I loved Thanksgiving
because mom had years of
family traditions in place. I could lay in bed
and
hear familiar sounds as she started the preps for
her
feast.She would place the turkey
in Grannie's
blue
turkey roaster. The first thing I did when I
got married
was search for my own blue roaster
at the thrift
stores. My Mom wasn’t ready to give
up hers, no matter how many times I begged.
IMAGE OF VINTAGE BLUE ENAMEL ROASTER
The turkey was placed
in 200 degree oven just before she went to bed.
The savory smell of her roasted turkey filled the air around 6 a.m. I
would sneak out of bed and lift that lid to see a juicy golden brown turkey. I
had trouble putting that lid back on without making any noise. My “behind” would be
in trouble if I was caught by the head Cook. The only thing I hated about Thanksgiving was
the dish washing after she finished cooking her wonderful holiday meals.
I am sharing my
mother’s turkey recipe and the turkey bag method. I have not had success with other methods. I use
the same cooking method each holiday. I do change the flavor of the turkey each year to liven up things a bit. I'll give several traditional and non traditional seasonings for your turkey so you'll have a moist delicious turkey.
The tragedy of turkey roasting is serving a dry tasteless turkey to your
family. By the way, you must remove the giblet pack from the inside of the turkey
cavity. Most beginner cooks left this
mystery pack in their bird when
they cooked their first Thanksgiving turkey.
SWANNIE’S FAIL-PROOF
TURKEY
8-9 lb turkey, thawed
stick butter,
softened
2 T poultry seasoning
1 ½ T salt and
pepper, or to taste
2 celery stalks,
halved
2 carrots, halved
1 medium onion,
halved
Preheat oven 200
degrees Remove top rack.
Rinse thawed turkey
including inside cavity. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Remove giblets and
save to use for giblet gravy. Rub turkey all over with butter and sprinkle with
salt pepper, and the poultry seasoning.Sprinkle salt and pepper in cavity of
turkey. Place veggies in cavity. Tie turkey legs with string. Wrap turkey in heavy- duty
foil and place in large turkey roaster.
Bake 5-6 hours. Turkey
is done when juices run clear
from breast. Reserve
drippings to use for stuffing/
dressing. Let turkey
rest until it cools completely.
Transfer turkey on
platter, wrap in foil. Keep in fridge
until ready to serve.
Tips:
Turkey will be brown because this Vintage Blue Roaster cooks
evenly. Remove foil and place turkey under broiler
if you desire golden brown crisp skin.
I bake Turkey
overnight in slow oven 5-6 hours!
I put it in oven
around 12 midnight and wake up at 6 am.
Use the same method for
daytime if you'll be home to
Monitor the your
turkey.
FAIL PROOF TURKEY #2
8-9 lb turkey, thawed
stick butter,
softened
2 T poultry seasoning
2 T salt and pepper
2 celery stalks,
halved
2 carrots, halved
1 medium onion,
halved
1 T flour
large turkey roasting
bag
Preheat oven 350
degrees. Remove top oven rack.
Rinse turkey body and
inside cavity. Pat turkey body dry with
paper towels. Remove giblets and save to use for giblet gravy. Rub turkey all
over with butter and sprinkle with salt pepper, and the poultry seasoning.
Sprinkle salt and pepper in cavity of turkey. Place veggies in cavity. Open the turkey roasting bag and dust with flour.
Put bag on turkey roaster. Place turkey
inside bag and close bag
with the nylon tie. Poke holes in bag so
steam will escape.
Bake according to
chart in the box. Let turkey rest until
it cools completely. Reserve turkey drippings to use for
stuffing/dressing. Remove turkey from
bag and transfer
to a platter. Wrap in foil and keep in fridge until
ready
to serve.
2
T salt
2
T pepper
1
T onion powder
2
T garlic powder
1
T dried tarragon
1
T parsley flakes
T
dried thyme
1
T dried basil
1
T rubbed sage
stick of soft butter
in small bowl, mix all of the spices together.
Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub turkey
with the butter. Sprinkle the seasoning all over buttered turkey. Bake turkey according to your
turkey chart at bottom of page.
Tip: Seasoning for 12-20 lb turkey
CHILI COCOA TURKEY RUB
1 T chili powder
1 T onion powder
1 T cocoa powder
1 tsp orange peel
1 1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
In small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Place
rub all over turkey. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours
before roasting. RUB FOR 7-8 LB TURKEY.
ISLAND TURKEY RUB
1 T paprika
1 T onion powder
2 tsp mustard seed, crushed or dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
In small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Place
rub all over turkey. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours
before roasting. RUB FOR 7-8 LB TURKEY.
CHIPOTLE TURKEY RUB
1 T cumin
1 T paprika
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground chipotle chili pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 T vegetable oil
In small bowl, combine all of the spices. Rub turkey
with oil. Sprinkle turkey with spice mixture.Bake
turkey according to your turkey chart.
LEMON BUTTER RUB
1 stick soft butter
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 T salt & pepper, or to taste
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 T salt & pepper, or to taste
1 whole lemon, halved, optional
In small pot melt butter. Add the zest and juice of
the
lemon and thyme leave.
Brush the outside
of
the turkey with the butter mixture.Sprinkle on the
salt and pepper. Add 2nd lemon to cavity of
turkey if you want to intensify lemon flavor.
Bake turkey according to turkey chart.
Tip:
Butter rub is for 10-12 lb turkey.
Add 2nd lemon (halved) to cavity of turkey if
you want to intensify lemon flavor.
CAJUN TURKEY RUB
1/4 C salt
1/4 C onion powder
2 T garlic powder
2 T cayenne pepper
2 T paprika
In small bowl, mix ingredients together. Sprinkle rub on
inside and outside of the entire surface of the turkey.
inside and out. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
The men in my family are not a fan of turkey breast.
I would have to come up with recipes to use up the
breast meat or freeze it for Christmas. I decided a
few years ago to try serving turkey parts. One year
I did all legs and another year I did all thighs. This
year I am doing all wings. The guys really liked the
change.
FRANKIE'S ROASTED TURKEY PARTS
6 turkey legs or wings, or thighs
Lawry seasoning salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1/2 stick butter
3 T olive oil
Preheat oven 300. Grease two sheet pans.
Sprinkle both sides of turkey parts with
seasoning salt and pepper.Set aside. In
large skillet melt butter then add oil.
Stir oil and butter until well blended.
Brown both sides of of turkey parts in
batches of two each. Add more oil if
necessary.
Place 3 parts on each sheet pan. Cover
each pan of turkey with foil. Bake 1 hour
or until tender.
Tip: Line sheet pans with foil and spray
foil with cooking spray. This helps with
clean up.
Turkey Cooking Time Guide
Don't dry out the bird! Use this chart to determine how long to cook a turkey.Weight of Bird | Roasting Time (Unstuffed) | Roasting Time(Stuffed) |
10 to 18 pounds | 3 to 3-1/2 hours | 3-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours |
18 to 22 pounds | 3-1/2 to 4 hours | 4-1/2 to 5 hours |
22 to 24 pounds | 4 to 4-1/2 hours | 5 to 5-1/2 hours |
| 24 to 29 pounds | 4-1/2 to 5 hours | 5-1/2 to 6-1/4 hours |
Cook the turkey until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent.
During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not
necessary, but will promote even browning.
The only true test for doneness is the temperature of the meat, not the color of the skin.
- The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. To get an accurate reading, be sure that your thermometer is not touching the bone.
- If your turkey has been stuffed, it is important to check the temperature of the dressing; it should be 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
- When the turkey is done, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 20-30 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, and makes for easier carving.
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