Ingredients
Turkey -
Defrosted
Butter or
Margarine
Salt
Pepper
Roasting Pan
Foil
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
**Tip**
Remove Turkey
from freezer a day or two before - weight depending. For a 12-15lb turkey, begin defrosting 24
hours prior to cooking time
.
Remove the
turkey from the wrapping.
Remove Giblets
From Within The Turkey.
**Tip**
Check both
ends of the turkey as 'neck' and 'giblet sack' are usually placed within front
and back of the turkey.
**Tip**
You can boil
the giblets ... the heart and liver make a good treat for your dog on the
holidays!
Step 2:
Place the
turkey into the roasting pan, lightly rubbing down the turkey with butter or
margarine. Sprinkle with Salt, Black
Pepper
**Tip**
I will
occasionally also sprinkle with Onion Powder, which enhances the flavour.
Stuff the
turkey with previously made stuffing.
**Tip**
Dressing is
cooked outside of the turkey in a separate dish. Stuffing is cooked inside of the turkey.
**Tip**
Don't forget
to stuff both, the main cavity of the turkey as well as the neck cavity.
Step 3:
Cover turkey
with tented foil..
**Tip**
Tear off two
pieces of foil about six inches longer than the roasting pan. Fold the length of the two sheets of foil to
create one wider piece of foil. Fold at
the seam to create a tented covering for the roasting pan.
Place into
preheated oven (350 degrees)
Step 4:
Roasting a
turkey can be intimidating. The simple
rule is 20 minutes of baking time per pound of turkey.
So, based on
a 15 pound turkey - the roasting time would be 5 hours. 3 pounds per hour.
With that
said; Place the turkey into the oven ...
Leaven untouched for the first two hours.
In hour
three, baste the turkey with its juices gathering on the bottom of the
pan. Repeat this every 30 minutes in the
3rd and 4th hour.
In the 5th
hour, Increase basting to every 15 minutes.
Leave the
foil off for the last 30 minutes of roasting to crisp the skin and achieve that
golden brown colour.
**Tip**
Once your
turkey is done. Your home smells
delicious and your mouth is watering.
SLOW DOWN!! ;-)
Let the
turkey sit for 15 minutes (In this time, I bake my dinner rolls) Allowing for the juices within the bird to
settle within the meat.
Enjoy!!
**Tip**
A rule in my
home is that poultry is put away in the fridge after no more than two hours out
of the oven!
This helps to
assure that your family will not become ill from food poisoning as poultry is
sensitive to bacteria. Let's keep the holiday
memories pleasant!! Nobody wants to be
in the ER on the holidays!!
