How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey
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A 10lb to 12lb turkey isn’t too difficult to handle
and will generally feed a family of four or five for two meals
with some left overs for sandwiches. However, a frozen turkey
needs to be defrosted thoroughly before cooking and this can
take many hours or days - defrosting guidelines are usually
given on the packaging of the turkey.
It will also take about twenty minutes per pound plus an
extra twenty minutes to cook, i.e. a 12 pound turkey will
take about 4 hours to cook plus 20 minutes, making a total
of about 4 hours and 20 minutes, so remember to plan your
cooking and preparation times carefully.
Recipe Ingredients
You will need
Turkey
Butter
Prepared Stuffing
A large roasting pan
Aluminum foil
Preparation and cooking instructions
To prepare the turkey for roasting, first line a roasting
pan with 2 lengths of aluminum foil one to go lengthways and
one to go widthwise across the roasting pan. Then remove the
defrosted turkey from its packaging and if the turkey has
giblets remove them too - these and the neck are usually contained
in bags but there may be some loose bits so do check; the
giblets can then be kept to make giblet gravy if liked.
Now under cold running water rinse the outside of the turkey
and allow the water to run straight through the inside of
the turkey. Then put the turkey into the prepared roasting
pan and pat dry with paper towel.
Next preheat the oven to 425°F and stuff the turkey with
your favorite stuffing. This can be done by first putting
your hand between the skin and flesh at the neck end of the
turkey - you will need to feel around a bit to get between
the layers to loosen the skin - putting some stuffing here,
then tucking the loose flap neatly under the bird, and securing
with a small skewer if you wish, then putting some stuffing
in the cavity at the tail end of the turkey. But don’t
overstuff the turkey as this may prevent the air from circulating
and ensuring good cooking.
Now put several pieces of butter over the turkey; then, so
as to cover the turkey loosely with foil, first take hold
of both ends of the lengthways piece of foil and pleat the
ends together, then take hold of both ends of the widthways
piece of foil and pleat these together. After this place in
the oven and roast for about three-quarters of an hour at
425°F, then reduce the heat to 325°F and, basting
occasionally with the cooking juices, roast for the remainder
of the cooking time.
To test for doneness pierce the turkey in various places
with a skewer - the thickest part of the leg is a good indicator
of whether the bird is cooked or not - the juices should now
run clear, not pink and the legs should be ‘loose’
from the body of the bird. Before carving the turkey should
be left to ‘rest’ for about 20 minutes, as this
will allow the juices to be absorbed back into the meat as
well as making carving easier.
Have a happy Thanksgiving !
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