How to Roast a Turkey

How to Roast a Turkey – learn easy techniques to perfectly roast a turkey. Step by step instructions from start to finish.

Basic Roast Turkey Recipe

Well with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to roast a turkey. I love this season, it’s my favorite time of the year. And how can you not? You can’t turn the TV on without seeing a Christmas movie on and I just can’t help myself, I watch them all. I can watch Christmas movies all day long. 

So have you roasted a turkey before? Don’t be scared, it’s just a big bird. Over the years, I’ve watched my mother roast turkeys over and over again. I love everything about roasting a turkey. The smell in the kitchen, the holiday atmosphere all around and of course, eating that delicious turkey.

This recipe here for a roast turkey is a simple basic turkey recipe. I brushed the turkey with a lemon flavored butter, generously and I mean generously and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

How To Thaw A Turkey

The safest and easiest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, but it takes the longest. It will take a few days, depending on the size of your turkey. All you have to do is put the turkey in a pan to catch any drips and leave it in the fridge for a few days. Allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.

If you’re planning to brine the turkey, wet or dry, you can do this while the turkey is partially frozen.

• Turkey – I typically roast turkeys that are around 10 to 12 pounds. 
• Butter – Used to add lovey richness and buttery goodness. But always use unsalted butter to control the amount of sodium.
• Lemon – Both the zest and juice of a fresh lemon are used to add a bit of acid which is super delicious in combination with the butter and garlic cloves.
• Thyme – Use fresh thyme for the best herby flavor. Feel free to use additional fresh herbs such as fresh rosemary, sage or even bay leaves.
• Salt – All turkeys must be seasoned well with salt to make them tasty. 
• Black Pepper – Regular ground black pepper is perfect.
• Onion – Put in the cavity to help keep the turkey moist and add flavor. 
• Celery And Carrots – I love to add some to the roasting pan to add flavor to my gravy.
• Garlic – Use freshly peeled cloves for the most garlicky good flavor.

How To Roast A Turkey

Prep The Turkey

Before starting, you’ll need to prepare your turkey for roasting. Make sure to remove any packaging from it and the bag of giblets from inside the cavity. Pat dry the skin with paper towels, this promotes browning and crisping.

Tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey, this will help stabilize the turkey when carving, plus it makes it easier to carve the breast. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Make The Herb Butter Mixture

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and the teaspoon of thyme to the butter and stir. Set aside.

Season The Turkey

First, you’ll need to place the onions, celery and carrots in the bottom of a roasting rack, then place the rack on top. Place the turkey breast side up on top of the roasting rack.

Tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey, this will help stabilize the turkey when carving, plus it makes it easier to carve the breast. Tie the legs together with butcher twine.

Brush the turkey with the butter mixture generously over the entire turkey. Use all the butter. Next, you’ll want to season it with salt and pepper all around. Make sure to season a bit inside the cavity as well.

You can pour a little of water in the bottom of the roasting pan, but keep in mind the turkey will release drippings as well as it cooks. However, if you’re making gravy, it’s best to add about a cup of water to the roasting pan.

Cover The Turkey And Roast

Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and cook covered for 2 hours. Remove the aluminum foil and transfer the turkey back to the oven.

Uncover And Finish Roasting

Continue roasting for an additional 1½ hours until the turkey turns golden brown and is fully cooked inside. You can baste it every 30 minutes if preferred. The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 180°F and the breast reaches 165°F.

Can You Cook A Frozen Turkey?

Believe it or not, you certainly can cook a frozen turkey. The only difference is that it will take a lot longer to cook than normal, 50 percent more time. For example, a 10 pound turkey will take about 5 ¼ hours to cook. Best way to check if it’s cooked is still to use a meat thermometer.

The turkey cooks as it thaws, with the legs and wings cooking faster. If cooking a frozen turkey, you won’t be able to do any fancy rubs or brines.

Brining A Turkey

Brining involves immersing the turkey in a salt-water solution or dry-brining it in salt for a day or so before cooking. This results in a moist and perfectly seasoned turkey.

If you have the extra time, I strongly recommend to brine your turkey. Check out my post on Brined Roast Turkey Breast for detailed instructions on how to brine your turkey.

A dry-brine, also called pre-salting, seasons the turkey like a wet brine, but there’s no water. You basically rub the salt and seasonings directly into the meat and skin, and let it rest in the fridge for a period of time before cooking. This works because the salt draws out the meat juices through osmosis. The salt then dissolves into the juices, and this brine is reabsorbed into the meat and starts to break down tough muscle proteins. The result is a juicy, tender, seasoned turkey.

Cooking Times For Roasting A Turkey

Turkey Weight	Serves	Roasting Time
10-18 lbs	Less than 10 people	3 to 3 ½ hours
18-22 lbs	10-15 people	3 ½ to 4 hours
22-24 lbs	16-20 people	4 to 4 ½ hours
24-29 lbs	more than 20 people	4 ½ to 5 hours

How To Make Turkey Gravy With The Drippings

The great thing about a roast turkey is all the leftover drippings to make gravy. Making gravy is so incredibly easy.

First, you’ll need to strain the drippings through a fine-mesh sieve and then discard all the solids like the carrots and onions. You should have about 2 cups of pan drippings left.

Next, you’ll need to melt about ¼ cup of butter in a saucepan then sprinkle ¼ cup of flour and whisk it in. Cook it about a minute to remove that raw flour taste. Gradually, whisk in the pan drippings and bring to a boil. If you find the gravy is too thick, feel free to add a bit more chicken broth to it.

All that’s left to do is taste it for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

Craving More Thanksgiving Recipes? Try These:

• Crockpot Brown Sugar Cola Glazed Ham
• Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Sage Sausage Stuffing
• Sugared Cranberries
• Spatchcock Turkey
• Bourbon Pecan Pie
• Turkey Meatballs

Originally published Nov 2014. Updated with additional information.