The Best Turkey You Will Ever Eat!

By Addie

Turkey isn’t expensive at all so stock up now. I got two turkeys today for .39/lb. I had the butcher cut them in half just like last year and the year before! If you know how to roast a turkey, you can stock up during the holidays, serve turkey in place of chicken and save a bundle on your food bill!

Sometimes turkeys do not cook properly because they don’t get thawed. You need to allow 1 day of thawing time for every 4 lbs. of turkey plus you can keep a thawed turkey in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. Thaw your turkey with the breast side down so the juices will run into the breast.

This is the best turkey you will ever eat. The meat will just fall off the bones so you will have to serve it already carved. It will be very juicy and moist.

TAWRA KELLAM (COOKING ON A DIME)

Ingredients

• 1 turkey, 20-22 lbs.
• 1 stick margarine or butter

Preparation

Step 1

Defrost frozen turkey for several days in the refrigerator according to the directions on the package. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Remove the insides of the turkey and save for giblet gravy or for fried livers and gizzards.

Lay turkey, breast side down, in the pan and place the stick of butter on the inside. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 250° for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 200° and roast for 10-15 hours. Cooking time can be longer to fit your schedule. Test with a meat thermometer to make sure the temperature in the thigh is 180°.


If I have a 20-22 lb. turkey, I put it in the oven one hour before I go to bed (that way I can turn it down to 200° and sometimes I go down to 180° before I go to bed.) It will be done by noon the next day. Because it is at such a low temperature, if you aren’t going to eat until 1-2 PM, it will stay just fine in the oven until then.


If I have a 10 lb. turkey, I put it in the oven early on Thanksgiving morning (about 6 or 7 AM in order to eat at noon. You don’t need to worry too much about it getting done. An hour or two before the meal, check it and see how it is doing. If it isn’t cooking quickly enough, you can always raise the temperature to 350°. With a 10 -12 lb turkey you only need to use half of a stick (about 4 Tbsp.) of butter. You can place it in a large crockpot on low, too.
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COMMENTS:

A tip I learned years ago from a turkey farmer. A full grown turkey has 12 lbs of bones, so when judging how big a turkey you want the best idea is to not buy them under 12 lbs or you get more bones than meat. (unless you like soup.)

If you are doing a 15-20 lb turkey for after church I would put it in the oven at 9 pm at 250 degrees for 1 hour then when you go to bed (say 10 pm) turn it down to about 150 to 175 degrees and it will be fine when you get home. If you don’t go to bed until 11 then put it in at 250 at 10 pm for an hour then turn down. Baking at this low of a temperature it really is almost impossible to burn or over cook at all. That is why I like cooking most of my meats at this temp because if church runs over and I am late getting home by even a couple of hours I don’t have to worry about it. It pretty much like crock pot cooking but you just do it in the oven but with less soggy results.

I’m so glad you posted this! I was beginning to believe that I was the only person alive who regularly roasts her turkey overnight! The other day I had described it in a comment on another blog. Another commenter had replied that what I was doing was not safe! So I’m especially glad that you mentioned checking the temperature in the thigh with a meat thermometer. The only things I do different from you is that I usually spray the bird with canola and add a bit of sage. I roast mine in an old blue roaster pan, lid on.

I have been doing this upside down, with the butter in the breast cavity forever….I also add for great flavor a couple of celery stalks/leaves and all(or the throwaway scraps of celery from dressing prep)and an onion cut in quarters in the breast cavity…all that flavor seeps into the otherwise dry breast meat…I have been known to sneak a few garlic cloves in there….lol

I have never done the turkey upside down like this but would like to try it. Being that my family INSISTS that the turkey is made WITH my famous stuffing, can I stuff it and leave it in overnight?
REPLY: I don’t usually stuff my turkey when I cook it this way but rather, I cook the stuffing separate the next day. Plus the turkey is so tender and juicy you can’t hardly get it out of the pan because it falls off the bone and it would be hard to deal with the stuffing in it. (Tawra)

Here’s how I make gravy turn out better when the juices after cooking are pale, which can happen when you use one of the self-basting turkeys. I’ve noticed that even the basic bargain turkeys are more likely to have some basting solution and I think it messes up the gravy process. After the turkey is done, I pour the turkey juices into a large skillet and cook it on high and let it boil off. I watch it carefully and turn the heat down as the water evaporates and the pan drippings get more concentrated, then I proceed to make gravy according to typical recipes. It can take awhile but it’s worth it to get rich deep turkey gravy flavor. This also works great for roast chicken and other meats.

I usually put the extra stuffing wrapped in foil and about 2 hours before I take the bird out I toss the foil pack in with the turkey. Put a few steam holes and they pick up the flavour of the bird better.

For a super simple gravy—with a great taste and texture—no lumps!– When turkey is cooked –and I scatter some of the pre-seasoned stuffing cubes on the pan to make more flavorful gravy—remove to a warm place. Tilt the pan CAREFULLY and skim off a lot of the fat—this is easy with a small ladle. Add a bunch of water—now this is a “judgement call” I add at LEAST a quart for a 20 or so pound turkey. Later on you can adjust this. Also you can add some WINE red or white. Start to heat and scrape up all the lovely “bits”. Add a bunch of PEPPER—more than you would think!–and if you like it a sprinkle of garlic powder. Now you will need some GOOD TAMARI OR SOY SAUCE—not that Kikkoman –um– stuff. Add a good glug—I get mine at a Food Co-Op and it is dark and rich and NOT salty and raw like the supermarket bottles. After adding the tamari/soy—taste for flavors. Bring to boil. Meanwhile mix TWO HEAPING TABLESPOONS of CORN STARCH and 1/4 CUP COLD WATER. Turn OFF the gravy (You can transfer the whole thing to a sauce pan BTW) and gradually whisk in the CORN STARCH MIX. When all is mixed in return to heat on MED or HI and bring just to boil, turn down and simmer. This can also be made with any stock or broth or the broth you make from the turkey wing tips, parts etc. One tip I have used to make gravy in quantity – Use several turkey parts like wings, legs etc. Place some cut up carrots and celery and a cut up onion in the bottom of either a roaster or a crock pot. Season. Dab with butter. Cook until done. When cooked either cool and save until you want to make gravy (or as a base for soup!) or proceed. Add these parts to a large stock pot for soup. For GRAVY use the drippings as above. When I make turkey the bird is OK but the BEST thing is TURKEY SOUP. Dump all of your left over turkey parts and stuffing – YES!!!!— bones, etc. into a stock pot. Add some carrots, an onion, celery or leaves. Cover with COLD WATER and bring to boil. Skim if wanted. Lower and simmer for—well, until you think it is done! Place a large colander INSIDE a large bowl and using a slotted ladle or a Chinese ladle strainer lift out all the bits. Pour the broth that is in bowl into the pot. Taste for seasoning. If you like the results ADD ANY LEFT OVER GRAVY TO THE BROTH. This adds something AMAZING—deeper flavor, some thickness, just—something. (Can be used for chicken too or even mixed parts) Add a few CHICKEN BOUILLION CUBES for Grand Ma’s Secret Flavor. To serve you can add veggies, left over turkey or chicken cut up, noodles, dumplings—or if you are MY family do not DARE serve with out—Matzoh Balls.

I am anxious to try the overnight turkey, but I also don’t want anyone to get sick. I have read online that it isn’t a safe temperature 180- 200. I just want to verify putting a 22 lb turkey in at 11 @ 200 and not eating until 1pm. Is this going to be a good time? REPLY: When I called the county extension they said if the internal temp. is 165 then it’s fine. (Tawra)

When would you put the turkey in the oven if you were going to eat at 1 pm? REPLY: If you are doing a 22 lb. turkey I would put it in the oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour before you go to bed (between 9 – 11o’clock). Turn it down to 200 then before you go to bed. In the morning you can check it. If it looks like it is getting almost done (falling of the bone etc) then turn it down to 175 degrees or less until you are ready for it. If it doesn’t look like it is cooking fast enough just turn it up to 225 or 250. Don’t panic you have 5 or so more hours to cook it if this is the case. So many worry about the low temp but it really isn’t a problem. If you think about it when beef jerky is made the temperature is only set at 145 – 155 degrees and most people don’t worry about eating it. Speaking of beef jerky the only real important thing about slow cooking your turkey is to make sure it is covered and sealed around the edges well other wise it could dry out. (Tawra)