I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. How do I bake a nice and juicy turkey?

Question

And how do I shop for a turkey?

Answer 1

Shopping for a turkey all depends on how many ppl you plan on having over - then you just look for the right size - a med turkey will feed about 8-10 ppl - the best way to have a nice and juicy turkey IMO - i use the Reynold's roasting bags i season my turkey w/ old bay poultry seasoning rub all over - onions/ garlic, and mojo(find in the spanish section of your grocer) - i do this the night before - also you can cut slits in you turkey and put lil dabs of butter under the skin - that works as well - then i slip my bird into the roasting bag and follow the directions as to time/temp - for a med turkey its usually 350deg for 2 1/2 - 3 hrs - remember to let your turkey rest before you move it to your serving platter and dig in from there .
good luck
or you could go the easy route and preorder one from your local grocery store and they will ahve it allready for pickup on Thanksgiving day :)

Answer 2

if you have a big family you are probably going to want a turkey that is at least no less than 12lbs. That is what we usually get and we are a family of 6. We like having enough.

The recipe is usually on the bag for the stuffing which you really need to use. No turkey is complete w/o stuffing.
The directions on how long to cook the turkey are on the bag. Also there is an indicator on the turkey to tell you when it is done.
The night before let the turkey defrost and then clean out all the guts and rinse the insides with cold water just to make sure it is all clean. Set the turkey aside. Make your stuffing according to the box ,stuff your turkey . My mom always like to rub the turkey with crush fresh garlic ( you can buy it in a container) and she also uses a turkey injector. Hope this helps.
Also cover it with foil so it makes its own juices and the last 20-30 minutes take the foil off to brown the turkey.

Answer 3

Brine your turkey! Choose a turkey that will feed the number of people you are hosting- the package should tell you lbs/people. If frozen, thaw your turkey ahead of time so that it is completely thawed by the day before thanksgiving. Place your turkey in a brine for 10 hrs. or overnight. You can find lots of brine recipes by googling. There are savory, sweet, and spicy recipes, but the staple for a good brine is 1 cup salt to every gallon of water. Make sure the turkey is completely covered by the brine or turn the turkey halfway thru the process. You can either place the turkey and brine in the fridge (can be hard if you don't have alot of space) or place it in a cooler with ice and cover with brine. Cook your turkey however you choose on thanksgiving, just make sure to baste often. I promise you, the turkey will be so juicy and tender from the brine, everyone will rave.

Answer 4

Take all the giblets and all that out of it, and wash the turkey. Then rub it down with butter, all over it, a nice good coating. Then sprinkle on salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. When you start cooking it, it will make its own juices. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes really good, that will make sure it retains the moisture. Every once in a while, take a fork and just poke at the turkey a little bit so that the juices can get inside it. Make sure you cook covered in foil until the last like 30-45 minutes to brown it. That way it is juicer and cooked thoroughly. Cook it according to the weight it says on the package.

Answer 5

Happy Turkey day! what I do is i put in the evenning before turkey day like on Wednesday night at very low heat, like 150 ' it will cook slow and make so much juice you can smell while you sleep
I get up around 2 am to check on it around 4 am it s ready I turn it and if you want a dark top turn it up a notch during the afternoon and you got your turkey all moist and well cooked....let me know how it turns out,..i have been doing this for a long time it never falls me
buying a turkey depends how many people are going to eat it
a 19 lbs turkey will feed about 10-15 people but believe me not everybody eats turkey they rather eat ham.

Answer 6

First, to buy a turkey determine how many guests will be attending. Plan one pound of bird per person(rule of thumb). Find a fresh bird if possible and do not wait until the last minute to buy or order your bird.
For a novice, cooking a bird can be a daunting task. This part is easy. Reynolds makes a line of turkey bags. Buy a package and follow the directions. The bags reduce cooking time and almost guarantee a perfect juicy bird.

Answer 7

I always buy Butterball and I always get a really big one. Then I melt butter and honey in a big bowl in the microwave. I have a squitor to squirt it down inside with the stuffing and a baster to brush the outside with. The basic directions like how long to cook and what temperature are on the turkey. The only thing it doesn't tell you is there is a bag in the front and back that you need to remove before cooking. And I lay foil across the breast and legs to prevent burning.

Answer 8

some people in my family actually cook the turkey upside down, as in breast-down. Then all the juices flow to the part of the turkey that usually gets the dryest - the breast.

And shopping for a turkey is no different than shopping for chicken. There will be a ton of them at your local grocery store. Just pick one that's plump, with lots of meat on it.

Answer 9

Brine the turkey the night before. It is absolutely fool proof! There are many different brining recipes you can find on the internet (www.epicurious.com). A standard brine is just a strong water and salt mixture. Make sure to rinse your turkey off and pat it dry before roasting it. It's very hard to dry out a brined turkey, or chicken for that matter.

Good luck!

Answer 10

On the wrapper it should say how many it can serve and to cook it use a baking bag for turkeys and it will come out perfect.