Turkey Tips: Classic Oven Roasted Turkey
Below are some turkey tips and instructions that will help you nail your oven roasted turkey for any occasion–big or small!
COOKING TIME
Estimate cooking time at 15 minutes per pound and allow 30 minutes for resting time – if you are stuffing your bird, add 1 hour cooking time.
CHEF NOTES
- Brine your turkey for 12-24 hours to retain moisture.
- Allow for 90 minutes before roasting to rinse and drain and then rest at room temperature.
- The breast cooks faster than the thighs. So, roast breast down for the first 2/3 of cooking time and breast up for the last 1/3 for the moistest breast
possible. - An unstuffed turkey cooks more evenly. If stuffing, do so with hot dressing immediately before placing in oven. Dressing can be roasted in a separate
pan dotted with plenty of butter and doused with rich turkey stock for that “stuffing in the bird” flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole turkey (allow 1-2 lbs per person)
- 1 bag of Tony’s Turkey Brine (or Pork & Poultry Brine)
- 1-2 lbs Tony’s Pre diced onions
- 1-2 lbs Tony’s Pre diced celery
- 1-2 lbs Tony’s Pre diced carrots
- Tony’s Roasted Turkey Rub (or Pork & Poultry Rub)
- Cooking oil spray
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 4-6 cups Tony’s House Made Turkey Stock
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Coarsely chop enough onions, celery, and carrots to cover the bottom of a heavy roasting pan. Nestle roasting rack and turkey over vegetables. Season bird inside and out with Tony’s Roasted Turkey or Pork & Poultry Rub and mist with oil. Add 2 cups hot turkey stock to pan and place in the center of preheated oven.
- Melt butter with 2-4 cups of stock to make basting jus. Check turkey every 45-60 minutes. Baste generously with warm jus to assure the pan doesn’t cook dry. If the bird is browning too quickly, tent with foil.
- About ¾ way through estimated roasting time, start testing internal temperature in the deepest part of the thigh. Your turkey is fully cooked, perfectly safe, and the moistest possible at 165°-175°, but may still have some pink meat and reddish bones. Some prefer to roast turkeys to an internal temperature of 180-185° to avoid this.
- Remove turkey from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with parchment or foil; or cover with a towel and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Slice & serve.
Don’t feel like cooking for the holidays? Check out our seasonal Holiday Dinner Menu or our Catering Menu.