Moms Roast Turkey Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Here's where we Start. . . With the Bird, (TURKEY)Place In a Pan to catch any drips, (this way you are Making sure Any drips or Leaking stays contained) Bring Turkey to Room Temp from refer. keep it in wrapper till ready to cook. Remove before Roasting. (if your turkey is "frozen", you need to thaw in the refer several days to thaw, can take 3 days to thaw in refer if Frozen, and then follow same procedure above)
• 2. REMINDER: Use same Sanitary Precautions as you would for any Raw chicken. wash hands with hot soapy water. dry with paper towels
• 3. Remove Plactic turkey is sealed in. Remove pkg inserted in the cavity of the Turkey.(usually a neck bone heart, gizzard also liver)save to boil for Gravy or Soup later. PREHEAT OVEN @ 400.
• 4. Wash out Turkey in your sink with water. remove any stubs of Feather left on bird. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Lather inside of this cavity with a 1/2 a handfull of salt.
• 5. Put 1/2 a cube of butter cut in pieces under the Skin of the Turkey. (the skin is easy to Pull up and insert that butter as far under the Skin as possible.) Now take the Onion, celery, garlic and carrots and Place in the Cavity of the Bird.Tie with string if you must to keep it from falling out. you can place a little ion the neck cavity also.
• 6. Tie Your Legs of the turkey together with twine or String to Keep legs together close to the turkey's body.
• 7. Now with Your Melted Butter, Rub over the entire turkey, (Just lather that baby, I mean Bird.) Sprinkle with salt peper and paprika all over outside. . to taste & season well.
• 8. Place Turkey Breast Down on the bottom of the Rack in a "very Sturdy" Roasting pan. (you don't want any mishaps trying to left the bird from a flimsy pan) you can add rosemary and thyme now all over the outside of the turkey. NOTE: Roasting the Bird with breast down makes for a much more Moist Breast. Half way thru baking Turn Bird over to Brown the Breast if you want a browned Breast.
• 9. Place Turkey in 400 degree Oven, Covered for 1 hr. Then Uncover and follow Baking time Instructions on your Packaging for the bird. Basting Bird with Drippings every 1 hr or so. Start Baking at 400 for 1/2 hr. Reduce Heat to 350 for the next 2 hrs. Then reduce heat to 225 for the remaining cooking time. This helps to Not Over Cook the Bird nor Dry it out. This Helps to make for a very Moist Bird.
• 10. TIP: It is reccommended 15 min per pound, baking time for a 15 Lb Turkey. NOTE of Caution: if you choose to bake with breast down you can turn it over 1/2 way thru and place bird under Broiler at the end for a few min to Brown more. approx 4-5 min. but you also run the risk to overcook the breast by doing this. That is the risk you take if you do it this way. using a thermometer you want the DARK MEAT @ 175degrees. 165 for the breast. the temp will continue to rise after removing from the Oven, So I take mine out 5 degrees less than it needs to be. Remove from Pan onto platter. Let Rest 15-20 min before carving. Enjoy this bird. and add your own sides and don't forget the vegies in the cavities Soo good.
• 11. DRIPPINGS IN PAN: Scrape & Use Drippings in the pan for Your Turkey gravy. Hint: You can also boil and Chop gibblets, (That's the Pkg you took from the inside of the turkey) and add this to your garvy for Giblet gravy.
• 12. GRAVY from Drippings: Scrape all the drippings in the pan, Add 4 Tbs Butter in same pan Add 4 Tbs Flour to same Mix as for a Roux. Over Medium heat. Blend til smooth and not Lumpy. add 2 cups cold turkey broth from your Boiled Gibblets. Whisk very well as not to have any lumps. when this starts to thicken, add 2 more cups, now, as it thickens to your Desired consistency. Whisk continually. Salt and Pepper to taste. . . Now Serve and Enjoy Makes 4 cups gravy.

Steps:

• Defrost turkey, if necessary.
• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Open turkey package, (try this in a clean sink) removing turkey giblets and other interior cavity elements along with thermometer. Unless you want to make gravy or cook these elements, throw them away, noting the exact poundage of the bird (cut off the label with this on it if necessary and reserve for time calculations later). Leave the skin on the turkey for roasting.
• Wash (rinse) turkey inside and out, making sure that any stray feathers are removed.
• Place turkey breast-side down in a foil-lined rectangular cake pan (depending upon size of bird, use a 9x13 pan) or foil-lined roasting pan. Also take into consideration that some juices and fat will melt during roasting time and may fill up the pan a bit around the turkey unless put on a roasting rack in the pan. (No one likes to clean up turkey mess, but if you're out of foil, spray pan with cooking spray to have easier cleanup later. I prefer to use a disposable foil pan so that I can discard entire mess after Thanksgiving is over.).
• Place turkey with pan into oven, about in the middle (enough space needed for bird to fit), and not so close to heating element that anything burns.
• Do not change oven temperature. Cook for fifteen minutes per pound. (Example: 20.2 pound bird would be: 20.2x15=303 minutes. 303/60=5.05, so you would need to cook the bird for five hours, and one to three minutes.).
• Take out of oven, and let rest for at least 15-30 minutes. The juices will need to settle back into the bird. If you cut it immediately, you will have a dry bird. Basting is only required when you overcook the meat (aka meat thermometer), or if you want a particular flavor to the turkey (basting with stock, juice of some sort, butter mixture, BBQ sauce, etc.) Turkey, when done well, may be nice with seasonings, but has a great flavor on its own. If you left in the meat thermometer, you should not see it pop out. The bird is still safe to eat and YUMMY!

Steps:

• Make sure turkey is thawed. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse inside of turkey, pat inside and outside dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside of turkey with a little lemon pepper.
• Prepare turkey dressing, spoon into turkey cavities. (If do not use stuffing inside turkey, place large pieces of onion inside.). Tuck ends of drumsticks under band of skin across tail or wire or nylon leg clamp. Twist wing tips under back.
• Brush the whole turkey with oil/butter. Season the whole turkey with seasoning salt and lemon pepper lightly.
• Place the turkey breast side down; on a rack in a roasting pan. (I know! Everyone bakes them breast side up but that makes the breast dry! Cooking it breast side down lets the yummy juices flow into the breast.).
• If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the center of inside thigh muscle. The thermometer should not touch bone. Cover turkey loosely with foil.
• Roast turkey for 2 1/4 hours. (Adjust baking time according to turkey size).
• Remove foil; cut band or string between drumsticks so thighs cook evenly. Continue to cook until meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees F. Juices should run clear and drumsticks should move easily in sockets.
• Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
• Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
• Slice the turkey and serve.

Steps:

• 1 To start, if the turkey has been refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before cooking. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until you are ready to cook it. While in the refrigerator, and or while you are bringing it to room temp, have the bird resting in a pan, so that if the plastic covering leaks for any reason, you are confining the juices to the pan. If you get a frozen turkey, you will need to defrost it. Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver). Use the heart and gizzard for making stock for the stuffing. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Lather the inside of the cavity with the juice of half a lemon. Take a small handful of salt and rub all over the inside of the turkey. For flavor, put in inside the turkey a half a yellow onion, peeled and quartered, a bunch of parsley, a couple of carrots, and some tops and bottoms of celery. You may need to cap the body cavity with some aluminum foil so that the stuffing doesn't easily fall out. Close up the turkey cavity The neck cavity can be stuffed with parsley and tied closed with thin skewers and string. Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle salt generously all over the outside of the turkey Place turkey BREAST DOWN on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings. This is the main difference between the way mom makes turkey and everyone else. Add several sprigs of fresh (if possible) thyme and rosemary to the outside of the turkey. 8 Put the turkey in the oven. With the turkeys mom gets, she recommends cooking time of about 15 minutes for every pound. start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half. out at thigh is 170°F, breast 160°F, stand 15 min.

Steps:

• Rinse turkey with cool water, and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
• Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, 4-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably; do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.) Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow will be easy to untie later). Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey with the softened butter, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
• Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.
• After this third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.
• After this fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 180 degrees (stuffing should be between 140 degrees and 160 degrees) and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.
• When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour all the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup dry red or white wine, or water, to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan until liquid boils and all the crisp bits are unstuck from pan. Add giblet stock to pan. Stir well, and bring back to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the defatted pan juices, and cook over medium-high heat 10 minutes more. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of gravy. Season to taste, strain into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey.