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How to Cook a Turkey Recipe

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This recipe for How to Cook a Turkey is from Cara's Family Cookbook , one of the cookbooks created at FamilyCookbookProject.com. We'll help you start your own personal cookbook! It's easy and fun. Click here to start your own cookbook!


Category:
Category:

Ingredients:  
Ingredients:  
Buy a turkey (at least 1/2 pound per person)
Olive oil for brushing turkey
Salt and pepper
Poultry Seasoning (Bell's Seasoning)

Directions:
Directions:
1. Take out turkey
2. Preheat oven at 450 degrees
3. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity
4. Rinse and pat dry turkey (with paper towel)
5. Place turkey in roasting pan
6. Brush with olive oil, dash of salt & pepper, and poultry seasoning on the outside
7. Put turkey in oven and turn down oven to 325 degrees (This allows turkey skin to sear for crispiness)
8. Cook turkey 15 minutes per pound (when not stuffed) at 325 degrees. Note: A larger turkey may not take as long per pound, therefore a 20 lb turkey should be checked for readiness at 4 hrs. Some turkeys you buy will have a pop-up timer, but don’t rely just on this. Check your turkey with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey breast without touching bone. Your turkey will be ready at 165 degrees F.
9. Check turkey every hour and baste turkey with drippings
10. If turkey is browning, loosely cover turkey with tin foil in order to allow for turkey to roast fully versus burning the outside.
11. Last hour of cooking your turkey, check turkey every 15-30 minutes for readiness.
12. Once ready, take turkey out of the oven and let “rest” under tin foil for 30 minutes prior to cutting. This allows for the juices to trap inside of the turkey and remain moist instead of dripping out right away when serving.

If cooking a turkey with stuffing:
1. Prepare stuffing recipe
2. Stuff the turkey in cavity (5 cups of stuffing will fit into a 10-12 lb turkey)
3. Cook turkey at 25 minutes per pound
4. Take turkey out & allow to rest with stuffing inside
5. Prior to carving your turkey, scoop stuffing out of turkey cavity for serving

Personal Notes:
Personal Notes:
Mom makes her turkey gravy by mixing cornstarch with the turkey drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan. Serve warm. Enjoy!

 

 

 

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