11/23/2023
I wrote this so long ago! But it is still pretty much how I make my bird every time. In the oven she goes...
Mary’s Turkey
Ingredients Bird
1 turkey, 16 lbs with giblets
1 Orange, cut into wedges
1 Lemon, cut into wedges
1 Onion, cut into wedges
5 Sprigs Rosemary
5 Sprigs Thyme
5 Garlic Cloves, smashed
Rub
1 sticks unsalted butter, softened
¼ Cup Olive Oil
Zest from ½ of one Orange
Zest from ½ of one Lemon
4 Garlic Cloves, minced/grated
1 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary
1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
1 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
1 tsp Lemon Pepper
*Tip – You can use 2 Tbsp.’s Italian or poultry season in place of rosemary & thyme
Roasting Pan Giblets from turkey
2 Cups Pacific Organic Veg,Chicken, or Turkey Broth (Water or low sodium broth of your choice works as well)
2 Bay Leaves
3 Sprigs Rosemary
3 Sprigs Thyme
3 Celery Stalks, rough chop
1 Onion, rough chop
3 Carrots, rough chop
3 Garlic Cloves
Equipment
Roasting pan
Roasting rack
Aluminum Foil
Turkey baster, brush, or ladle (optional, if basting)
Instructions
1. Prepare Rub:
Combine all the rub ingredients in a bowl, mix together to combine thoroughly. Set aside
2. Pull Turkey from Refrigerator:
30 minutes before roasting, take the turkey out of the refrigerator. Remove any packaging and the bag of giblets (check in the body cavity AND in the neck cavity). Set the turkey breast-side up on a roasting rack and let it sit while the oven preheats. This takes the chill off the meat, which helps the meat cook more evenly. It also gives the skin time to dry out, which promotes browning and crisping. (Note: Your turkey will likely still feel cool to the touch after sitting at room temperature — that's fine and you can continue on with roasting.)
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F:
Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven, remove any racks above it, and heat to 450°F.
4. Prepare Turkey:
Stuff all of the “Bird” ingredients into the cavity of the bird. If all of the orange, lemon and onion does not fit, no worries. Just try to get even amounts of everything. This is NOT something that needs to be perfect, they are meant as aromatics and will not be eaten.
For the rub, loosen the skin of the turkey working your way around as much of the bird as you can by sliding your fingers under skin being careful not to tear the it. Separating the skin from the meat is what helps make crispy skin! Take the “Rub” and work it under the skin of the turkey. Not going to lie, this is a bit messy! You might have extra rub or feel like you don’t have enough. It will depend on you and how much you get under the skin. I don’t fully truss my bird, I only worry about the drumsticks. I make sure those are tied that’s about it.
5. Prepare Roasting Pan:
Pour the broth or water into a roasting pan along with all other roasting pan ingredients.
6. When Ready to Roast:
I set the turkey aside on a plate or piece of aluminum foil so I can nestle the roasting rack into the roasting pan making sure it sits flat and that none of the vegetables are caught under the rack. Place the turkey, breast side up, back in the roasting rack. Many times I am lazy and simple place the turkey right on top of the vegetables and skip the rack.
Put the turkey in the 450° oven leaving temperature at 450° for 5 minutes then turn down the heat to 350°F.
7. Roast the turkey:
The rule of thumb I was always taught was 15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees.
Since I changed the temperatures I have found that 12-13 minutes per pound works a little better. So my 16-pound turkey takes roughly 3 ¼ to 3 ½ hours to cook. However, some factors like cooking with an empty (un-stuffed) cavity, age of your oven, and leaving the legs un-trussed will contribute to much faster cooking. I still always plan on the 15minute-per-pound rule, but I start checking the temperature of the turkey about halfway through the scheduled cooking time to gauge how fast it's cooking.
8. To Baste or Not to Baste:
In my opinion it is not needed and I stopped bothering with it years ago. I found it did not seem to make a difference in how “juicy” the bird was. I did however find that if I don’t baste I get amazingly crispy skin. Since I don’t use salt, when I pull the bird out of the oven to rest I sprinkle some lemon pepper and Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle season all over the skin before covering to rest. If you choose to baste I suggest basting the turkey every 45 minutes. Every 45 minutes, baste the turkey all over. To baste, tilt the pan and use a turkey baster or spoon to scoop up the pan liquids and drizzle them on top of the turkey. For the last 45 minutes of cooking I cover the breast and top of the drumsticks with foil to prevent it from burning.
9. Check the turkey's temperature:
Begin checking the turkey's temperature about halfway through the estimated cooking time. Check the temperature in 3 places: the breast, outer thigh, and inside thigh. The meat should be at least 165°F when the turkey has finished cooking. If any place is under that temperature, put the turkey back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Shield the breast meat with foil if needed to keep it from overcooking.
10. Rest the turkey before carving:
Grab one side of the roasting rack with an oven mitt and tilt the whole pan so the liquids inside the turkey cavity run out into the pan. Then, lift the whole turkey (still on the rack) and transfer it to a cookie sheet with sides. I used to put it on a cutting board but then the juices would drip off the edge and all over my counter. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This gives time for the meat to firm up and the juices to be reabsorbed into the muscle tissue, making the turkey easier to slice and taste juicier. I know 30 minutes can sound like a long time to leave it sit, trust me, it will still be piping hot when you go to carve it.
11. Carve the turkey:
Remove the wings first, then the thighs, then the breast meat. Once you have the meat off, you can separate the thighs into thighs and drumsticks and carve the breast meat into individual slices. If you have never carved a bird before I would suggest you do a little Youtube’ing. There are a ton of good videos showing how to carve a bird.
12. Gravy:
Strain all of the roasting pan juices into a sauce pot and place over medium heat. In a separate bowl mix a couple tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of the hot drippings liquid until thoroughly combined. Slowly whisk flour mixture into sauce pot of pan juices to incorporate. Continue to simmer over medium heat until desired consistency
