A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe

This is the turkey recipe I used when I roasted my first-ever 19lb bird three years ago. It turned out perfectly then and has every year since. My version calls for placing the turkey on a v-shaped rack in the roasting pan. This allows air to circulate under the bird and should address any issues related to the bottom not cooking as thoroughly as the top or being soggy. I have never had to turn the bird over. Other hints: truss the wings under the bird with baking string or wrap in aluminum foil to keep from over-browning. For the rest of the turkey, I place the aluminum foil tightly over the breast-portion only. Then, I remove the foil on the breast 1 hour before the bird is done (my 19lb birds, stuffed, tend to roast in about 5 hours, so I remove at the 4 hour mark). The breast is always beautifully brown and not overdone; very juicy! Baste as directed (every 30 minutes) with turkey or chicken stock. When you check the temperature, be sure you're not hitting the bone; keep it in the fleshy part of the thigh meat. I also check the internal temperature of the stuffing to ensure it's at 160. Standing time is *important.* I rest mine at least 30 minutes, up to 45. It won't get cold--keeps it juicy! I use good quality boxed or homemade chicken stock instead of turkey stock. This is such an easy recipe. You don't need to over-think it or second-guess it. It's worked for me every single time. And...the drippings make delicious pan gravy! Enjoy!

I combined this recipe with chef John's turkey recipe. I used his recipe because it calls for vegetables underneath the turkey 3 stalks celery, 2 small onions, 2 carrots. And I also added potatoes. I used a couple thyme inside the bird instead of sage and rosemary as his recipe calls for. And as chef John suggested place butter pieces between meat and skin and also over the turkeg. As far as the rest I followed this recipe and I must say it came out wonderrful. The stuffing I used was cornbread and I followed the instructions on the back of the box. This turkey was to die for! Please do not make this recipe if you are not going to use a thermometer it is crucial to pull out the bird the exact right time. Just a little overbaked and your bird will come out dry. I placed a thermometer inside the stuffing and was alerted by the thermometer alarm when it hit 165 degrees.

Bro, I can’t stop thinking about it.

This was simple and delicious. I followed other reviewers' instructions and put butter under the skin. I put a quartered onion, an apple, a celery stalk and some herbs in the cavity. I also rubbed a mix of herbs de provence inside and out after I salted the bird. I cooked at 425 for the first 30 mins, then turned it down to 325 and basted every 30 mins thereafter. I tented from after the first 30 mins. It was excellent. A gorgeous golden colour, juicy, and delicious. I would absolutely make it again!

Fabulous! Best I’ve ever made! I roasted my unstuffed 16-pound bird at 350 degrees for 4 hours per the roasting time guide in this recipe. (Don’t know why recipe says 325). Good thing, too, or else would not have been ready in time. Perfectly golden, moist, delicious. Didn’t have turkey stock or a baster so poured boxed chicken broth over turkey every 30 minutes. Did throw a celery stick and quartered onion in turkey cavity to flavor drippings. Simmered neck and giblets with water, onion and celery on stove to create delicious stock for gravy. Thickened gravy with cornstarch.

Perfection. The turkey came out beautiful, tasty and moist. Salt and pepper inside and out and drizzled with olive oil. I stuffed the cavity with onion, apple and fresh sage. Definitely my go to turkey recipe/cooking method. Be sure to keep an eye on the liquid at the bottom of the pan since the pan is at the lowest level of the oven. Makes awesome gravy, especially if you add the diced giblets.

First time I ever made roast Turkey and it turned out delicious, however a few things that I found which could be helpful if you're a newbie to making raost turkey: 1) It took quite a bit longer than recipe (and time-size chart) describes to get temp up to 160 deep in the thigh, which is key if you want yummy, moist, drop-off-the-bone dark meat: I had a 14 pound bird, started at 425 for first 30 minutes as suggested by another reviewer (because the bird is a bit cold when taken out of the fridge), then I dropped the oven to 350 for the next hour, and 325 thereafter. I basted only once per hour to help keep the temp up, and I have a great oven, but it still took just under 5 hours to get temp in thigh up to 160 - and with the 30 minutes prep at start and another 30 minutes at end for the turkey to sit at room temp before carving, you should expect this recipe to take 6 hours from start to serving, even for a turkey smaller than the 18pounds in the recipe. 2. I put the aluminum foil tent on the bird after the first 30 minutes (when I droppped oven temp from 425 to 350) but then left it on the rest of the way 3. Instead of bread stuffing, I stuffed the bird with quartered apples, onions, several whole garlic cloves, and sections from one peeled orange, per another comment; this generated alot of moisture and flavor; awesome. 4. For the basting broth in bottom of pan, I used 50-50 combo of apple cider and chicken broth, per suggestion from another recipe to broaden the flavor of

Their is a lot of variations from Turkey prep. , to the stuffing. What I do is use a seasoning injector and inject melted butter mixed with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Now with the dressing I will add diced Granny Smith's apples, diced celery, diced onions, dehydrated cranberry and raisens (equal portions). In the bottom of the pan I pour 1 (32oz.) box low sodium chicken broth. After assembling Turkey and dressing I place on a rack in the roaster. Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 275 deg. for six to eight hours. Fall off the bone moist.

I am 83 years old and have cooked many Thanksgiving dinners. This is the recipe I have always used, it's classic and always a hit. I do add a wild rice, sausage, cornbread , stuffing placed loosely in the cavity and serve what's left over in a casserole.

Very easy and creates a lovely crispy browned skin without drying the turkey out. I massaged a melted butter and poultry seasoning, salt marinade under the skin the evening before, covered the turkey with wax paper and a wet towel and placed back in fridge overnight. Roasted 4 hours as directed for a 14-15 lb turkey. Before roasting I put sliced onion and celery into the cavity, and salt and half stick butter. I highly recommend this recipe highly!

I used a wild turkey. I have no idea how much it weighed dressed, but 14 pounds is my guess. I made the recipe as listed, using chicken broth because that is all I had. I baked it for 2.75 hours total. The turkey did turn out very moist, even with it being wild. My advice to myself for next time: watch the liquid in the bottom of the pan closely. When it was getting low, but not evaporated off yet, it started to brown/burn. I will keep it better replenished next time. The drippings still made excellent gravy. Also, I let it sit for probably 40 minutes because my husband was late from work, and I think that helped a lot! It was very juicy. I'll season the butter with salt and pepper next time to try and infuse a little more flavor into the meat.

My kids asked for seconds.

You make no mention of removing the stuffing from the bird. Isn’t that supposed to be done once the bird comes out of the oven? It used to be that it was considered unsafe to leave the stuffing in the bird after coming out of the oven for fear of food poisoning? Additionally, isn’t the stuffing supposed to be cooled prior to stuffing the bird? I thought adding hot (from the cooked veggies and the broth) stuffing was also considered unsafe due to concerns around bacteria growth during the early stages of roasting the bird? But, what do I know? Maybe these new hyper-expensive free-range, organic birds are so smart they are immune to bacteria growth and other concerns.

I made this for my husband's work event using a 22 lb. bird and fixed it a day ahead then refrigerated it, he took it whole, carved it up there and they reheated it. He got raves from everyone over this being the best turkey they ever ate! He said even those who said they don't like turkey went back for seconds. Thanks for the awesome easy recipe.

I didn’t change a thing and it was perfect.

Delish! Everyone loved it. I did end up using a whole box of turkey stock (4 cups), pouring more in as it cooked and drippings evaporated. I also stuffed the bird. Cooking time was spot on. Nice, easy recipe that was a hit.

The flavor was good, although I added 1/2 lemon juice and would probably do 1.5 lemon’s juice next time. The 18lb turkey wasn’t fully cooked after 6.5 hours. We had people over so we served the cooked breast and had to finish cooking the thighs on the stove top. Reserve 7 hours of cooking time at least or up the temperature a tad.

Indulging in the roast turkey was an absolute delight! The bird was flawlessly cooked, boasting a crispy, golden-brown skin that sealed in all the savory juices. Each succulent slice revealed tender, moist meat with a perfect blend of flavors, thanks to the expert seasoning and cooking techniques.

I made a 16 pounder and at 325 F, it's taking more like 8 hours. To be fair, I did not add stuffing which could raise the inner temp. sufficiently to cook in the time specified. Using a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the bird, I'm at 148 F after 6 hours. Glad I didn't have people over at a predestined time or we'd be ordering a Sammys pizza! Edit: After about 9 hours, 2 1/2 of which was set around 275 F, the meat was falling off the bone and my digital thermometer was still reading just over 150F. Upon wiping turkey juice off the probe off, it came apart! The turkey is DEFINITELY done and I'm throwing the thermometer in the trash!

I followed the recipe exactly to the letter and it came out great.