anyone know how to roast a turkey?

Question

i need help with roasting a turkey. its my first thanksgiving diner to make diner. i want it to be moist and tender but dont want to have to brine it. any ideas???

Answer 1

For the most moist delicious turkey, thaw,rinse with water, clean out cavities. Add a little salt and several T butter to chest cavity unless you are going to stuff with dressing, if so add stuffing to cavities. Place breast side Down in roasting pan, breast down keeps the breast meat moister. (If you want a pretty turkey place breast side up)Rub butter over turkey skin. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Cover with roasting lid & bake in preheated oven at 325 for about 4-6 hrs. Depending on weight. Every 45 minutes or so remove turkey from oven an with a baster, Suck up juices & redeposit into the cavity and over the skin, cover and return to oven. Turkey is done when it begins to fall off the bone. Save juices to add to dressing & gravy.
It is so easy it literally cooks itself!
Good Luck!!

Answer 2

Take a defrosted turkey out of it's packaging. I wash the outside and inside of the turkey - then pat dry with paper towels. I then rub olive oil and chicken stock all over the turkey. If you want to stuff the turkey do so (I use eight pieces of bread cut into cubes with bacon, onion, oregano, pine nuts and a few raw eggs mixed through), a friend just places a whole peeled onion and whole lemon (not peeled) in the cavity. I then place turkey on a roasting rack and put rack over a roasting tray that is filled a 1/4 of the way with water. Put turkey in a moderate oven - cooking time depends on the turkey. I normally check if mine is cooked by piercing the side of the bird with a kitchen fork - if the juices that run out are clear - the bird is cooked. Approx half way through the cooking time (1 1/4 hours) I cover the turkey legs (the end) and the wings - this stops them drying out during the rest of the cooking time. Yum Yum

Answer 3

Perfect Roast Turkey

1 fresh turkey (12 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
3 Spanish onions
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted
1/2 cup good olive oil
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
10 red new potatoes, halved
3 heads fennel, fronds removed, cut into wedges through the core

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, one of the onions (quartered), and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey. Peel and slice the remaining onions, toss them with 1/4 cup olive oil, and scatter them around the turkey.

Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Toss the carrots, potatoes, and fennel with 1/4 cup olive oil and add to the roasting pan. Continue to roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

Stir the vegetables and return the pan to the oven. Continue to cook the vegetables while the turkey rests. Slice the turkey and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables. Serves 8.

--Ina Garten

Answer 4

How to roast a turkey, go here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2714_roast-turkey.html

For a REALLY moist turkey, have your local supermarket roast it for you. Pick it up Thanksgiving morning.

They even do whole Thanksgiving meals for large families. :o)