- Place the turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan. If desired, you can brush the skin with oil or butter. You can also season the turkey with poultry or other seasonings. Pour 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover the roasting pan with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil. Place the turkey in a preheated 325 degree Fahrenheit oven. Roast for approximately 4 1/2 hours, basting the turkey every hour. The turkey is fully cooked when a thermometer inserted into both the breast and the thigh reads 165 degrees.
- Stuff the turkey with the dressing immediately before cooking. Place the bird, breast side up, in the roasting pan. Oil and season the turkey, if desired. Cover the roaster with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil and cook for 4 3/4 to 5 hours. The turkey is done when a thermometer inserted into the breast, thigh and the stuffing reads 165 degrees.
- Cook a turkey, stuffed or unstuffed, in an electric roaster for the same amount of time you would cook the turkey in the oven. Be sure to set the roaster temperature to no less than 325 degrees and remove the cover as little as possible during the cooking time.
- A whole, unstuffed 20 lb. turkey can be cooked in a smoker very easily. Plan on 30 minutes per pound, or 10 hours, and check with a thermometer to insure that the turkey is done. Because smokers cook meat slowly at lower temperatures, the USDA does not recommend smoking a stuffed turkey.
- It is not recommended to cook a turkey of any size in a brown paper bag. Special cooking bags can be used for oven roasting. It is not recommended that turkeys larger than 16 lbs. be cooked on a charcoal or gas grill. Turkeys should be 12 lbs. or less if you plan on cooking in a deep fryer. If you plan to cook the turkey in a pressure cooker, it should be cut into parts and you should follow the pressure cooker manufacturer's instructions.
