Picture Perfect Juicy Holiday Turkey
Every year we sit down together to give thanks for everything we have. But dry turkey is never one of those things. No one likes dry turkey. Here is a foolproof way to make your turkey the juiciest bird ever!
What you will need:
- Metal pot with a cover that will cover the entire turkey
- Aluminum foil
- Turkey
- 1–3 sticks of Land o Lakes salted butter (dependent on how good you want it to taste and/or how healthy you want to be)
- 2 one inch cubes of Knorr bouillon cubes (one chicken, one vegetable)
- Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, etc (whatever veggies you want, except leafy ones, no broccoli!!! It’ll make basting impossible)
- Honey
- Orange Juice
- Lemon Juice (from lemons or bottled)
- Pepper
- Paprika
Turkey Cooking Times @ 350 Degrees (preheat the oven for even temp)
UNSTUFFED
- 4 to 6 lb breast…..1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hrs
- 6 to 8 lb breast…2 1/4 to 3 1/4 hrs
- 8 to 12 lbs…………….2 3/4 to 3 hrs
- 12 to 14 lbs…………..3 to 3 3/4 hrs
- 14 to 18 lbs……..3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hrs
- 18 to 20 lbs……..4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hrs
- 20 to 24 lbs…………..4 1/2 to 5 hrs
STUFFED
- 8 to 12 lbs……………3 to 3 1/2 hrs
- 12 to 14 lbs…………..3 1/2 to 4 hrs
- 14 to 18 lbs…………..4 to 4 1/4 hrs
- 18 to 20 lbs……..4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hrs
- 20 to 24 lbs……..4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hrs
Make sure you apply the law of averages. For example, if you have a 19 pound turkey which falls in the middle of one of the above ranges (18–20 lbs), take the average and only cook it for 4 hours 30 minutes.
We follow the above table in order to make sure the turkey is cooked fully. Poking the turkey with a thermometer lets juices out and dries out the turkey.
Preparation:
Once fully defrosted, put turkey into bag 12–24 hours before cooking along with 1–2 cups of lemon juice and various spices (NO salt! It will dehydrate the meat and you will have a turkey breast like the Sahara desert)
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius for you Europeans). If your oven doesn’t tell you when the preheating is done, just time it to about 15 minutes from when you turn it on. The internal temperature should reach 350 within that time period.
Lightly oil the bottom of the pot with extra virgin olive oil so that the turkey doesn’t stick.
Gently place the turkey into the pot, breast facing up. Most turkeys have a flat back so it will lie flat naturally.
Wrap turkey leg and wing tips with aluminum foil. This prevents the skin from tightening and pulling back. Use copious amounts of foil. It will be about 2 inches down from the tip.
Stuff the turkey with your version of stuffing. For my (utterly simple) stuffing recipe, see appendix.
Place cubed vegetables around turkey. Dissolve 1 one inch bouillon cube in 1 pint of hot water. Pour mixture over turkey. Cover turkey. Place into oven.
30 minutes later. Take out turkey, pour 1 cup of orange juice over turkey, place back in oven.
30 minutes later. Take out turkey, pour 1 pint bouillon mixture over turkey, place back in oven.
30 minutes later. Take out turkey, place sliced stick of butter all over turkey, place back in oven.
30 minutes later. Take out turkey, coat turkey with honey, place back in oven.
30 minutes later. Take out turkey, place sliced stick of butter all over turkey, place back in oven.
Leave turkey to bake covered until 30 minutes before you’re supposed to take it out. Uncover the turkey and pour honey on it in the last 30 minutes. This will allow the turkey to lightly brown and look picture perfect! Bon appétit!
Appendix:
Super Simple Stuffing recipe
What you need:
- bag of unseasoned dry stuffing (cornbread is usually the one without seasoning)
- Celery
- 1 pint of hot water
- 1 Knorr one inch bouillon cube (Chicken or Vegetable flavor)
- 1 cup of crushed walnuts
- Optional: 1 cup of dried cranberries
Preparation
Dissolve 1 bouillon cube in 1 pint of hot water. Place dry stuffing into container twice as large as the stuffing. The mixture will expand. Pour hot mixture, diced celery, walnuts, and if desired, dried cranberries into pot with stuffing and mix thoroughly.
Fruity Cranberry Sauce Recipe
What you need:
- 1 can of cranberry sauce (preferably organic to eliminate HFCS)
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 cup frozen cranberries
Preparation
Pour all ingredients into a pot, mix, and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover slightly (leave some room for the steam to escape) and let simmer until mixture thickens. Should be about 45 minutes.
Restaurant Quality Homemade Mashed Taters
What you need:
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 1 tbsp dry minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dry minced onion
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground peppercorn pepper
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp diced chives
Preparation
Thoroughly wash potatoes. If large potatoes, cut into equal sized pieces (do not peel the skin off). Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain the water. Add all other ingredients and mix and mash thoroughly. If mixture is runny, stick into microwave for 2 minutes covered.
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