How To Cook The Perfect Turkey For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about food, family, and friends. It is incomplete without having roasted turkey! However, nowadays most people tend to look for alternatives since roasting a whole turkey can be pretty challenging and requires loads of work. But, what if we say we have the secret recipe for perfectly roasted turkey? It requires time and patience but that’s the key to good food. Right?

Here’s how you can make the perfect turkey:

Ingredients

1 (12-pound) turkey
1 quantity of herbed stuffing
Warm turkey stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1¾ teaspoons salt

Method

Step 1

Place oven rack in the lowest position and preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas. Butter the baking dish lightly brush the roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in the roasting pan.

Step 2

Remove plastic or paper packets of giblets from the turkey. Use tweezers to remove any feathers and quills attached to the skin. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold the neck skin under the body and fasten it with a metal skewer. After that, fill the large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer the remaining stuffing to the buttered dish and drizzle with ¼ cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Step 3

Transfer turkey to a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under the breast and tie drumsticks together with a kitchen string. Rub the turkey with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Tightly cover the breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.

Step 4

Put a large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin, then put the turkey on top. Smear the breast with the butter. Pour 2 cups of stock into the pan loosely bring up the foil and seal well to make a parcel.

Step 5

Roast in the oven, then 90 mins before the end of cooking, open the foil, and return the turkey to the oven to brown, basting with the juices several times. Then 30 minutes before the end of cooking, place the stuffing of your choice around the turkey or cook in a separate lightly oiled tin.

Step 6

To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh to check if the juices are running clear. If they are pinkish, cook for another 15 mins, then test again.