How to Roast a Beautiful Turkey

There are many wonderful articles on this site already about roasting turkey. I agree with most. I love brining a turkey to start with, and I recommend that method. I also agree with the breast-side down method, but only to a limited degree, which I will discuss in my article. In the 30+ years I have been roasting the family turkey, I have always gotten rave reviews!

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Turkey.
• Roasting pan.
• Vegetable and Chicken Stock.
• Carrots, Celery, Onions, Oranges, Lemons or Limes.
• Meat injector.
• Meat thermometer.
• Aluminum foil.
• Time and patience.

1. I am not starting with brining, assuming you have read those articles and have decided whether or not to do this. So, my first step is to wash your turkey out (if you have not brined it) and be sure you have removed all the insides.

2. Season your turkey by getting very familiar with your bird. Take butter or olive oil and rub between the skin and meat all over the bird (or as much as you can). Follow with poultry seasoning, a good healthy amount. Then rub the skin of the turkey similarly.

3. Place the turkey breast side down on a rack in the roasting pan. Be sure in advance to have your oven set to directions on your turkey for temperature. Squeeze 2-3 oranges and 2-3 lemons or limes into the pan and into the cavity of the turkey. Save the squeezed lemons/limes and oranges. Add some chicken/vegetable stock to the pan.

4. Place tented foil loosely over the turkey. Cook for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

5. Remove turkey from oven. Flip the bird at this point. Stuff the cavity with the oranges and lemons/lines. Also stuff the cavity loosely with one quartered onion and minced garlic. Add carrots, celery, and chopped onion to the pan. Fill injector with broth and inject into various parts of the turkey, with emphasis on the breast meat.

6. Cover bird with foil. Return to oven. Cook for an hour.

7. Remove turkey. Inject with pan drippings, add water or broth if needed, and white wine if you desire. Be sure you have already put 1-3 bay leaves in the pan to season the turkey. I never cooked a turkey stuffed with stuffing as the cooking time is too long and there is too much risk of botulism.

8. Repeat step 7 above, removing turkey every hour until the last hour, at which time you will remove the foil tent and allow it to cook uncovered, thus giving it the perfect browned look.

9. At end of proscribed cooking time, check with a meat thermometer. Abide by the guidelines for cooked poultry. I never trust those little pop-ups, as half the time they do not work. The instant-read thermometer is the only way to go. Remove the citrus from the cavity of the turkey. Transfer to cutting board for carving or place on platter and bring to the table.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't toss the bones when you are through boning the turkey. You can keep the bones (freeze them if you want) and the veggies in the pan and then cook them down in a stock pot to make the best-ever turkey stock you have ever had. More on that later. When you cook the stock, freeze it in ice-cube trays.
• Please remember to wash your hands frequently during the preparation process. Never use the same cutting boards and knives for raw poultry first and then for vegetables without washing them between uses. Wipe the counters down.