Very Moist And Flavorful Roast Turkey Recipes

JUICY ROAST TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
• In a medium bowl, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash /stir with a fork until well combined (the lemon juice doesn't easily stir into butter but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes). Take a whiff of it; you'll fall in love with how fresh it smells!
• Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey; being careful not to tear the skin.
• Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
• Rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
• Stuff turkey with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.
• Here is a fantastic tip: to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You'll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
• Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drum stick; deep into the dark meat. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.
• Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
• Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven).
• Transfer turkey to serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for gravy. Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.

PERFECTLY MOIST AND TENDER TURKEY

Steps:

• Allow turkey to stand at room temperature for about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third of oven.
• Use a serrated knife to cut off top of bread to create a flat surface, if necessary. Cut bread lengthwise, without cutting all the way through. Open bread like a book. Evenly spread butter over cut-side of bread. Place bread, buttered side up, in large, heavy-duty roasting pan.
• Liberally season turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Truss legs together using kitchen twine, and tuck wing tips under the breast. Place turkey, breast side down, on buttered bread. Place in oven, legs first if possible, and roast for 45 minutes. (If it's not possible to position turkey in oven legs first, rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time.) Remove turkey from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
• Using a wooden spoon and side towels, carefully turn turkey so it's breast side up. Place in oven, breast side first if possible, and continue roasting, turning and basting with pan juices every 15 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) reaches 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours more. (If it's not possible to position turkey in oven breast side first, rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time.) Let turkey rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

MOST PERFECT MOIST-EST TENDER-EST JUICI-EST ROAST TURKEY-EVER!

Steps:

• Prep: Two days before cooking:.
• Turkey must be thoroughly thawed before preparing for the oven unless you are using a fresh turkey.
• I finished thawing mine using the cold water method two days before cooking.
• Remove turkey parts from cavities and use as you desire.
• Wash cavities well with cold water and drain as well as you can.
• Snake your hand carefully between the skin and meat to create a pocket in which to put the spices. I got up to the neck, although didn't break through, and down the sides to the hip joint. I also made a pocket in the inner thigh of each leg. I really took my time with this so I wouldn't break through the skin. I didn't do the back, but I suppose you could?.
• Mix Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder and Onion powder in a bowl.
• Using a spoonful of this mixture at a time in your hand, reach in to the pockets you have created and rub into the bird, and some in the cavity as well. When all the mixture has been used, move your hands around on the outside of the skin, and massage the bird to break up the tissues to allow the meat to absorb the rub.
• Place the whole bird in a large SEALED food safe bag. I used a Reynolds Oven Bag-Turkey Size. Refrigerate turkey for 1-2 days (I refrigerated mine for about 36 hours). (Note: I don't use the oven bag to cook the bird!).
• On the day you will serve the bird, preheat oven to 400°F I know this sounds nuts, just go with it!
• Prepare a roasting pan with a rack. I greased my rack with bacon grease. Mmmmm -- bacon -- !
• Pour 3 cups of chicken broth in the pan.
• On the stovetop, boil about 2-3 quarts water (must be scalding hot.).
• Remove the turkey from the oven bag (which you can now throw away) and place the bird in a clean sink.
• Pour hot water over the entire turkey including in the cavities. The skin will shrink tightly to the turkey, squishing in that yummy rub you put in 2 days ago! It will also help hold the natural juices in the turkey while it is cooking. I poured half of the water on the bird's back, then turned it over to pour on the breast.
• I did not stuff my bird, and since I've never stuffed a turkey, I'll defer to Uncle Bill here, and he states in his recipe to stuff the bird, line the inside of the cavity with cheesecloth, then stuff LOOSELY with your favorite dressing.
• Tie legs with a good meat wrapping twine. Alternately, some birds have a spot pre-cut at the base of their spine to push their legs through.
• Lightly salt and pepper the outside of the bird, front and back.
• Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil across the front of the bird. Using a basting brush, your hand or a paper towel, lightly coat the bird, careful not to remove the salt and pepper (I suppose you could do these steps the other way, this is just how I did it.).
• Place the bird BACK SIDE UP (really, trust me!) on the rack. I'll warn you, this will leave lines in the breast of your bird, but a beautiful bird that's dry and tasteless is NOT going to make you the holiday hero!
• Pour the other 1/4 c of olive oil on the back of the bird, and using a basting brush, your hand or a paper towel, lightly coat the bird.
• Cover the turkey completely with aluminum foil, pinching the foil tightly to the roasting pan which will create a wonderful moist, hot, convection within the pan. Be careful to tent the foil enough so it doesn't touch the bird (it will stick) or use a layer of the non-stick foil to avoid this problem.
• Place turkey on lower rack in oven and cook for 1 hour.
• Reduce heat to 325 F and continue to cook for 45 minutes.
• Now, flip the bird over! This might take two people. My hubby used heavy work gloves covered with Ziploc bags. It was a sight! Make sure you have the roasting pan on a steady level surface where it won't slip around. Some folks talk about doing this with the pan placed on the floor.
• Re-cover and pinch the foil back down (as best you can since your pan will be hot!) Be sure to keep it from touching the bird, or use the layer of non-stick foil if you have it.
• Continue cooking the bird covered for another 90 minutes.
• Remove the foil and baste the bird. Leave a triangle-shaped piece of the non-stick foil over the breast, but leave the legs exposed. The dark meat takes longer to cook through, and covering the breast (supposedly) helps keep the leaner white meat protected from drying out.
• Baste every 15-20 minutes for the next 45 minutes.
• Take a temp reading using a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, and another spot in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching bone. You want a reading of 155°F If you aren't there, continue to cook the bird until you reach 155°F
• When you reach a reading of 155°F, remove the bird, baste once more, and cover it again with foil. WAIT 30 MINUTES BEFORE CARVING. During this 30 minutes, "carryover" cooking will continue and the temperature of the bird will continue to rise. Safe cooked temperature for a turkey is 165°F as of this writing. If you make the mistake of cooking to 165° or heaven forbid 175°, you risk turning your beautiful turkey into something that's tragically desiccated.
• There is no need to baste the turkey until the last part of cooking, this saves you a lot of time as you do not have to remove the foil tent during the first few hours, and you will keep your oven at a more consistent cooking temperature allowing your bird to cook faster.
• These are Uncle Bill's COOKING TIMES (my 21.5 pound bird was in the oven 4 1/2 hours so I think these might be a bit long, but it may depend on your oven. I would err on checking the bird sooner rather than later - you can't uncook something!).
• Left Side -Stuffed---- Right Side - Unstuffed.
• *12-14lbs.: 4 - 4 1/2 hours-- 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 hours.
• *14-16lbs.: 4 1/2 - 5 hours-- 3 3/4 - 4 hours.
• *16-18lbs.: 5- 5 1/2 hours-- 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 hours.
• *18-20lbs.: 5 1/2 - 6 hours-- 4 1/4 - 4 1/2 hours.
• *20-22lbs.: 6 - 6 1/4 hours-- 4 1/2 - 5 hours.
• *22-24lbs.: 6 1/4- 6 1/2 hours-- 5 - 5 1/4 hours.

VERY MOIST AND FLAVORFUL ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces, quarter the pieces, and refrigerate butter until needed.
• Use your fingers to loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs. Cut a hole in the turkey skin between tail and body (to affix legs); cut a hole on each side of the turkey beneath each wing (to affix wings). Rub the entire skin with vegetable oil.
• Toss apple and onion wedges, garlic cloves, and celery in a large bowl until combined; sprinkle poultry seasoning over the apple mixture and toss again to coat. Stuff the body and neck cavities with the apple mixture. Insert each wing tip into the hole under the wing to secure wings; insert both legs into hole near tail to secure legs.
• Place turkey onto a rack and set in a roasting pan. Insert cold butter pieces under the loosened skin, distributing the butter as evenly as possible.
• Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 3 1/2 hours. Check for doneness after 3 hours.
• Remove roasting pan containing turkey from oven and cover with aluminum foil, lightly pressing the foil directly onto the bird. Let the turkey rest for 40 minutes before carving.

MOIST AND TENDER TURKEY (OR TURKEY BREAST)

Steps:

• Place turkey or turkey breast in a roasting pan.
• (I use a disposable roasting pan) Combine melted butter and chicken broth.
• Pour over turkey.
• Rub mayonnaise all over turkey's exterior.
• Salt and pepper lightly if desired.
• Roast at 300°-325°F until internal temperature reaches 170°F on an instant read thermometer. (I raise the temperature to 350° for the last approximate 30-45 minutes to crisp skin).
• (I roast my 18-20 lbs. fresh turkey at 250°F in a convection oven. It takes about 4 hours to reach the correct temperature.).
• Remove from oven and let sit for about 30 minutes before slicing.
• Note: because the butter and broth are for making gravy, if you need to make a lot of gravy, double the amount of both.
• To make gravy: pour pan drippings into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add 1 Tbls. cornstarch per cup of broth/drippings to 1/4 cup cold water. (You'll usually need 2-3 Tbls) Mix well to dissolve. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. If too thin, dissolve more cornstarch in water and add until desired thickness. If too thick, add water or more broth to thin.