How To Cook A Farm Fresh Turkey

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Cooking a free range turkey doesn't take to be complicated. Here's how to roast a gorgeous bird for Thanksgiving and decorate a turkey platter with minimal fuss.

Why this recipe works

Even as a trained professional person, I'1000 sometimes tempted to be intimidated by the thought of cooking a whole turkey. As a social club, we've fashion overcomplicated the culinary narrative, from brining to spatchcocking to the dreaded deep-frying. No shade to those who enjoy the sport of it all, but I'thou hither to say that you can cook a gorgeous turkey without doing Whatever of those things — or fifty-fifty changing the oven temperature during cooking.

Our method takes what'southward important and leaves the remainder. It:

• Starts with a good-quality bird that's not too large (you can cook ii side by side to feed a very big crowd)
• Leaves the dressing on the side
• Uses a quick and piece of cake compound butter to aid go on things juicy and flavorful
• Keeps the trussing simple
• Yields a lovely result without added stress — because who needs more stress on Thanksgiving?

We take the same arroyo to the platter as we do to the bird. It'due south gorgeous, only it'south truly easy.

What you'll need

Here's a glance at the ingredients you'll demand to cook a free range turkey.

• Kickoff with a skilful-quality bird that'south not also big. Run into the section below for lots more data on how to cull a turkey.
• A skillful butter goes a long fashion. I utilise a salted, cultured butter for maximum flavor. Make sure it'south at room temperature before you outset.
• Thyme is a no-brainer with turkey, but yous tin add together any other herbs y'all like. Rosemary and sage would exist great, amidst many others.

How to choose a turkey

You can utilise our roasting method with a standard-issue supermarket turkey if that's what y'all've got. But here's how to get almost choosing a better bird.

• Avoid manufacturing plant farmed turkeys. Ethics aside, these birds tend to lack interesting flavour, accept been injected with saline (which doesn't taste fresh and can inhibit browning), and have been dosed with antibiotics and growth hormones.
• Look for gratuitous-range, all natural, additive-gratuitous birds. Organic certification is great, but it can also be prohibitively expensive for smaller farmers. Some farms use excellent organic or organic-leaning practices only don't have the certification. When in uncertainty, enquire.
• Purchase a turkey that'south betwixt 10 and 14 pounds. It volition cook in a reasonable amount of time at a reasonable temperature, and the white and dark meat will both cook within approximately the same time frame without whatsoever next-level techniques. Consider cooking two birds side by side if this size isn't large enough for your crowd, rather than sizing fashion up.
• A note about heritage turkeys: They're wonderful, but they tend to exist different plenty from a regular free-range turkey that yous'll want to cook them differently. They benefit from a higher cooking temperature and shorter time in the oven. You can learn more than here if yous like.

Our favorite sources for meat

For years, I've been sourcing our meat from Butcher Box. We love this curated meat delivery service, which provides grass-finished beef, heritage breed pork, organic chicken, and more from minor farms directly to the customer. Y'all can larn more in my extensive Butcher Box review and unboxing.

More recently, nosotros've as well become big fans of Cooks Venture for chicken.

How to defrost and prep a turkey

There's no getting effectually the fact that cooking a costless range turkey involves a picayune bit of advance planning — but it doesn't demand to be too hard.

Defrosting

If yous take enough of time, the best mode to defrost a turkey is to permit it sit in the refrigerator over a period of days. A expert rule of thumb is to leave a total 24 hours for every five pounds of frozen turkey (so 3 days for a 10 to 14 pound bird).

I sometimes find information technology takes even longer to ensure that the inside is fully thawed. If you program to roast the turkey on Thursday forenoon (Thanksgiving Solar day), transfer it from freezer to fridge during the preceding weekend.

If y'all're short on fourth dimension and have a big sink or cooler, you can defrost a turkey in cold water. Consider using a laundry sink if yous have one so you won't be in your own way. Place the turkey in the sink or cooler, plug the drain, and fill with common cold water to cover. Change the h2o every 30 minutes. With this method, you'll need to allow well-nigh thirty minutes per pound, so a 10- to fourteen-pound turkey will accept somewhere in the neighborhood of six hours to defrost.

Prepping the bird

What sounds like an unfortunate euphemism is actually just a few elementary steps.

1. Remove all the naughty bits from inside the cavities. You'll likely notice a neck and a purse of giblets. Sometimes they're both in the big principal cavity, but sometimes the bag is in the smaller cervix cavity around the other side. Don't miss it.
2. If in that location are any pin feathers however on the bird, pluck them out.
3. Unless you've brined your turkey, do NOT rinse it. Ownership a good-quality bird, defrosting it safely, working with make clean hands, and cooking it properly are all you lot need to practise. Rinsing does a better job of spreading bacteria than removing information technology.

How to arrive

Here's what you'll practice to get the bird in the oven without an ordeal. Y'all can see all the steps in activeness in the video that accompanies this postal service, and become all the details in the recipe card below.

1. Place the turkey breast-side up into a large roasting pan. No racks or fancy positions necessary. Place room-temperature butter into a pocket-sized bowl and use a fork to mix in the table salt and pepper, lemon zest, and thyme leaves.
2. Use your fingers to carefully split the peel from the breast meat to create pockets. Constrict some of the compound butter into the pockets and distribute it over the breast past wriggling it in every bit best as possible. Spread the remaining compound butter all over the outside of the turkey.
3. Halve the lemon and the onion (quarter if very large) and place into the cavity along with a small handful of fresh thyme.
4. To truss, tuck the tip of each wing nether the bird and tie the tips of the drumsticks together with a pocket-sized piece of twine if this isn't already washed. No need for fancy techniques. The turkey is ready to be roasted.

Turkey cooking times and temperatures

What'south the best oven temperature to roast a free-range turkey?

For a gratis-range turkey that's x to 14 pounds, I like to roast at 350°F (177°C). This temperature yields a dainty combination of golden skin and nicely cooked white and dark meat without unnecessary fuss.

Position the summit rack in the bottom 3rd of the oven and preheat. That's it.

Do I need to baste?

There is no need to baste a turkey. It doesn't contribute to moistness. It tin assist the turkey skin brown evenly, but I observe that a turkey rubbed with compound butter and roasted at 350°F doesn't demand any assistance getting evenly brown — and leaving the oven door airtight cuts downwards a little scrap on cooking fourth dimension.

There is also no need to rotate the turkey during cooking unless y'all know that your oven cooks in a peculiarly uneven style.

How long should I melt my turkey at 350°F?

First things first. Ovens vary. Rather than blindly following a timing chart, the best matter you tin can practice is make a small investment in an instant-read thermometer and larn how to utilize it. Here's a GREAT video that shows exactly how to use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of your turkey in the three critical places.

That said, in my oven an unstuffed ten-pound bird tends to take more than 2 hours merely less than two and a half. A 14-pound turkey volition probably accept more than 2 and a one-half hours only less than three.

At what internal temperature is information technology washed?

The U.S. Regime recommends cooking breast meat to 165°F earlier taking the turkey out of the oven. Some people (myself included) prefer to accept it out earlier. I aim for between 155 and 160°F. As long as you let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving — which you should — any temperature reading over 150°F will result in meat that's safe to eat. Beyond that point, it's a matter of preference.

Practise I need to let a turkey rest after cooking?

Yeah yes yeah. Let information technology rest for at least thirty minutes. This gives the meat a gamble to reabsorb its juices, and conveniently it as well gives yous a chance to brand sure the rest of the meal is prepare.

How to decorate a turkey platter

A gorgeous platter does NOT need to take a lot of time or effort. Here'south all you lot need to exercise to decorate a turkey platter. You lot can employ this technique whether y'all plan to present the whole bird at the table or carve information technology before plating (my Thanksgiving-day preference, as opposed to when I'm styling photos).

Equally with cheese platters and fruit platters, the proper noun of the game is layering and creating a feeling of abundance. Go on those principles in heed, and the rest is up to you.

What you'll need

I like to lean into the fall colors and flavors — the muted green of herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary; the deep carmine of cranberries and pomegranate; and some gorgeous orange. Ingredients in a diversity of sizes, shapes, and textures create interest without whatsoever additional piece of work. You can apply exactly the items pictured hither, or utilize this general idea to riff on your own.

What you'll practise

1. Arrange the whole or carved turkey on a large oval-shaped platter with a fiddling flake of a lip around the border, leaving room around the margins. (This is the platter I use — we have two, and I often pile the vegetable side dishes on the other 1.) Layer on some greenish. I've used sage here, but anything from fresh bay leaves to curly kale could work nicely.
2. Add some smaller fruits and/or nuts between the greens. Cranberries, grapes, whole chestnuts or walnuts (if y'all don't take nut allergies in your crowd) work well.
3. Add a layer of larger fruit pieces. I love using a pomegranate that's been torn into four rustic-looking pieces, along with a bellybutton or blood orange or two, and a ruddy or green apple.
4. Keep layering and filling in gaps until you're happy with the consequence. That'due south it! And yous tin can encourage folks to eat the cutting fruits if they like. Herbs can sometimes be saved to melt with, depending on how they look at the end of the day.

Top five classic Thanksgiving sides

• Perfect mashed potatoes
• Classic or cornbread stuffing
• Haricots verts
• Cranberry sauce
• Popovers
• And don't forget the vegetarian gravy or make-ahead gravy

What to do with leftover turkey

• Pot pie!
• Soup
• Sandwiches
• Use the carcass for stock

Prep Time 15 minutes

Melt Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Full Fourth dimension 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

• ane free-range turkey, 10 to 14 pounds
• 8 tablespoons cultured, salted butter at room temperature
• Small handful thyme sprigs
• i lemon, zested and halved
• one onion, halved or quartered if large
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly footing blackness pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the top rack in the lower tertiary of the oven.
2. Remove the neck and the bag of innards and giblets from inside the cavities. Sometimes they're both in the large main cavity, only sometimes the pocketbook is in the smaller neck cavity around the other side.
3. If in that location are any pivot feathers nevertheless on the bird, pluck them out.
4. Place the turkey breast-side upwardly into a big roasting pan. No racks or fancy positions necessary.
5. Place butter into a minor bowl. Strip one teaspoon of leaves from the thyme and add it to the basin, reserving the residual. Add the salt, pepper, and lemon zest, and mix it all together thoroughly with a fork.
6. Utilise your fingers to carefully split up the turkey skin from the breast meat to create pockets. Constrict some of the compound butter into the pockets and distribute it between the skin and the chest meat by wriggling it in as best every bit possible. Spread the remaining compound butter all over the outside of the turkey.
7. Place the lemon and onion pieces into the large crenel of the bird along with a the remaining thyme sprigs.
8. To truss, tuck the tip of each wing under the bird and tie the tips of the drumsticks together with a small-scale piece of twine if this isn't already done.
9. Identify turkey into oven and roast to your desired level of doneness. For me this means that an instant read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast should read 155-160°F. Refer to the notes department below to learn more. A ten pound turkey will probably need between 2 and ii ½ hours. A 14 pound turkey will probably need betwixt two ½ and 3 hours.
10. Remove turkey from oven and permit rest for at to the lowest degree 30 minutes before carving.
    

How to make gravy from pan drippings

If yous like, you lot tin can make gravy correct in the roasting pan while the turkey rests. Hither's what to do.

1. Set the roasting pan with the drippings over medium oestrus on the stovetop. Depending on your stove and the size of the pan, sometimes it's all-time to do this over ii burners, sometimes one.
2. Guess the corporeality of drippings in the pan. If it seems vaguely similar ½ loving cup, you're all set. If it seems like a lot more, spoon some out. If it seems similar a lot less, add together some butter and allow it cook.
3. Sprinkle in ½ cup flour and stir vigorously with a sturdy whisk or a wooden spoon, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan and incorporating the flour into the fatty to form a roux. Cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly.
4. Pour in 8 cups chicken broth or turkey stock (or seven cups stock and one cup dry out white wine). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened to your liking.
6. Taste for seasoning and and then ladle into a gravy boat to serve.

Notes

1. Unless yous've brined your turkey,do Non rinse it. Buying a skillful-quality bird, defrosting it safely, working with clean easily, and cooking it properly are all you lot need to do. Rinsing does a amend job of spreading bacteria than removing it.
2. There is no demand to baste a turkey. It doesn't contribute to moistness. It can help the turkey peel brown evenly, merely I discover that a turkey rubbed with compound butter and roasted at 350°F doesn't need whatever aid getting evenly brown — and leaving the oven door closed cuts down a trivial bit on cooking time.In that location is also no need to rotate the turkey during cooking unless you know that your oven cooks in a particularly uneven way.
3. Ovens vary. Rather than blindly post-obit a timing chart, the best matter you tin can do is make a small investment in an instant-read thermometer and learn how to use information technology. Here'southward a GREAT video that shows exactly how to utilize an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of your turkey in the three critical places.That said, in my oven an unstuffed 10-pound bird tends to take more than two hours only less than two and a one-half. A fourteen-pound turkey will probably take more two and a one-half hours only less than 3.
4. The U.Southward. Government recommends cooking chest meat to 165°F before taking the turkey out of the oven. Some people (myself included) adopt to have it out earlier. I aim for between 155 and 160°F. As long as you let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving — which you should — any temperature reading over 150°F will issue in meat that'south safety to consume. Across that betoken, information technology's a affair of preference.

Welcome! I'1000 Carolyn Gratzer Cope, and Umami Girl is your guide to a life well-lived. UG is a lifestyle site for curious, thoughtful people who seek to make every day a little special and have a great time doing it. We're chock with real talk virtually the things that matter most — family, food, home, and run a risk — and I promise you'll love digging in. Read More than…

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