For 50 years, my mother was in charge of the turkey. But now that the dinner gathering has shifted to my house, the task has fallen to me. Fortunately, my mother has taught me well! Her turkey cooking method produces a roast turkey that is always perfectly done. The breast is never dried out, but tender and full of flavor. There’s no need to brine or baste.
Video: How to Roast a Turkey Breast Side Down
How to Cook a Turkey: 3 Tips to Know
How does my mother do it? Here are her three keys to cooking a perfect turkey:
Cook the turkey breast side down. While the turkey roasts, the juices fall down towards the breast, resulting in the most succulent meat. The breast is also more protected from the heat, which helps keep it from getting too dried out. Use a meat thermometer to take out any guess work of when the turkey is done. Cook the turkey stuffing separately, not in the cavity, which makes it easier to cook the turkey more evenly.
The Best Way to Roast a Turkey? Breast Side Down
The main difference between how my mother makes her turkey and everyone else is to cook it breast side down. By cooking the turkey this way, the juices from the cooking turkey fall into the breast while the turkey cooks, resulting in the most succulent breast imaginable. The thighs are more exposed to the heat in this method as well, which is good since dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat. If you cook the bird breast down, the turkey skin over the breast will not brown well. If you want browning on the breast, you’ll need to turn the turkey over in the pan and to brown it in the last few minutes of cooking. We rarely bother with turning the turkey over, since we carve up the turkey in the kitchen before bringing it out, and there is plenty of crispy turkey skin on the rest of the turkey. In the years since we first posted this recipe, we still cook our turkeys breast side down, and they’re still wonderful. If the turkey is small enough, sometimes I’ll flip it over near the end to get the breast side browned. But usually, like my mom, I’ll just roast it the whole time breast down.
How to Defrost a Turkey
Cooking a turkey is pretty straightforward, but you do need to plan ahead. Given that it can take several hours to roast, the turkey needs time beforehand (days if you need to defrost) to lose the chill from the refrigerator. If you are buying a frozen turkey, you’ll need to put it in the refrigerator to defrost. The turkey will need about 5 hours of defrosting time for every pound of turkey. So if you have a 15 pound turkey, it should take about 75 hours, or 3 days, to defrost in the refrigerator. A 20 pound turkey will take about 100 hours, or 4 days, to defrost. If your turkey is still partially frozen the day you plan to cook it, clean out the basin of your sink, fill it with cool water and place the turkey in it. Change the water every half hour until the turkey is defrosted.
Use a Meat Thermometer
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, please get one! Using one will make your life a lot easier, otherwise there’s just too much guesswork. I prefer to use a remote thermometer, that way you can track the progress of the turkey as it cooks, without opening the oven door. But any instant read thermometer will do. (I use two ChefAlarm remote thermometers, one inserted into the breast, one inserted into a thigh.)
The Internal Temperature for Roast Turkey
165°F is the USDA recommended internal temperature for cooked turkey. The turkey will continue to cook for several minutes after you take it out of the oven, so take it out before the meat reaches those target temperatures. I usually take the the turkey out when the breast reaches 155°F to 160°F, and the thighs 155°F to 165°F. While white breast meat can easily dry out if its temperature gets too high, thigh meat can handle a higher internal temperature without drying out.
How Long to Cook Your Turkey
Here’s a quick way to estimate how long it takes to cook the turkey, though note that the actual cooking time will vary depending on how cold your turkey is to start, and your individual oven. So make sure to check the turkey WELL BEFORE (at least an hour) you estimate it to be done. Multiply the weight of your turkey by 13 minutes per pound.
10-pound turkey: about 2 hours 10 minutes12-pound turkey: about 2 hours 36 minutes14-pound turkey: about 3 hours 2 minutes16-pound turkey: about 3 hours 28 minutes18-pound turkey: about 3 hours 54 minutes20-pound turkey: about 4 hours 20 minutes
Again, this is just an estimate! If your turkey is not close to room temperature when it goes in the oven, it will take longer to cook. If it is at room temp, it may take less time to cook. So, check the temperature of your bird earlier than the full cooking time.
To Brine or Not to Brine the Turkey
If you follow these instructions for cooking the turkey (breast side down and removing the turkey from the oven before the thighs reach 165°F and the breast 160°F, there is no need to brine the turkey! Your turkey will be perfectly succulent and delicious. That said, if you would like to cook your turkey in a more conventional manner, breast side up, brining will help keep the breast from drying out. See our methods for both wet and dry turkey brines:
Easiest Turkey Brine How to Dry Brine a Turkey
Turkey Hotline
If you find yourself in a bind when cooking your turkey, Butterball offers a telephone hotlines during the holiday season at (800) 288-8372. For food safety questions, try the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline.
What to Serve with Your Thanksgiving Turkey
Turkey Stuffing served on the side Perfect Mashed Potatoes made with Yukon Gold potatoes Cranberry Sauce with or without mix-ins Cranberry Relish with fresh cranberries, apples, and orange Roasted Brussels Sprouts with lemon juice and Parmesan Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream Apple Pie with the flakiest homemade crust
Turkey Tetrazzini Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey) Curried Turkey Soup (With Leftover Turkey) Mom’s Turkey Soup Leftover Turkey Pot Pies
Wash your hands with soap and water after touching raw turkey and before you touch anything else in the kitchen. Wipe down surfaces with dampened paper towels. Need help figuring out how big a turkey to get? Butterball has a turkey calculator that helps you figure out just how many pounds you need per person. Put the wrapped frozen turkey in a pan to prevent leaks and then place it in the refrigerator. It will take about 5 hours of defrosting time for every pound of turkey. So, if you have a 15 pound turkey, it should take about 75 hours, or 3 days, to defrost. If you need to defrost it more quickly than that, you can place it in a large tub of cool water, and keep changing the water to keep it cold, until the turkey is defrosted. Pull the giblets out; they are often wrapped in a small paper package. If you want, you can chop up the heart and gizzard to make stock for the stuffing or dressing (put the chopped heart and gizzard into a small saucepan, cover with water, add salt, bring to simmer for an hour or so.) You can either cook the neck alongside the turkey, or use it to make turkey stock. You can also use all of the giblets for making giblet gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out with water. If you see stray turkey feathers, pluck them out. Use paper towels to pat the turkey dry. Many turkeys come with a plastic tie holding the drumsticks together. Check the instructions on the turkey package; it is likely that you will not need to remove the tie unless you are cooking the turkey at a very high temperature. Put the cut onion, several sprigs of parsley, a chopped carrot or two, and some leafy celery tops into the main cavity of the turkey. These are aromatics that will flavor the turkey from the inside as it cooks. Cover the entrance to the main cavity with aluminum foil, or close it with metal skewers or kitchen string (not nylon string!), so that the aromatics don’t fall out while you are roasting the turkey. Put a few sprigs of parsley into the neck opening, cover the opening with the surrounding turkey skin, and close the opening with skewers or string. By the way, we don’t cook stuffing (or dressing as it is known in many parts of the country) in the turkey anymore. Stuffing the turkey adds to the overall cooking time. Not packing the turkey with stuffing will allow the turkey to cook more evenly. We do make our stuffing with stock made from the turkey giblets so the stuffing has plenty of turkey flavor. We truss our turkey, though some people choose not too. The point of trussing is to keep the legs and wings close to the body so they don’t spread out while cooking. To truss, make sure that the turkey’s legs are tied together, held close to the body, and tie a string around the turkey body to hold the wings in close. (Here’s a good video: how to truss a turkey.) How do you know the turkey is breast side down? The wings are up and the legs are down. Note that you can also place the turkey directly on an oven rack with a large roasting pan to catch the drippings on the rack below. That method helps create a convection-like environment, helping the heat circulate more evenly around the turkey. Add several sprigs of fresh thyme, sage, and/or rosemary to the outside of the turkey or tucked under the wings. Note: if you are using a remote thermometer (or two) to gauge the temperature of the turkey while it cooks, it’s easiest to find the right place to insert the probe when the turkey is breast side UP. So eyeball where you think the thermometer probe(s) should go first, before placing the turkey breast side down in the pan. Once the turkey is breast side down in the pan, insert the probes into the thickest and coldest parts of the breast and/or thighs, making sure the probe is not touching the metal rack or pan. If you only have one remote thermometer, put it in the breast. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the turkey, how long it has been sitting at room temperature before cooking, and the shape and particulars of your specific oven. So come up with a rough estimate for the overall cooking time, and then make sure to check how the turkey is doing well before it is supposed to be done! Put the turkey in the oven at 400°F, uncovered. For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400°F for the first 20 minutes to brown it. Then reduce the heat to 325°F for the next 1 to 2 hours, until the internal temperature of the breast reaches about 140°F to 145°F or so. Then reduce the heat further to 225°F until done, anywhere from a half hour to an hour or more. Note that the lower oven temperature at the end of cooking can help you time when you want the turkey to be done. If the turkey is cooking more quickly than you expect, lowering the oven temp can extend the cooking time. If the turkey isn’t cooking quickly enough and you’re ready to eat, don’t lower the temperature to 225°F, or if you already have, increase it again to 325°F. Note that by browning the breast you may end up over-cooking the turkey breast a little bit. We often don’t turn the turkey over. Turning the turkey over can be a hot, messy job, so if you do it, the best way is to use clean oven mitts or clean kitchen towels (just throw them in the laundry afterwards.) You want a resulting temperature of 165°F for the white meat (breast) and 165°F to 170°F for the dark meat (thighs and legs). The temperature of the bird will continue to rise once you take it out of the oven, so take the turkey out of the oven when the temperature reading for the breast is 155°F to 160°F, and for the thigh is 160°F to 165°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, spear the breast with a knife. The turkey juices should be clear, not pink. If the thighs reach their target temperature before the breast, turn the turkey over and let the turkey finish cooking, breast side up.
Save Bones for Stock
When you are finished with your turkey, save the bones from the carcass to make a delicious turkey soup. You can use either flour or cornstarch to make the gravy. (We find we get better results with flour. So, we recommend making the gravy with flour unless serving a guest who must eat gluten-free.) If using flour, heat the fat and drippings in the pan until they are bubbly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour all over the fat and drippings. Stir with a wire whisk to make a roux with the flour and fat. Let the flour brown a minute or so in the hot pan. Add salt and pepper, ground sage, thyme or other seasonings to taste. See our gravy recipe for more detailed instructions and on making gravy using cornstarch.
