I know we had threads about frying a turkey in the fryer but i would like to see what is your special recipe for making a turkey the traditional way in the oven.

What temp do you cook you turkey?

do you season your turkey?

do you use Reynolds turkey bag?

Do you or not use convection, etc..

 

 

I make my wife do it.

 

Whiskers - do you always get the easy way out?

 

convection ovens are awesome!!
all ovens should be convections if they arent already.

 

This could be applied to everything...

 

Last few years me and my wife have been cooking the turkey and we always cooked it in a convection oven in a Reynolds turkey bag set at 325 degrees and it always turned out moist but not as brown as i would like. Anyone have experience cooking with and without a bag?

 

I cant complain.

 

Your wife just doesn't trust you with the turkey because she knows you will probably end up doing all the wrong things to it.

 

to brown the skin, you'll need some butter or oil on the skin and it needs to be out of the bag.

 

right and i am wondering if i cook it without a bag if it will still be moist or dry?

 

you could do most of the time in the bag and the last hour or so out.

the last hour; cut the bag open and drizzle your choice of oil or butter over the bird.
That way; it'll be moist from being in the bag but will brown the skin

 

 

true

 

 

This is what I was thinking, do most of it in the bag, then the last hour or so, remove the bag to brown the skin

 

I take it most people don't use a bag?

 

I saw an interesting titled article the other day.
cook turkey upside down so all fat drips to white meat....then last hour or so, flip it over. supposedly moist white meat.

 

Just heard that as well. It was a commercial for something on TV.

 

There are a thousand different ways to cook a bird. Most yielding something very delicious. Some people may like it one way, some another. BBQed, smoked, deep fried, brined, oven roasted, bagged, upside down, on and on and on.

Personally I have stopped using a bag and I have also stopped brining. Brining is great to ensure a moist bird. But really, when cooked right, that shouldn't be too much of a concern anyway. I'd rather risk a dry bird instead of guaranteeing a less flavorful one.

I roast, no bags, right side up. I go pretty high heat for the first 30-60 minutes. This is important when not brining as this helps the moisture stay in the turkey. I stuff my bird with an bunch of fresh citrus and herbs. I like to mix semi-cold butter up with a spice mix and rub under the skin everywhere. Cajun and creole is actually the perfect spice mix for a turkey IMO. After the initial crisping, I'll take it out and wrap completely in foil. Cook until you reach ~145* internally. Remove from oven, apply more butter mix on the outside of the skin, and then cook open until you hit your 165* mark. This will get the skin crispy again. If you start to get too brown before the temp is reached, cover those areas with foil. And just like a steak, let it sit!

While I prefer stuffing cooked INSIDE the bird I would rather the bird have the citrus moisture from the inside.

Also, try Pepperidge Farms herbed stuffing. Cook one pound of sweet italian sausage, follow the stuffing instructions adding celery, carrot, and onion. Mix all together. Amazing. Even better if made in the bird.

Edit: Also note that these gigantic birds that people talk about using, really anything above say 15 pounds, is not ideal. Those things are stuffed with hormones and junk food to swell up to those sizes. A free range or a smaller bird will generally taste better. IMO. Plus they are more easily managed and cook better.

 

Mods - please fix the title to say "How do you make your Turkey in the oven?"

 

This is good info! when i started this thread i was hoping for posts like this just to get everyone personal experiences.

Also do you use a in oven thermometer?

 

^Always

 

what type of thermometer do you guys use? like this:

Just too many reviews on these thermometers that they go bad fast and the reading aren't always accurate.

 

oh thats where I heard it then.


Except, its all about presentation.
the breast wouldnt look nearly as pretty if it were cooked upside down

 

I have a ChefAlarm by Thermoworks, in pink.



I also bought the upgraded probe.

 

Whiskers with a turkey baster?

 

sexytime

 

This looks like a very nice thermometer (reviews are great!) What is the upgraded probe?

 

Doing mine on the grill. Picked up this.

 

I guess it's not "upgraded" at all it's just smaller. Since I never need to cook anything to that high of temp anyway, I bought the needle probe that's less intrusive.



I mostly use the thermo for the smoker. But never trust the popup things on a turkey.

 

I would never trust the pop up timer, i'm not 100% sure how they work but i would imagine they pop up once the turkey is overcooked or close to it.

 

Never used a bag

I had heard to cook it upside down for the first hour, and then flip it over

 

One thing about using a bag is the turkey comes out moist but i don't think it cooks the meat as well. It reaches the correct temp but the meat still doesn't taste 100% cooked ins some parts of the bird, i even overcooked it one time to get rid of the uncooked taste but i still wasn't 100% impressed.

 

Make it like this...

 

Come on people let's hear it - how do you cook your turkey?

 

isn't that illegal?

 

Nope

 

Pretty much all poultry that is not organic or free range are raised on hormones and antibiotics.
Hormones to make the bird grown quicker and bigger and antibiotics to keep them from getting sick because they health is that weak (weak immune system)

 

I must have been thinking of beef, then. I could have sworn I saw something saying the FDA bans the use of hormones in raising livestock.