This method for roasting turkey was taught to me by my wonderful friend Julie. While so many recipes for turkey recommend starting at a high temperature, then lowering the temperature, often resulting in hours of baking and wondering when it will be done, this method works perfectly every time! One temperature, basting occasionally, and a moist turkey at the end! The turkey preparation prior to baking is easy and straight-forward, and the gravy turns out nicely every time. Happy turkey baking!
Roast Turkey:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Fully thaw turkey, if frozen, according to directions. Rinse, and pat turkey dry with paper towels, making sure all insides are removed (You can use the innards, simmer in a pot to make a stock, but I tend to just throw them out and use drippings and later the carcass to make homemade stock/broth.
Place turkey on the rack in your roasting pan. (You can tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen baking twine, to make a nice, neat turkey. I am always looking for ways to speed up my cooking, and I've just never noticed any difference whether I tie or don't tie legs together when cooking the turkey at a high temperature.)
In a bowl, mix together:
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp ground thyme
1 Tbsp minced garlic (fresh or freeze-dried)
Rub the seasoning mixture inside the turkey, making sure to coat tops, sides and bottoms of the inside. Then place inside the turkey:
2 oranges or lemons, quartered or halved
Brush the top of the turkey with:
~6 Tbsp butter, melted
Sprinkle the entire bird with:
salt & pepper
Place in the oven and roast at 425 F, basting every 30 minutes (instructions after baking times).
Turkeys will cook at 425 F for approximately:
14 lbs ~2 1/2 hrs
15 lbs ~3 hrs
16 lbs ~3 1/4 hrs
18 lbs ~3 1/2 hrs
20 lbs ~3 3/4 hrs
22 lbs ~4 1/4 hrs
I highly recommend testing the internal temperature of the thick part of the turkey, like thigh, breast, leg. I have found when baking the turkey using this method, the pop-out turkey testers work well, and are consistent with me testing the thigh temperature with a thermometer for a temperature of 185 F.
Every 30 minutes, baste the turkey with at least a 1/2 cup of chicken broth. I just pull the turkey out a bit, pour chicken broth over the turkey, then return to the oven. This will make sure you have good drippings in the base of your pan AND keep the turkey nice and moist during cooking.
To baste, make up 3-4 cups of chicken broth, using either homemade chicken broth, OR water plus 1 tsp gluten-free chicken bouillon paste or mushroom seasoning per cup of water.
Once the turkey is done cooking, remove from oven. Carefully move the turkey on it's roasting rack to a cookie sheet and cover with a foil tent for 20 minutes, allowing it to rest.
While it is resting, prepare the gravy.
Gravy from drippings:
Place drippings from roasting pan, removing any burnt pieces, into a medium saucepan. (Usually there aren't many spots that are burned if you are basting regularly and cooking a smaller bird that only requires 3 hours of roasting).
Add to saucepan with drippings, and heat over medium heat:
3 cups water
1 tsp mushroom seasoning OR gluten-free chicken bouillon paste.
1/2 tsp ground paprika
Once drippings and broth come to a boil, whisk together and whisk into gravy:
3/4 cup milk (milk substitutes work well, too)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
This is a general guideline for thickening your gravy - you can make your gravy thicker or thinner depending on how much cornstarch you add. Just make sure to whisk cornstarch with a cold liquid (water or milk) before adding it to the boiling gravy.
Stir constantly, letting mixture thicken and boil for a minute or two. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Slice turkey and serve with fresh gravy! Enjoy!!!
* You can use the turkey carcass to make stock/broth, if desired. Just follow the directions for making chicken broth. Sometimes you need to only use 1/2 the carcass, since it tends to be so large.
* Leftover turkey and gravy can be frozen, too. I like to dice up the meat and freeze in ziplocs to use later in recipes that call for cooked chicken or turkey.
Fresh roasted turkey, out of the oven. You can see the meat thermometer has popped up.
Whole Roast Turkey & Gravy - gluten free!
This recipe is based off the one I enjoy using for roast chicken. I tend to bake turkeys around 15 - 18 pounds, but you can make a smaller or larger one, if desired, you'll just need to adjust the cooking time. (I listed guidelines below)Roast Turkey:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Fully thaw turkey, if frozen, according to directions. Rinse, and pat turkey dry with paper towels, making sure all insides are removed (You can use the innards, simmer in a pot to make a stock, but I tend to just throw them out and use drippings and later the carcass to make homemade stock/broth.
Place turkey on the rack in your roasting pan. (You can tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen baking twine, to make a nice, neat turkey. I am always looking for ways to speed up my cooking, and I've just never noticed any difference whether I tie or don't tie legs together when cooking the turkey at a high temperature.)
In a bowl, mix together:
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp ground thyme
1 Tbsp minced garlic (fresh or freeze-dried)
Rub the seasoning mixture inside the turkey, making sure to coat tops, sides and bottoms of the inside. Then place inside the turkey:
2 oranges or lemons, quartered or halved
Brush the top of the turkey with:
~6 Tbsp butter, melted
Sprinkle the entire bird with:
salt & pepper
Place in the oven and roast at 425 F, basting every 30 minutes (instructions after baking times).
Turkeys will cook at 425 F for approximately:
14 lbs ~2 1/2 hrs
15 lbs ~3 hrs
16 lbs ~3 1/4 hrs
18 lbs ~3 1/2 hrs
20 lbs ~3 3/4 hrs
22 lbs ~4 1/4 hrs
I highly recommend testing the internal temperature of the thick part of the turkey, like thigh, breast, leg. I have found when baking the turkey using this method, the pop-out turkey testers work well, and are consistent with me testing the thigh temperature with a thermometer for a temperature of 185 F.
Every 30 minutes, baste the turkey with at least a 1/2 cup of chicken broth. I just pull the turkey out a bit, pour chicken broth over the turkey, then return to the oven. This will make sure you have good drippings in the base of your pan AND keep the turkey nice and moist during cooking.
To baste, make up 3-4 cups of chicken broth, using either homemade chicken broth, OR water plus 1 tsp gluten-free chicken bouillon paste or mushroom seasoning per cup of water.
Once the turkey is done cooking, remove from oven. Carefully move the turkey on it's roasting rack to a cookie sheet and cover with a foil tent for 20 minutes, allowing it to rest.
While it is resting, prepare the gravy.
Gravy from drippings:
Place drippings from roasting pan, removing any burnt pieces, into a medium saucepan. (Usually there aren't many spots that are burned if you are basting regularly and cooking a smaller bird that only requires 3 hours of roasting).
Add to saucepan with drippings, and heat over medium heat:
3 cups water
1 tsp mushroom seasoning OR gluten-free chicken bouillon paste.
1/2 tsp ground paprika
Once drippings and broth come to a boil, whisk together and whisk into gravy:
3/4 cup milk (milk substitutes work well, too)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
This is a general guideline for thickening your gravy - you can make your gravy thicker or thinner depending on how much cornstarch you add. Just make sure to whisk cornstarch with a cold liquid (water or milk) before adding it to the boiling gravy.
Stir constantly, letting mixture thicken and boil for a minute or two. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Slice turkey and serve with fresh gravy! Enjoy!!!
* You can use the turkey carcass to make stock/broth, if desired. Just follow the directions for making chicken broth. Sometimes you need to only use 1/2 the carcass, since it tends to be so large.
* Leftover turkey and gravy can be frozen, too. I like to dice up the meat and freeze in ziplocs to use later in recipes that call for cooked chicken or turkey.
A big pan filled with turkey is just in the middle, surrounding by the rest of our yummy Thanksgiving meal!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. A wireless meat thermometer is a game changer to roast turkey, which can remotely monitor the internal temperature without frequently checking.
ReplyDelete