Roasting a Turkey

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner sounds incomplete, until and unless you include roasted turkey in the menu list. One cannot even think about celebrating this festive occasion without roasting a turkey. And to make delectable turkey, it should be defrosted, stuffed and roasted with proper methods. As you plan the meal menu, finalize Thanksgiving recipes beforehand, and be ready with the required supplies. Doing so will avoid last minute visits to grocery store.

How to Roast a Turkey?

If you have a small family, consider cooking a turkey breast instead of cooking a whole bird. This not only saves you time and money, but cooking turkey breast is also simple and less messy. So, decide before you purchase turkey meat. Remember to buy it only 1-2 days prior to thanksgiving day, and keep it refrigerated. The following are some useful tips to roast a turkey for serving in thanksgiving dinner.

• Before you start with the roasting process, prepare the turkey. If you have purchased frozen meat, defrosting a turkey is the first step. As per your convenience, defrosting can be done in cold water, oven or refrigerator.
• After complete defrosting is over, take off the wrapper and release legs. Remove neck and giblets from the cavity, and retain them for other turkey recipes. Wash and rinse turkey properly. Pat it dry by using absorbent paper towels.
• If you prefer stuffed turkey, try any of the turkey stuffing recipes. Do not over stuff the cavity; the ideal amount is ½ cup or lesser per pound of meat.
• For a stuffed turkey, take a string and tie both the drumsticks. Then, brush it with melted butter or olive oil from all sides. Oil or butter increases the moisture retention of the meat during cooking, and makes the roasted meat juicy.
• Introduce oven rack in the lower side of the oven. Place the prepared turkey in a shallow roasting pan over the rack, with the breast side facing up. Roasting in this position increases tenderness of the cooked turkey meat.
• Rub salt and freshly ground paper over the turkey skin and inside the cavity. Follow this step, even if you are roasting the leg or breast of a turkey. Do not put excess seasoning spices, or it will alter the taste of meat. Rather use them in moderation and if desired, add more later.
• You can add fresh celery in the bottom of the roasting pan for added flavor. So, stuff a turkey with a peeled onion or lemon slices inside the cavity to add flavor to the meat to be roasted. By now, you are ready for actual roasting of the turkey.
• Roast turkey in preheated oven (350° F) for appropriate time. But, how long to cook a turkey? The ideal roasting time for one pound stuffed turkey meat is 10-15 minutes, while meat of the same quantity is done in 10-12 minutes, if it is not stuffed.
• Cook turkey uncovered until the skin part turns light golden. Then, you can make a tent with aluminum foil, and place it on top of turkey. This tip for cooking a turkey will avoid excess browning or charring of the skin.
• On the contrary, if you are roasting a turkey with roasting bag, remove it 20-30 minutes before the end of your cooking process. Cook unopened to brown the skin evenly.
• After roasting for the stipulated time (3 hours for a turkey weighing 10 pounds), insert a large fork. If the juice comes out clear, your turkey meat is done. Another method to check if the turkey is done is using a meat thermometer. Turkey is cooked, if the internal temperature of the thickest thigh portion measures 175° F.
• Once you are done with cooking turkey, allow the meat to settle down and absorb juices for 20 minutes. Collect turkey drippings from the roasting pan, and use for making savory gravy to complement your roasted turkey.

If available, you can cook turkey in a roaster oven with the same cooking instructions. Roasting a turkey in a roaster oven allows you to leave room in the microwave oven, which you can utilize for cooking other dishes. Be patient and follow the correct meat preparation and cooking turkey steps. Definitely, the end result will be a delicious, soft and juicy meat that your family members will demand for more.