Place the turkey into a large brining bag or pot. Pour in My Favorite Turkey Brine and place in the fridge for 16 to 18 hours so the brine can work its magic.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse thoroughly, inside and out. Soak the turkey in cold water for 15 minutes, then rinse again and pat dry.
• Truss the bird or tuck the legs and wings however you like. Place the bird, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Cover the whole pan, tenting the bird, with heavy-duty foil so that it's well sealed. Place in the oven and roast the turkey for about 10 minutes per pound. (So, for a 20-pound turkey, about 3 1/2 hours; for a 15-pound turkey, about 2 1/2 hours.) Note: There will still be more cooking time after this, but it'll be at a different temperature.
• When it's time to remove the turkey from the oven, mix together the butter, rosemary and orange zest. Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the foil and set aside. (Put stuffing in the bird if you wish at this point.) Rub the butter mixture all over the skin of the turkey, getting in the crevices. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thigh, near the hip joint. Place the turkey, uncovered, back into the oven and continue roasting, basting/brushing with the juices in the pan every 30 minutes, until the thermometer registers 165 degrees F and until the juices no longer run pink. This will take another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the bird.
• Remove from the oven and cover lightly with foil until you are ready to carve.
• Combine the water, cider, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, orange strips and rosemary in a large pot. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Allow to cool completely before placing in the fridge to chill.

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.