Thanksgiving Turkey

By junerodgers

Ingredients

• 1 17-20 lb fresh turkey
• 1/4 cup basting oil
• Salt and pepper

Details

Servings 15

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325.

Release legs from oven-safe clamp. Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities.

Rinse turkey inside and out and drain well. Pat dry. Season cavity with spices of your choice (salt, pepper, Thyme, etc.)

Rejoin legs with clamp. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Tuck wings under back of turkey. Brush with basting oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cover turkey loosely with a tent of aluminum foil to eliminate the need to baste and prevent excessive browning. Roast, using times on chart, until temperature of turkey is 165 degrees. Use a digital thermometer for best results.

About 45 minutes before the end of suggested roasting time, remove the foil tent, baste turkey with the drippings and continue roasting until done.

Approximate roasting times in a 325 degree oven:

Turkey Weight / Cooking Time for unstuffed turkey
8-12 lbs. 2.5 to 3 3/4 hours
12-16 lbs. 3 3/4 to 5 hours
16-20 lbs. 5-6 hours
20-24 lbs. 6 to 7 1/4 hours
24-28 lbs. 7 1/4 to 8 1/2 hours

Cooking Tip:

Increase cooking time by 15-20 minutes if cooking turkey stuffed. Be sure stuffing temperature also reaches 165 degrees.