TURKEY ROASTING TIPS
By Chuck Leonardo, CEC
There are many “How to Tips” out there which I find fairly accurate and
effective, but to me they all have one important flaw, they take to long to roast.
This potentially dries out your bird and can be dangerous for your guests if the
turkey is not cooked properly. Most suggest a cooking time between 6 to 7 hours
with a very high, finished temperature to assure that harmful bacteria is destroyed,
but this will overcook the turkey. My method, while unorthodox, will produce a
moister, safer turkey in less than half of the cooking time. How? Simply because
it is not stuffed, or I guess I should say the stuffing is a unique. Why? Because
stuffing the turkey significantly increases the cooking time and because the
stuffing can become a safe haven for bacteria. Then to cook the turkey to the
point where all bacteria hiding in the stuffing is eliminated, you will have a dry
turkey. So make your stuffing as usual, but simply bake it in a separate pan.
What you will need: one 20–22 pound turkey, a
roll of heavy duty aluminum foil, a roasting pan,
vegetable oil, some aromatic vegetables and some
butchers twine.
Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey
cavities, rinse the turkey well under cold running
water and pat dry with paper towels.
Fill the breast and stomach cavities with crumpled
up aluminum foil and pack well. This will keep
the shape of the turkey and more importantly will
conduct heat and cook the turkey from the inside
outward, decreasing the cooking time. This is
where you may remove the wishbone for easier
carving if you wish.
After filling the cavities with foil, fold the wings
under the back and truss the legs together with
butchers twine.
Rub the turkey liberally with vegetable oil and
place in a roasting pan on a wire rack or a rack of
coarse cut vegetables. Season as desired but do
NOT use salt, this cracks the skin. Spice rubs
and/or herbs can be placed under the skin by
running your finger between the breast muscles
and the skin. But this would need to be done
before tying the legs.
Roast the turkey for 45 to 60 minutes at 450
degrees or until the turkey has reached the desired
color, then lower the oven to 375 degrees and
continue to roast. The turkey should take about
another 2 to 2 ½ hours.
You may baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so,
but it is not necessary due to the shorter cooking
time. If you use a bulb-type baster and are basting
with the pan drippings.
There are two tests that work well for determining
doneness. With a thermometer take a reading in
the thickest part of the thigh (this is the densest
muscle and will take the longest to cook). The
temperature should be 155 degrees and when the
thermometer is removed the juice should run clear.
Another test is to twist the drumstick bone; it
should separate from the meat and twist easily.
After the turkey rests for 15 to 20 minutes, remove
the aluminum foil stuffing, using tongs and
discard. Place turkey on a platter and deglaze the
pan with a low-sodium chicken broth, strain and
use liquid to make your turkey gravy.
At this point either garnish the cavity opening with
kale and cranberries or spoon in your baked
stuffing for the more traditional look.
Other tips:
 Thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator for about three days prior to roasting or for a
quicker method place wrapped turkey in a sink with running water for 6 to 7 hours. The
water may be between 60 and 70 degrees and can be running slowly, but must be kept
running to avoid stagnant water and bacteria growth. Obviously a sink with a run-off is
required, but I have thawed turkeys in a large basin or bucket in my bathtub (no, I was not
bathing at the time). But to eliminate all of this, buy a fresh turkey, it will eat better and
there is no thawing hassle.
 For a different stuffing profile, try toasting fresh cubes of bread in a hot oven first, and use
chicken broth instead of water for moistening. Other variations can be to add cooked
sausage meat and fresh sage or try cranberries, dried orange zest and change the chicken
broth to orange juice. Any kind of dried fruit and nuts (always warm nutmeats in the oven
to help release flavor) can be used, my favorite is Pecans and Apricots with a brush of
Maple Syrup over the top before and after baking.
 Separate the breast skin from the meat carefully with your fingers and slide your favorite
herbs under skin before roasting (Sage, Thyme, Parsley, etc.) or use a rub under the skin of
minced garlic, lemon zest, ginger and white pepper.
 Remove the wishbone before roasting for easer carving (recommended not required). You
may roast the wishbone in the pan with the turkey if you want to use it to make a wish.
 Instead of basting with pan drippings (can be difficult) baste the turkey, every 30 minutes
with seasoned low-sodium chicken broth.
 Let your fully roasted turkey sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes so that the juices can settle
back into the meat.
 Glaze the roasted turkey with a Cranberry, Raspberry or Orange Preserve (warmed in the
microwave) and return the bird to the oven for about 10 minutes at high heat to glaze.
 You may brine the turkey by covering it in Cold Water, Kosher Salt and Sugar. Variations
can be Fruit Juice, Apple Cider, Flavored Salts, Brown Sugar, Spices, and Herbs etc.
Thanksgiving Day is meant to be shared seated around the table with family and friends, not in
the kitchen. Nor is meant for you to rise at 5:00am to roast the all-day turkey; making you too
tired to enjoy the holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving!