Roasting and Carving a Turkey + Video
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Roasting and carving a turkey doesn’t have to be intimidating. Use these tips to make the best Thanksgiving dinner, from prep to plate! 🙂
Thanksgiving is a special holiday. All the side dishes and desserts and, of course, the roast turkey itself. There are other proteins you can serve, but the turkey is the showstopper, right?
The potential problem, of course, is that poultry, if not properly prepped and/or left unattended, can easily dry out in the oven.
Prepping the Bird
I’m going to tell you everything you need in order to prep, cook, and carve the best turkey you’ve ever eaten.
How long to thaw frozen turkey
About 3 to 5 days before you’re going to cook it, take it out of the freezer and place it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator to thaw.
Generally speaking, the heavier the turkey, the longer it will take to defrost.
Regardless of whether it’s fresh or frozen, you’ll want to remove the extra organs (neck, giblets, etc.) that are typically tucked into the cavity of the bird.
If the bird is frozen, you will need to pull those out after it thaws.
CHEF’S TIP:
If your bird is still frozen on Thanksgiving morning, you can still roast it.
You won’t be able to do anything extensive with seasonings until it thaws, and it will take about twice as long to cook a frozen turkey at 325°F.
Best seasoning for poultry: COMPOUND BUTTER
I am a big fan of flavoring poultry with butter under the skin. Compound butter to be exact. It’s a simple mixture of soft butter with fresh herbs. To apply it, place your fingers underneath the skin and rub it over the breast meat (see video below) as well as on top of the skin.
You can use any combination of herbs you like. I make mine with softened butter, which I mix together with a combination of fresh herbs and some salt and pepper.
I use compound butter because:
- The fresh herbs infuse a ton of flavor into the bird.
- It’s butter, so it adds moisture.
- It creates crazy good pan drippings which ultimately create crazy delicious pan gravy!
It is the gift that keeps on giving—much like leftover turkey.
Other ideas for the turkey cavity:
- Fresh herbs wrapped with twine (for easy removal)
- Halved or quartered lemons, oranges, or other citrus fruit
- Onions or shallots
- Whole garlic cloves
What is trussing?
This is just a fancy term for preparing poultry for cooking. You tie the bird’s legs together to ensure even cooking and prevent it from drying out. Plus, it makes for a lovely presentation. Some turkey’s come with the legs already tied as seen below.
How to truss a turkey:
- Cut a piece of butchers twine approximately 3 feet long. Place the turkey on a cutting board breast side up, with the legs facing you.
- Tuck the wings in as close to the body as you can, or tuck the tips inward and behind the bird’s back. This prevents the tips from burning during cooking.
- Slide the twine under the turkey about a quarter of the way down the bird—you want the sides of the twine to align with where the wing joint attaches.
- Hold the ends of the twine tightly and cross them. Pull the crossed twine toward you so the x is lining up at the bottom tip of the breast, facing you.
- Then, just pull the twine underneath the legs and pull it back up. Tie the twine in a knot or a bow, your call.
How to stuff a turkey
You can cook bread stuffing inside the cavity, but I prefer not to. This is because there’s a high risk of bacterial growth, which can lead to food poisoning.
Instead, I recommend baking the stuffing in a pan. This way, you’ll have crispy bready bits, and avoid any potential problems. If you want moist stuffing, just shorten the baking time or add extra stock.
Try my Apple Sausage stuffing recipe! It is full of fall flavors; sage, thyme, apples, and cranberries. So, it goes really well with turkey.
And yes, I still like to call it stuffing, even when I bake it in the oven. Feel free to call it dressing if you want to.
Roasting a Turkey
I’m going to share something that may come as a surprise…
You can roast a turkey at almost any temperature. It’s simply a matter of personal preference.
How long does it take to cook turkey?
The rule of thumb for turkey cooking is roughly 15 minutes per pound. That being said, depending on the accuracy of your oven, and the temperature when you place it in the oven, it may take more or less time than that.
If you’re at all uncertain, use this cooking calculator. Or, here’s a brief rundown of turkey cooking times for you.
Turkey Cooking Times by Weight, Temperature and Time
(data source: Epicurious)
- If your turkey weighs 12 to 14 pounds, roast it at:
425°F for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours,
400°F for 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours
350°F for 2 3/4 to 3 hours
325°F for 3 to 3 3/4 hours
- If your turkey weighs 15 to 16 pounds, roast it at:
425°F for 3 to 3 1/4 hours
400°F for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours
350°F for 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 hours
325°F for 3 3/4 to 4 hours
- If your turkey weighs 18 to 20 pounds, roast it at:
425°F for 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 hours
400°F for 3 3/4 to 4 hours
350°F for 4 to 4 1/4 hours
325°F for 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
- If your turkey weighs 21 to 22 pounds, roast it at:
425°F for 4 to 4 1/4 hours
400°F for 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
350°F for 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 hours
325°F for 4 3/4 to 5 hours
- If your turkey weighs 24 pounds, roast it at:
425°F for 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
400°F for 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 hours
350°F for 4 3/4 to 5 hours
325°F for 5 to 5 1/4 hours
I typically will roast turkey tented with foil, shiny side up, and remove the foil in the last hour of roasting to brown and crisp up the skin. Others roast it uncovered the entire time. If you see that it’s browning faster than you’d like, feel free to tent the bird with foil, which will protect it a bit. (I like to cover the wing tips, at the very least, unless you’ve tucked them under.)
Chef’s tips for a tender, juicy turkey
Should I baste my turkey?
It is optional, but I like to. Follow the instructions on your recipe, but the general rule of thumb is to baste once every 30 minutes, using the pan drippings. If using the compound butter under the skin this will keep the meat moist and pack in the flavor!
What is the best place for the thermometer?
Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast. The trick with turkey is that the breast will cook faster.
You don’t want it in the leg meat because by the time that cooks, the breast will likely be too dry.
Take It Out Early
Cook turkey until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast reads in the low 160s. It needs to reach 165 degrees F, but keep in mind that it will continue to cook once it comes out of the oven.
If you take the turkey out at 165°F, you run the risk of the breast meat being dry. And no one wants that, especially after all the hard work of prepping it.
Carving a Turkey
Roasting a turkey is a rite of passage, but carving a turkey comes in at a close second.
It’s not difficult, but it does require diligence – and a sharp chef’s knife!
Be sure to watch my video tutorial on how to carve a turkey at the bottom of this post.
- Remove the thighs first and then the wings. The easiest way is to pop out the joint that keeps the pieces attached, and then cut through the joint itself (see video).
- For the breast meat, start slicing downward along either side of the breastbone with your knife (see video). Repeat on the other side.
Sometimes it’s nice to carve the breast meat into neat, individual slices (see video). However, if it doesn’t slice perfectly, don’t worry; it will still taste great.
After the white and dark meat are off the bird, you can separate the thighs from drumsticks. However, it is not necessary.
Carving Storing and Freezing Turkey
Any leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for a few days. However, it can dry out quickly.
To extend its freshness, freeze the cooked turkey!
To do this, wrap it tightly in foil or plastic. Then, place it into a zip top bag, emptying out as much air as you can before sealing it. As a result, you can keep it frozen for up to 3 months.
Defrost it in the fridge and use it as you wish!
What to Do With Thanksgiving Leftovers
Of course, you can enjoy the meal again the next day! Simply cover any leftover turkey with foil and reheat in the oven at 325 F. for 20 to 30 minutes.
Or, you can use the turkey to make other dishes! Maybe a pot of soup, turkey sandwiches, Turkey Pot Pie or Turkey Green Bean Casserole Gratin, which make good use of leftover meat.
Now that you have all of the tips you will need, roasting and carving a turkey this Thanksgiving will a breeze!
This post, first published on Kevin Is Cooking December 2014, was last updated with new content on Oct 21, 2020.
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Roasting and Carving a Turkey + Video
Ingredients
- 15 lb turkey (See Note 3)
- 8 oz herb butter
- 1 lemon quartered
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs sage
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Place the turkey on a clean surface. Remove the bag that contains the neck, heart and gizzard from inside the turkey (See Note 1). Rinse the turkey both inside and out with cold water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels all over.
- Using one hand push your fingers under the skin and move gently on top of the meat to separate skin from meat all over as best you can. Take the compound turkey butter in small amounts and generously slather under the skin, pressing on top of skin to move the butter and cover all over turkey breasts and legs as best you can.
- Add the quartered lemon, onion and herb bundle inside the turkey cavity. Slip the leg ends back into the (typically provided) heat proof plastic connector to keep the legs together or tie the legs together with kitchen twine to hold everything inside. This is called trussing.
- Pull the wing tips forward and tuck the tips inward and behind the bird’s back. This prevents the tips from burning during cooking. (See Note 2). Liberally season with kosher salt and pepper all over.
- Spray a roasting rack set inside a rimmed roasting pan with cooking spray or oil. Lift the turkey onto the roasting rack. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil (shiny side up) for most of the roasting time. I remove it one hour prior to being done to brown the skin.
- Roast for 3.5 hours at 400°F. See Note 1 for other cooking times and weights of turkey. The turkey is cooked when it reaches an internal cooking temperature of 165°F.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest, tented with foil, for at least 20 minutes prior to carving.
Video
Notes
- If your turkey weighs 12 to 14 pounds, roast it at:
 425°F for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours,
 400°F for 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours,
 350°F for 2 3/4 to 3 hours,
 325°F for 3 to 3 3/4 hours - If your turkey weighs 15 to 16 pounds, roast it at:
 425°F for 3 to 3 1/4 hours,Â
 400°F for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours,
 350°F for 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 hours,
 325°F for 3 3/4 to 4 hours, - If your turkey weighs 18 to 20 pounds, roast it at:
 425°F for 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 hours,Â
 400°F for 3 3/4 to 4 hours,
 350°F for 4 to 4 1/4 hours,
 325°F for 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours - If your turkey weighs 21 to 22 pounds, roast it at:
 425°F for 4 to 4 1/4 hours,Â
 400°F for 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours,
 350°F for 4 1/2 to 4 3/4,
 325°F for 4 3/4 to 5 hours - If your turkey weighs 24 pounds, roast it at:
 425°F for 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours,Â
 400°F for 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 hours,
 350°F for 4 3/4 to 5 hours,
 325°F for 5 to 5 1/4 hours
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I cook my turkey on my pellet BBQ. Always comes out perfect every time.
I’m drooling! This turkey looks delicious and the video is perfect for my son who is cooking his first turkey this year. Thank you!
Excellent, we had fun making that one!
These are all great tips for the special days around the corner! Love the compound butter!