Tips for Preparing Your Thanksgiving Turkey
Your guests will be impressed with your cooking skills. Hopefully, you have chosen a large enough fresh turkey for your guests to enjoy. Knowing how to prep your whole turkey establishes a perfect roasting and accurate cook time. A larger, moist turkey means longer cook time. Let's get into the steps for cooking a turkey. The turkey is the chef's kiss on any dining room table during the holidays. It's not as hard as you might think - with these few simple tips and tools, you can have a delicious, moist bird at your table in hours.
1. Starting with an Unthawed Turkey
When buying your turkey, you want to buy the freshest whole turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner. Most products purchased from the grocery store will be frozen turkey. If you are weeks ahead, your turkey might be sitting in your freezer until it is time for prep.
It takes about 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Plan ahead. A 20lb Turkey will take about four days to thaw out of the freezer. You can safely store the bird in the refrigerator with its original wrapping.
If looking for a quicker thaw, submerge it in a cold water bath in its wrapping. It will take about 10-12 hours. Once thawed, it’s time for the preparation process.
2. How to Properly Clean Your Turkey.
Put your turkey in your prep area. Start with a clean sink to put your turkey in for cleaning. Remove the meat from its wrap, remove the giblets bag from the inside of the turkey cavity, and set it aside. You may want to use the giblets for a tasty gravy.
Rinse the turkey under cold running water. Put the turkey in your designated area and dry it using paper towels. Clean your areas where you washed the bird and your hands, then gather your ingredients.
3. Brine or Not to Brined, That is the Question
Brining the bird will make it tender and moist. Brine involves soaking the turkey in salt water to keep its parts from becoming tough, such as breast meat which is usually leaner than other parts of the turkey.
A brined bird takes about 12 hours to absorb the salty liquid while absorbing some seasonings; our preferred protein tastes better, and the meat is juicy and well seasoned.
If Brining is not your thing, don’t worry, it’s not a necessity. Grab your seasoning, herbs, and a stick of softened butter.
4. How to Season Turkey
Use your favorite spices to season the turkey, like basil, oregano, thyme sage, and smoked paprika. Grab some veggies-carrots oranges and apples for some added tenderness and flavor.
Add onion bells, peppers, or whatever else you’d like there. Grabbing more flavor from each ingredient will make all those flavors come alive together.
Season the turkey skin with herbs and spices; take your butter and, cut it into small pieces, place it under the skin.
Chop your veggies and fruits and stuff them in the turkey.
5. Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 400°F, and it should take about 15 min for the stove to heat, do not put your turkey in the oven rack until the oven alarm has rung to let you know it is time to put your turkey in the oven rack.
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6. Add Basting Liquid to The Roasting Pan.
Put your turkey in a large roasting pan. Turn the bird wings back and tie the drums forward.
Add your basting liquid about ¼”—chicken stock, onions, garlic, slice lemons, oranges, apples, and carrots. The same items you put in the turkey were placed in the roaster.
Add your butter and your seasoning blend and freshly ground black pepper. Place your turkey breast upward on the roasting rack. If you don’t have one, place the turkey on the veggies. Take melted butter and coat your bird before putting the whole roaster in an oven bag or wrap with aluminum foil.
Do not put your stuffing in the turkey to get an even cook. Putting the tasty side dish in the turkey causes the inside to be not properly cooked fully.
7. Put Turkey on the Oven Roasting Rack.
Open your oven and place the roaster on the lower rack; reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. We want to go until it is golden brown!
8. Roasting and Baste the Turkey
The turkey should cook for 13-15 minutes for each pound. After about 45min, take out your baster and squeeze the liquid from the roaster on top of the turkey. Basting the turkey keeps the meat moist and also helps give that beautiful brown coloring when done. Continue to baste the turkey throughout the cooking process.
