Moms Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

MOM'S THANKSGIVING TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Thirty-five minutes before you need to start roasting the turkey, set out a large roasting pan with a rack. Take the turkey out of the fridge and remove the wrapping. Remove the plastic ring from the turkey legs. There is no need to rinse the turkey, unless there is any ice remaining inside the cavities. If so, rinse the cavity to loosen the ice so you can remove it.
• Check both cavities of the turkey to remove the bag of giblets and the neck. Either save the neck for stock or discard it. Pat the turkey and cavities dry and place the turkey on the rack in your pan. Wash your hands well.
• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and make sure there is room for the turkey on the center rack with nothing above it. Rinse and dry your orange and lemon. Cut them in half, then in half again. Peel your onion and quarter it. Peel your garlic and leave the cloves whole. Set a couple tablespoons of butter next to your turkey.
• Add salt and pepper to the turkey's large cavity. (If you'll be using salted butter, just lightly sprinkle the cavity with salt.) Stuff the cavity with the quartered orange, lemon, and onion. Add the garlic cloves.
• Rub two tablespoons of butter all over the outside of the turkey. You can place some under the skin if there's extra. Tuck the wings under the shoulders so the tips won't burn during roasting. Wash your hands well.
• To make the basting sauce, melt a stick of butter (8 tablespoons) in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock and a cup of white wine. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Peel two garlic cloves and add them to the pan, along with the pepper. Whisk to combine and cook until it's heated through.
• Pour half of the basting sauce all over the turkey. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and place the turkey in the heated oven. Set a timer for 3 hours (or 13 minutes per pound). Set a second timer for 45 minutes, because you will be basting the turkey every 45 minutes. The sauce can stay at room temperature for up to two hours. Refrigerate it at that point and reheat it on the stove before basting again.
• Every 45 minutes, take the turkey out of the oven and quickly close the door so the heat won't escape. Baste the turkey with some basting sauce (if you don't have a turkey baster, just spoon some of the sauce over the turkey.) If the pan juices are getting dried out, add some water to the pan. Cover the turkey loosely with foil and continue baking.
• Remove the foil during the last hour of roasting, so the skin can brown.
• Use an instant thermometer to check for doneness. The turkey needs to reach 165 degrees F to be fully cooked. Check the temperature of the breast, a drumstick and thigh to make sure they're all at least 165 degrees. If the temperature is less than that, roast the turkey for another 15 minutes or so.
• When the turkey is done, place it on a cutting board and loosely cover it with foil. Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes to let the meat absorb the juices.
• While the turkey is resting, make the gravy. Melt five tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute while whisking.
• Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1/2 cup water to the saucepan. Whisk to combine. Add your Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk constantly as the gravy cooks.
• To thicken the gravy, add a teaspoon of corn starch to a tiny bowl. Spoon some of the gravy over the corn starch and whisk to combine. Add this mixture to your saucepan of gravy and continue whisking until the gravy thickens. Keep in mind, it will thicken further when it cools.
• Carve the turkey and serve with gravy. Store leftover turkey and gravy separately in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

MY MOM'S PERFECT THANKSGIVING STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, combine the bag of bread cubes with Pepperidge Farm herbed seasoned stuffing.
• 2. In a frying pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sautée onions, green pepper, and celery (or celery seed) until all is softened and translucent.
• 3. Pour melted butter and vegetables over all bread cubes and crumbs.
• 4. Mix in the two beaten eggs. Toss.
• 5. Add: 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning 2 Tbsp Dried Parsley 1 Tsp Oregano Toss again.
• 6. Now pour chicken broth over all of the mixture making sure that stuffing is ALMOST wet. You want it to be more than damp, but not downright wet so that stuffing doesn't dry out while inside turkey baking. (You can judge if stuffing is becoming too wet, just reserve the rest of the broth if not needed. Many people like to use milk, but I find that it causes it to have a bland flavor. The chicken broth is the secret to excellent flavor, here.)
• 7. Toss once again, making sure all bread is well coated with all ingredients.
• 8. Stuff the turkey, packing tightly, but not too tightly (as in "don't really jam it in there") at both ends. (If you have any leftover, you can put it in a casserole dish, and refrigerate until 45 minutes before turkey is done, then put in the oven with turkey for extra stuffing.)
• 9. Use softened butter and, using fingers, rub butter all over turkey until coated. Then shake a little paprika over the top of the entire turkey.
• 10. Put about 2 tablespoons flour inside the baking bag before putting the turkey inside. Push turkey into the bag. Close bag tightly. Make three slits across the top of the bag for ventilation and put it into a roaster pan.
• 11. Put the lid on the roaster. Then bake following instructions for the size turkey you have. (**Note: the baking bag will probably cut baking time by at least 3/4 hr to 1 hour, but really holds in the juices and turkey stays very moist and juicy.) No basting is required when you use the baking bag, but if you wish, you can baste one or two times during baking.
• 12. **Note** Be sure to remember to make the slits in the top of the baking bag, maybe an inch or two long, and be sure to put the little bit of flour into the bottom of the bag before you put the turkey inside. When finished, you will have an ample supply of broth inside the bag to make your gravy. Simply use a cup or ladle to scoop it all out. (What broth I don't need, I always put into a plastic container and freeze to use when I make my chicken soups. I add it into the pot of soup and it gives my soups added extra special flavor!)

MOM'S THANKSGIVING ROSEMARY ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• 2. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, basil, Italian seasoning, black pepper and salt. Set aside.
• 3. Wash the turkey inside and out; pat dry. Remove any large fat deposits.
• 4. Loosen the skin from the breast. This is done by slowly working your fingers between the breast and the skin.
• 5. Work it loose to the end of the drumstick, being careful not to tear the skin.
• 6. Using your hand, spread a generous amount of the rosemary mixture under the breast skin and down the thigh and leg.
• 7. Rub the remainder of the rosemary mixture over the outside of the breast.
• 8. Use toothpicks to seal skin over any exposed breast meat.
• 9. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the pan.
• 10. Roast in the preheated oven 3 to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

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.

MOM'S PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Defrost turkey, if necessary.
• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Open turkey package, (try this in a clean sink) removing turkey giblets and other interior cavity elements along with thermometer. Unless you want to make gravy or cook these elements, throw them away, noting the exact poundage of the bird (cut off the label with this on it if necessary and reserve for time calculations later). Leave the skin on the turkey for roasting.
• Wash (rinse) turkey inside and out, making sure that any stray feathers are removed.
• Place turkey breast-side down in a foil-lined rectangular cake pan (depending upon size of bird, use a 9x13 pan) or foil-lined roasting pan. Also take into consideration that some juices and fat will melt during roasting time and may fill up the pan a bit around the turkey unless put on a roasting rack in the pan. (No one likes to clean up turkey mess, but if you're out of foil, spray pan with cooking spray to have easier cleanup later. I prefer to use a disposable foil pan so that I can discard entire mess after Thanksgiving is over.).
• Place turkey with pan into oven, about in the middle (enough space needed for bird to fit), and not so close to heating element that anything burns.
• Do not change oven temperature. Cook for fifteen minutes per pound. (Example: 20.2 pound bird would be: 20.2x15=303 minutes. 303/60=5.05, so you would need to cook the bird for five hours, and one to three minutes.).
• Take out of oven, and let rest for at least 15-30 minutes. The juices will need to settle back into the bird. If you cut it immediately, you will have a dry bird. Basting is only required when you overcook the meat (aka meat thermometer), or if you want a particular flavor to the turkey (basting with stock, juice of some sort, butter mixture, BBQ sauce, etc.) Turkey, when done well, may be nice with seasonings, but has a great flavor on its own. If you left in the meat thermometer, you should not see it pop out. The bird is still safe to eat and YUMMY!

MOM'S/GRAMMA'S THANKSGIVING TURKEY & DRESSING

Steps:

• Purchase an 18-20 pound frozen turkey on the Monday, prior to Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). Keep in its sealed covering and place on a cookie sheet or a roasting pan and defrost in refrigerator. Purchase 2 large loaves of Packaged white bread; remove from wrapper. Place on a cookie sheet to dry thoroughly.
• Thanksgiving Morning - Allow 1 hour for preparation time before cooking begins.
• Remove turkey from sealed covering.
• Loosen legs from wire clamp.
• Remove neck and giblets (liver, gizzard & heart) from body cavity.
• Thoroughly rinse turkey and cavity under running cold water, including body and neck. Set upright to drain.
• Sprinkle salt in neck and breast cavity, not on skin - it would cause it to blister when cooking.
• Place neck & gizzard in medium size pan, barely covering with cold water and simmer covered approximately 1 hour.
• STUFFING:.
• Moisten dried bread slices with cold water-pile on cake racks to absorb and drain.
• 2 large packages/loaves dried bread slices.
• 1 12 - 16 ounce package Jimmy Dean "Regular" Pork Sausage.
• 2 large onions quartered.
• Turkey Heart and Liver.
• 2 eggs.
• 3/4 Tablespoon Sage.
• 1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning.
• Salt and Pepper.
• 1/3 cup dried parsley - crushed.
• 1/2 stick margarine-melted.
• Brown pork sausage in frying pan -breaking meat into small pieces -drain off fat -set aside.
• Place in blender, or food processor:quartered onions, turkey hear and liver cut in halves, eggs, and seasonings. Blend to liquid consistency.
• Melt margarine; set aside.
• Squeeze excess water from bread with hands and bread into bite size pieces. Place in large mixing bowl.
• Add drained pork sausage. Mix.
• Add blended ingredients and melted butter. Mix thoroughly, but lightly. DO NOT PACK.
• By handfuls, gently place stuffing into neck cavity. Do not pack - close with small poultry nails or skewers.
• Fill body cavity - loosely - DO NOT PACK! Close cavity by replacing legs into wire clamp as originally positioned.
• Tuck wings under back. Place bird, breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan - (No need to turn bird during roasting time).
• Drizzle 1/2 stick melted margarine over bird.
• Place roasting pan on lowest shelf in 300 - 325 degree oven, uncovered - do not add water. Roast 13 to 15 minutes per original unstuffed weight (usually 4 1/2 to 5 hours total).
• Wrap remaining stuffing in foil, roll edges to form pouch and refrigerate.
• After 1 - 1 1/2 hours into roasting time, juices will accumulate in pan - use for basting chest every 1/2 hour thereafter.
• After 2 hours 2 hours roasting time, add 1 large onion, chopped, to bottom of pan - they will brown and make delicious gravy. If skin is darkening too quickly, cover with a tent of foil.
• If sufficient juices aren't forming - add 1/2 cup of water when onions are browning to prevent them from burning. Add boiled neck neck and gizzard - save water used to boil them for gravy.
• After approximately 3 1/2 hours of cooking -if skin is browned satisfactorily, cover roasting pan with its cover. Be cautious to tilt cover away from yourself to allow steam to escape before further basting. Place foil pouch of extra stuffing on wire shelf along side of roasting pan.
• Roasting time is completed when leg moves freely at thigh joint when pushed - or internal temperature is 180 degrees, if roasting thermometer is used (inserted in thickest part of thigh, but not against bone) or internal stuffing registers 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven - place turkey on cookie sheet. Cover with roasting pan cover - let sit for 20 minutes before carving to allow internal juices to flow.
• GRAVY - prepare in roasting pan over medium heat.
• Remove excess fat from pan drippings. Scrape browned residue from bottom and sides of pan-slowly add mixture of 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water - use wire whisk and blend until thickened - add neck and gizzard water (or water from cooking white potatoes) until desired consistency is obtained - Add salt and pepper to taste - strain into medium size pan, cover and reheat before serving.
• Remove dressing from neck and body cavity - place in large serving container - mix dressing from foil pouch - cover with foil to retain heat.
• Carve turkey - serve - Sit up straight, place your napkin on your lap, pass the cranberries and ENJOY!

THE BEST THANKSGIVING TURKEY RECIPE (HOW TO COOK A TURKEY)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove wrap from thawed turkey, and then remove neck, giblets, and gravy packet if one is included.
• Place turkey into roasting pan breast side up.
• Tuck turkey wings under and tie or clamp legs together.
• Salt and pepper the inside cavity of the turkey.
• Dry outside of turkey with a paper towel (don't wash or rinse your turkey because you will contaminate your sink. The bacteria will die when it cooks in the oven).
• Baste turkey with melted butter. Salt and pepper all over.
• Insert meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Meat thermometer should reach between 165 and 180 degrees and the juices should run clear.
• Add broth into the bottom of the pan. (Water will also work.)
• Tent foil over the turkey as it cooks. Cook in preheated oven for 3 1/2 - 4 hours (depending on the size of your turkey - see notes below to know how long to cook your turkey for).
• After you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing. This gives you time to get a few more things done for the big meal.
• Keep turkey covered with foil to keep warm while it rests.