Suggestions on how to make a moist turkey for Thanksgiving?

Answer 1

Cook it according to weight. Never cook it overnight. It will be dry. I use the Reynolds oven cooking bags. They always make the turkey moist.

Answer 2

What Kind of Turkey Should I Buy?

There are basically two types of raw birds to choose from…a pre-basted bird (typical ingredients include vegetable oil, broth and spices) or an un-basted bird to which nothing has been added. Personal preference usually dictates this choice. USDA Grade A is the highest quality grade for poultry and the one commonly found in grocery stores.


Is a Tom Better than A Hen?

Age not gender, is the determining factor for tenderness. All turkeys in the market are young, usually 4 – 6 months old. A hen usually weighs less than 16 pounds and a tom is usually over 16 pounds.


When Should I Buy the Turkey?

While the quality and the taste of frozen and fresh turkey are similar, The keeping time is not! A frozen turkey can be bought weeks or a month prior to the holiday, while a fresh bird should be purchased a day or two prior to cooking.

Whenever possible, thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator. Count on 5 lbs. thawing each day, so a 15 pound turkey will take three days. Remember to place the turkey in a pan so that any juices won’t drip on other foods. If you don’t have that kind of space or time, thaw your bird in a cold water bath. A 15 pound turkey could take at least 8 hours this way. Please do not thaw poultry by leaving it at room temperature in your sink. This could allow unwanted bacteria a nice holiday home.

To prepare your turkey for roasting, always remove the giblets and the neck from the cavities. There are TWO cavities! Wash your bird in cold running water thoroughly, inside and out, then dry with a clean lint free towel. (Then wash the towel) If you are going to stuff the bird, pack the cavities loosely, as the stuffing will expand during the cooking process.


How much should I Buy?

3/4 of a pound of raw turkey per person will usually do the trick, however I recommend 1+ pound per person to allow for leftovers.

Is it Done?

Thermometer Readings:

Insert your instant read thermometer between the body and leg into the meaty part of the thigh. Look for a reading of 160 – 165 degrees. When you remove the thermometer, the juices should run clear. If you must test the turkey in the breast, which I don’t recommend, look for 160 – 165 degrees on a whole bird. Remember that the breast will be done before the thighs, so watch for this critical period in the cooking time.


Pound per Minute Method:

All ovens cook differently, so these times are approximate. On an unstuffed turkey, figure 15 – 17 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. On a stuffed bird, figure 20 – 23 minutes per pound.
12-16 pounds…about 4 hours unstuffed
16-20 pounds…about 5 hours unstuffed
20-24 pounds…about 6 hours unstuffed


Resting Period:

Allow at least one minute per pound before carving. That turkey is still cooking when it first comes out of the oven.

Should I cook the turkey Up-Side-Down?

Pros:

Your turkey breast will be moister and more flavorful this way, as the juices from the back cook down into your bird. This is better than having all the juices from your turkey adding flavor and moisture to the back bone!


Cons:

If presentation is critical, this may not be your best choice as the turkey breast will not brown properly unless you have it on a rack. Turning a turkey while roasting is not recommended! Cooked turkeys explode when they hit your kitchen floor and sure enough, someone will have a camera!

Answer 3

A couple of different things you can do -

Brine the bird beforehand. This adds some moisture and flavor.

Gourmet Magazine tried different cooking methods, and the came up with this for the best results (they had to verify their results, because it was also the fastest and simplest method) - you can also follow the link listed.

High temperature cooking, no basting, no muss, no fuss. Though you should clean your oven the night before, because the high temperatures will cause any residual goo to go up in smoke.

Here it is -

Rinse turkey (14 to 16 lbs) inside and out and pat dry
Season with salt (2 1/2 t.) and pepper (1 1/2 t.) inside and out
Put turkey in large flameproof roasting pan
Cook at 450 degrees with rack on lower third of oven.
Rotate turkey and roasting pan 180 degrees half way through
Cook for 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours until thermometer in fleshy part of thigh reads 170 degrees
Tilt the turkey, cavity opening down, so the juices run into the roasting pan
Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving (good time to get the side dishes cooked in the oven)

If you decide to stuff the bird, check the stuffing temperature when the bird is done. If it's less than 165 degrees, take it out and finish the stuffing in a casserole or baking dish until done.

They also say if you have a darker colored roasting pan, the drippings tend to scorch. If they're looking dark, add a cup of broth to the pan when you rotate the bird.

They also recommend a 2 to 2 1/2 inch tall roasting pan. Taller doesn't allow the skin to brown as well in the shortened time.

Answer 4

Last year we soaked our turkey in a brine overnight. A brine usually consists of water, salt, whole peppercorns, a bay leaf and other seasonings. It also helps to baste it often. I've also heard of cooking it at a higher temperature at first to tighten the skin to seal in the juices and then lowering it to finish cooking it. Also using a roasting pan that has a rack to place the turkey on that is elevated from the bottom of the pan is a good idea, so that you can pour some broth in the bottom. This will create steam that will keep the turkey moist. You can get a good recipe from the food network that Alton Brown came up with for the brine. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving.

Answer 5

Truly Classical Chefs will cut what is known as a "matignon" and place that in the roasting pan under the bird. This is simply medium to large dice of carrot, celery, and onion. The additional moisture from the vegetables will create humidity inside your oven which will in turn aide in keeping the turkey moist. Another good tip, is to let the bird cook and avoid fussing with it by opening the doors of the oven. Doing so allows heat and steam to escape increasing cooking time. I normally put the bird in on a lower temp, say 325F and leave the oven light on. Invest $12 in a GOOD, CALIBRATED meat thermometer. Poultry should be cooked to 165F, yet many people forget to factor carry over cooking into their cooking habits. When you take the Turkey out, pull it at 155F and let it rest covered under foil for approximately 20 minutes. The heat will still rise inside of the turkey and by resting it, the juices redistribute themselves within the meat and don't run out immediately.

Brining is great if you are comfortable doing so. It takes practice and I would say start with a whole chicken until you are ready to move onto a Turkey.

Going back to the "matignon" the vegetable mixture adds wonderful aroma to your gravy, so the extra step in my opinion is totally worth the time.

Hope this helps, keep in mind you can use the "matignon" for any meat, fish, poultry also. And Happy Holidays!!

Answer 6

final 12 months i did no longer stuff my turkey and it got here out the terrific i've got ever had - all my travellers raved approximately how moist it grew to become into. I nonetheless had stuffing, I in simple terms baked it in a seperate dish. particularly I positioned a mix of chopped onions, celery, carrots and clean herbs interior the turkey jointly as roasting to infuse the beef with some great style. The turkey will prepare dinner a sprint quicker without stuffing so confirm you watch it heavily. positioned money right into a distant probe thermometer, you're able to confirm the beef has reached a secure temperature without overcooking.

Answer 7

Here's a good one! Lightly season inside cavity of the turkey w/ salt, pepper, garlic powder and poultry seasoning.Quarter a couple apples, oranges, and onions and stuff inside the cavity along with a couple ribs of celery. Rub down turkey w/ about 1/4 cup each of soy sauce and veg. oil. Cook about 3 to 4 hours at 350º and baste turkey with Sangria every 1/2 hour.

Answer 8

Cook your turkey breast-down. The dark meat will always be moist because it has more oil. It's the breast that gets dried out.
I like to baste the turkey every hour or so with its own oils. Butter or cooking oil isn't neccessary (unless you like extra calories!)

Answer 9

From Woman's World Magazine: "Cover a turkey with cheesecloth soaked in melted butter or olive oil, and it will baste itself! Remove it during the last 30 minutes of baking to let the skin brown."

Answer 10

Nobody wants to do it this way, because they think it doesn't look right. Bake your turkey breast side down. The breast is the dry part, so when you cook it breast side down, the juices from the fattier part of the turkey seep down into the dry breast! If you want the breast browned for looks, turn it over (carefully, don't get burned!) and cook the last 15 minutes or so breast side up. Enjoy!!