Does anyone have a family recipe for roast turkey. This is my first . Cookbooks and the internet? Not!?

Question

I going to cook a whole , unstuffed turkey for Christmas. There are a thousand recipes in print. Many the ones I have looked at are vastly different. I trust Q&A for a tried and tested family recipe. Help!

Answer 1

Rub Butter on the outside, S&P, Inside Onions, Oranges, Thyme, Sage, 450 oven for the first 30min,down to 325,15min per lb unstuffed. 170 thermometer in the thigh without hitting the bone. Tent with foil, untent the last 45min

Answer 2

I use a brown paper bag when roasting my turkeys. Its easy. They say not to used the paper bags that have ink but I have because I had no choice lol. What I do is take a small rack and place it inside the bag on the bottom. The bag (with rack) is placed in the roasting pan. I usually use a stapler to close the end up. I add water at the bottom of the roasting pan to keep steam going and lessen dryness. Its very difficult to keep the entire bag from touching the turkey yet have the bag sealed so - whatever, it touches the bird. Not a big deal. Its not touching the heating elements of the oven and thats all I'm worried about. I usually take butter and slip it under the turkey skin - looks sort of funny and sounds gross but makes a difference. My daughter formed the butter pats in the form of boobs so that it looks like the turkey has boobs (before cooked, of course). I spread butter on the outside of the skin and (including under the wings) I then, stuff my bird with dressing. I roast it on 350 degrees for the first hour and then turn it down to 325 degrees and calculate 15 mins per pound. You need to allow time and weight of turkey stuffing there too- if you stuff it. ONE THING IS VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure that after you get the bird in the oven, you need to clean up all the chicken mess with bleach or some sort of disinfectant. If you don't, people can get Salmonilla poisoning and become very sick. 'ats all i gots ta say 'bout dat'

Answer 3

Season the inside and the outside of turkey with salt and pepper. Rub skin with butter. I always cook my turkey in a Reynolds turkey bag. This way the meat doesn't dry out.

Answer 4

You say none from the Internet, yet here you are??? Anyway, Turkeys are very easy to cook. How you like it, depends on you! I pat mine with a bit of olive oil and season it a bit with some butter and garlic under the skin. I do stuff mine, as we prefer it that way but you may want to tuck some fruit of some type or veggies depending on your taste just for some added flavor.
Too bad you don't want to look on-online as FoodNetwork.com had some great ideas this year.

Answer 5

this Thanksgiving was my first time cooking a turkey. after my mom passed away i always bought the meal @ Whole Foods market (which was better than Safeway's, Lucky's, Albertson's and O'Brien). it was tasty but this year i tried it myself after getting food poisoning @ work.
i followed the (Martha Stewart's) Everyday little cookbook. i fixed the turkey and mostly all the side dishes she did and after serving it to my family, they thought it was "da bomb". they all stated that it was better than all the others i had bought.
i am saving that little book to follow it every Thanksgiving!
PS: it was waaaaaaayyyyyy easier than i ever dreamed it would be.

Answer 6

Rub bird with butter.
Place on rack in roasting pan, fill pan with water. Cover with foil to keep steam in.
1/2 -3/4 before cooking time done remove foil baste & contiue to cook for nice golden brown colour.
Always comes out nice & moist.

Answer 7

Pats of butter under the skin.
Onions and garlic in the cavities.

Answer 8

Put Bill Clinton in oven at 325 degrees a pound.

Answer 9

wash your bird ! salt & pepper it -stuff one stick of butter & an apple (green one ) up his booty - put in cooking turkey bag - cook all night on 200 - moist & delicious ! merry christmas !