What should I rub to a 20 lb turkey?

Question

I got a turkey for xmas it is about 20 + lbs.... the problem?? I never cooked a turkey before.. is a buterball and it says not to put anything and will taste good. Prior experiences with turkey is that gets to dry (other people turkey) I don'tg want my first turkey experience to be a disaster.. somebody plase help..oh and how long.. like should i start cooking it tonight or tomorrow morning??

sorry to look stupid i'm a good cook (except never cooked a turkey before) everybody trust me cause i cook good, i don't want to spoil this one.. when i use an oven bag should i put anything inside the bag?

Answer 1

for conventional roasting, 20 lb. turkey should roast about 7 hours at 325 degrees. can't find my chart, but go to butterball.com and you'll find cooking instructions there. or, go to store and buy turkey-size Reynolds roasting bags and there is recipe in box. Using bag keep turkey from drying out, too. Or you can place a pan of water in the oven with the turkey and that will keep it somewhat moist. You want to cover the turkey with foil if you're not using roasting bag and baste often; the foil wil hold moisture to the bird.

Be sure turkey is thoroughly defrosted and that pop-up is up at end of baking period. it pops up automatically when bird is done.

I don't advise stuffing the cavity of the bird; if you want stuffing, bake it in a separate pan. Some of the turkeys this year were undercooked because the automatic pop-up popped up too early either because the bird was not completely thawed or was stuffed. You're more likely to have a properly cooked bird if you do Not stuff it.

Answer 2

it just depends on your taste. here's what i do: rub it down with lots of butter then salt and pepper. i also poke 3 or 4 holes into the breasts and stuff each hole with a piece of garlic. inside of the turkey i put a stick of celery and a whole or half of an onion depending on how big the onion is. keep the turkey covered most of the time its in the oven to keep it juicy. only uncover it for a little at the end to brown. I'm not sure about the cooking time but there should be a suggested cooking time on the tag or rapper. if i had to guess i would say between 4 and 5 hours but that may be a bit long. hope this helps. God bless and Merry Christmas!!!

don't forget to baste!!!!!

and the onion and celery inside of the bird isn't for eating... it just adds flavor

Answer 3

Buy a bag or two of herb seasoned stuffing cubes and follow the recipe on the back of the bag. Basically, saute some onion and celery to add to the cubes, then add turkey broth made the night before from the neck and the giblets or canned broth, then mix together and it's ready to go. Some recipes call for butter or oil, but I don't use it. I just saute the chopped veggies in a little of the broth.

Answer 4

after you wash and pat dry I always rub some room temp butter over the skin making sure to coat the wings real good (They can burn otherwise) after that I'll add just a little salt and pepper...you can raid your spice cabinet if you like but in this case I think simple is best...PS about the wings keep a couple chunks of foil handy to cover the wings if they look like their browning to fast just slip the foil over them and should all brown at same time :-)

Answer 5

Is it frozen? If it is put it in the sink in cool water overnight still in the plastic.

Go to butterball.com they have a section for first timers.

They don't go into it but unstuffed figure 20 minutes per pound.

Enjoy! Merry Christmas

Answer 6

I put a couple pads of butter, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder on mine... then I baste it periodically... the lower temp you cook it the better it will be but it will take longer... whether you start it tonight or tomorrow depends on when you are serving dinner!!!