Holiday Roasted Turkey
/Yesterday I hosted a Friendsgiving dinner. It was a great meal, in no small part due to this fantastic roasted turkey. I dry brined my turkey, but instructions are given below if you chose not to, or don’t have time to, brine your turkey.
Prep for Roasting
Seasoning the Bird
Time to Roast Unstuffed Bird
Prep for Roasting
Below is the turkey after dry brining for 48 hours. The skin drys and the salty rub with rosemary and lemon zest adheres nicely to the skin. This make it easier to apply the butter garlic powder schmear (shown in the next picture below). Do not rinse the turkey. If there are any wet spots, use a paper towel to dab the moisture away. Allow the bird to come to room temperature for 60 minutes.
If you did not brine your turkey, remove the fully thawed bird from the refrigerator, take out neck, giblets, etc. (save for gravy or broth, if desired) and use paper towels to dry the bird inside and out. Allow to come to room temperature for 60 minutes.
Seasoning the Bird
After sitting out for an hour, season your turkey and it’s ready for the oven:
Dry Brined Turkey Seasoning: Room temperature butter schmear, like what I did here, is unsalted butter with garlic powder. Be sure not to add salt. I used garlic powder, but you can use any unsalted minced fresh or dried seasoning or herbs.
Un-brined Thawed Turkey Seasoning: Dry the bird with paper towels. Fully season your bird, including salt. Minced rosemary, garlic with salt and pepper is my go to when I have not brined the bird.
In either case, feel free to add aromatics to the bird’s cavity, like sprigs of fresh herbs, onion, celery, lemon, etc. I used fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme.
Time to Roast Unstuffed Turkey
At 325°F: Allow approximately 10–12 minutes per pound.
At 350°F: Allow approximately 13–15 minutes per pound.
Start checking your bird’s temperature at about half the total time estimated to roast it. If it’s browning too quickly, add an aluminum tent over the bird. The bird will be done cooking when the temperature reaches 165 (f) when thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the thigh and breast.
Note: The breast will typically cook slower than the thigh. So it’s important to check the temperature on both before establishing the bird is done.
Holiday Roasted Turkey
Ingredients
Instructions
- Take the dry brined turkey out of the refrigerator and let it sit for an hour to come to room temperature. Do not rinse the turkey. If there are any wet spots, use a paper towel to dab the moisture away.
- Preheat oven to 425 (f).