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Writer's pictureGigi

Its Turkey Time! Baked Thanksgiving Turkey


It seems like this day comes around quicker and quicker every year. My mom was always the turkey cooker for Thanksgiving but I took over a few years ago. My recipe is easy and fuss free. I normally bake a 20 to 25 pound turkey for my family. The secret to my turkey is my herb butter you will be using to coat the entire turkey. I prep my turkey the night before. The butter assists in browning the skin and making an amazingly moist turkey that you will love.

Let's get started......


Ingredients:


  • Whole Turkey (Frozen or Fresh)

Note: When I use a frozen turkey I start defrosting 3 days ahead.

  • Herb Butter

  • 2 White onions (Slice in halves)

  • 6 Carrots

  • 5 Celery Stalks

  • 15 Garlic cloves

  • Bunch of Fresh Rosemary, Sage, Thyme

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Poultry Seasoning

  • Powdered sage, rosemary

Instructions:


By the time you prep the turkey your garlic herb butter will already be made. I take a quarter of the log and set it out for 30 mins until it softens.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turkey should be room temperature. Remove neck and giblets fro the turkey. Set aside. We are going to use this for my famous brown gravy. Pat the outside of the turkey dry with a paper towel. Spray roasting pan with cooking spray then transfer the turkey to roasting pan.


Now you are going to stuff your bird. Stuff the cavity with your carrots, celery, onion, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, fresh thyme, cloves of garlic, 5 slices of herb butter and stuff it inside of your bird. Not only will this give you flavor but we will use these pieces later for the brown gravy. Slice 6 additional slices of herb butter and push under the skin of the turkey. Lastly, you are going to rub the remaining butter all over the entire turkey. Don't forget under the wings and legs. This is going to give you amazing crispy skin. Don't forget to tie the drum sticks together and tuck the wings under. Lastly, Sprinkle salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, powdered sage and rosemary on the turkey for additional taste.


This is what your turkey should look like.

Continue to bake at 350 degrees, plan on about 15 minutes per pound of turkey stuffed or 13 minutes unstuffed. Every oven varies a little, so cook times can vary. I keep a food thermometer on hand to determine if my turkey is fully cooked and ready.


7 to 8 hours later this is what I got.




Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Tomorrow I will be adding my Brown Gravy to my blog and I will add a link on this page for everyone.


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