Things You'll Need:
- 12-13 pound turkey
- Pan
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking thermometer
- Oven
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Step 1
Cooking a frozen turkey removes the thawing out step. You simply take the turkey from the freezer and put it into the preheated oven. While the cooking process continues for five hours, the turkey will thaw out in the oven, and will cook evenly, leaving a juicy, tender turkey.
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Step 2
Begin the process approximately five hours before you want to have the turkey ready to serve. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Put aluminum foil on a pan and unwrap the turkey. Place the turkey on the pan. When the oven is fully preheated, place the turkey in the oven in the pan on the middle rack.
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Step 3
Two hours in, put the meat thermometer into the turkey. Insert the thermometer into the breast as that is the part that will take the longest to cook. Two hours later (four total), the legs and thighs will have almost cooked. They will be around 150 degrees. The ideal temperature for legs and thighs will end up being around 175 degrees.
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Step 4
When the thermometer reads 40 degrees on the breast, it is time to remove the bag of innards (heart, liver, etc.) from within the turkey. Allow the turkey to cook for one more hour after taking out the bag.
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Step 5
When the thermometer finally reads 175 degrees on the leg/thigh and 160 on the breast, the turkey is done. Take it out of the oven. The turkey will continue to rise in temperature, which is fine, because that continues to lower the risk of germs. Serve and enjoy!
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Step 6
One benefit to cooking a frozen turkey is that instead of having everything thaw out, the breast will cook slower because it starts off frozen. This is a good thing, as the ending temperature on the breast will be lower than that of the leg and thigh. You don't want it all to end up the same temperature, because either the leg and thigh will be undercooked, or the breast will be dry.
