How to Cook a MOIST Turkey??!!

we always use the bag to put it in, and it is a quick clean up. Just make sure to clean out the cavity first, I thought I got everything the 1st time I made one, and I was wrong, I forgot a bag of gizzards, yuck! now, my hubby takes over the bird, he doesn't trust me!! LOL!

What I do (and I NEVER have a dry turkey) is stuff it. But NOT with stuffing (bread). Bread stuffings absorb the moisture from the turkey, MAKING it DRY.

I stuff mine with slices of granny smith apples, slices of large sweet onions, and thinly sliced tangerine. I also place thinly sliced tangerine all over the outside of it. It browns it very nicely, and it is a YUMMY turkey.

Other than that, just the usual salt and pepper in the cavity and rubbed on the outside during prep, and coating real butter on the outside. The tangerine slices go on last.
:)

There's ONLY ONE WAY

It doesn't matter if you bake, broil, smoke, roast... brine, butter, bag, stuff, rightside up, upside down, sideways... ALL of these can = a moist or dry turkey

MEAT THERMOMETER & RESTING

MEAT THERMOMETER
When the internal temp is 180, it's done and it's moist/ SUPER juicy. You don't wait until it reaches 180, though. You pull it at 165 (unless you're smoking it, but lets assume you aren't). It will continue to cook (and temperature will rise to 180) over the 20 minutes you let it rest.

RESTING
When you first pull ANY piece of meat from the oven/grill/etc, the temp is rising still AND it's durn hot (steaming). The steam isn't just from the outside. It's happening in every cell. Cutting it while it's still steaming means that the steam ESCAPES. It lyses (cuts/explodes) the cells and the juices all run out. REALLY drying out a piece of meat. How long you let meat rest depends on the type, thickness, and cut. You wait 20+ minutes with turkey, but only 5 with steak, 10 w a 3-5lb roast, etc. ((HINT: If you poke it, like with the thermometer, and juices run out, STICK SOMETHING IN THE HOLE, and wait longer. The juices SHOULD NOT RUN. Or you haven't let it rest long enough.

So you cook it to shy of the 'done' level (changes for beef, pork, poultry... beef is the trickiest, because of rare/medrare/med/medwell/well... pork and poultry is easy peasy; 140 for pork & 180 for poultry), let it rest so the juices don't all explode out of the cells.

MOST people (even chefs) think a turkey is "done" (just looking at it) around 240 degrees. Nope!!! Even at 200 degrees the bird has started to reeeeally dry out. 240+ and it's super dry bird. WHY do even pros "think" a turkey is done ages and ages after it's done? Because we're all used to cooking chicken. A turkey LOOKS "chicken done" (chicken will be 180) waaaaaaaay after it's really done. So even pros use thermometers with giant birds (and tiny ones). It's because even pros rarely cook turkeys. People who specialize in turkeys don't need thermometers, but those people are few and far between. Unlike all of us used to chicken!!!

I have used Reynold's roasting bags for cooking my turkeys since before I was married (over 11 years now). They cook fast, they taste heavenly, and I have always gotten compliments on the flavor and moistness. All I do is slice one great big onion into rings and place the onions plus sticks of celery underneath the turkey and inside the body cavity. Then I drizzle the outside with melted butter, salt and pepper it, and stick it in the oven following the directions on the bag. Sometimes I add other spices like garlic or basil, but most of the time I just keep it simple.

Hi J....
I brined my turkey last year. I'm so glad I did too. I had decided to use my neighbors oven to cook the turkey since mine was so full of other stuff. So, after 2 hours in his oven, I went over to check on it and the internal temp was well over 200 degrees! I was so upset because I'd totally overcooked and ruined the turkey or at least that's what I'd thought. I guess since I had brined it the results were outstanding. It was super moist and very flavorful. Guess you know how I'll be preparing it again this year!

Mmm, Victoria's idea sounds yummy!

I've only cooked a turkey 2 or 3 times before. I don't even know what words like brine or baste mean. All I did was use an oven bag (the Reynold's brand, I believe) and I followed the instructions. (which were really simple...something like add 3 T of flour to bag.

The only thing I forgot to do the 1st time was remove the plastic bags of gizzards that were stuffed in the turkey.

I didn't stuff.

Both of my turkeys were super-moist and all I did was cook them at the temp that the turkey told me to (on the package) for the length of time it told me to.

Good luck!!!!! :-)

Brine. Its guaranteed. Brine!!!!!

good luck :)

I have not read all the answer's but my best advice, don't be nervous. Turkeys are actually one of the easiest things to cook. I usually put pats of butter along with garlic and lots of herbs under the skin. Olive Oil on top of the skin. Whole oranges inside the turkey and it comes out moist and delicious every time.

I am not a cook at all!! My first turkey was done in a bag and it came out fantastic. Remember to pull all the stuff out!! LOL

I cooked mine upside down one year and it was a disaster trying to flip it over to carve it. I do brine mine is salt water. But I use the course kosher salt and I rinse my turkey before I cook it. I then pour chicken stock over my turkey, lots of butter, like just when you think you have enough butter, add more butter. Then I season my turkey. I don't cover it at all and I baste it whenever I'm up in the kitchen.

I put the turkey in a brown paper grocery bag after basting it. I put bread stuffing in the cavity. You don't have to baste it when it's in the brown paper bag.

Here is a recipe: http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/how-to-cook-a-turkey.html

I havent read all of the responses on here but every year we always brine'd our turkey, it always turn's out juicy and there is no way for it to dry out! It is even juicy the next day! Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Take the the time to brine it! Look up a recipe and get a big enough cooler you can fill with plenty of water and turkey and ice. It makes all the difference IMO. And I never stuff my turkey it just makes nasty mushy stuffing and I like mine with some crisp:). And if you bast it with a mix of olive oil/melted unsalted butter it helps with crispy skins and moist inside. Good luck

I have only used a bag and it's the best. I use a L. bit of every season I have in the cabinet. Only stuff with onion, garlic celery maybe carrots. I add about 1/4 cup of chicken broth, make four small slits to add butter n finally sprinkle a tiny bit of soy sauce over the top of the turkey. Sounds weird I know but the first time I made a turkey that is what I did (of course I didn't tell anyone) until I was begged to make the turkeys from then on. But the key is the bag!

I dont stuff mine with dressing, I use onions and apples on the inside. I slow roast mine. I rinse it, salt real good inside and out, rub it down with a cube of melted butter and salt again. Use a large turkey pan tented with heavy duty foil. Put it into a 450 degree oven and turn the oven down to 300 and dont touch it for about 3 hours. Then you can start your basting process, the juices should be coming out around the 3rd hour. I never use a meat thermometer, I always use the "shake the leg" trick to see if the leg is loose. Once it is loose it's time to brown the turkey by removing the tent and pull it out when it reaches the browness you are looking for. Practicing making a turkey takes a lot of years usually, you will try different things till the right way comes along and you will continue to use that same way forever once you have deemed it foolproof in your book. Grandma's always make the best turkeys because they've done it the longest :) You will get an idea of how long to actually roast it by reading the directions that come with the bird, just tweak it to your liking. We like to eat our dinner early, we skip breakfast that day. I usually put the bird in the oven at 5am with expectations on eating it at around 11am depending on how big the bird is. Dont forget to let it rest for about a half hour after you remove it from the oven, that also helps it be moist, if you cut into it too early all the juices just run out all over the place.
I've done the upside down way a few times, but I really miss that crispy brown skin on the breast by doing it that way. But it is a good trick for a moist breast. Sometimes you just get a bad bird and no matter how you roast it- it will come out dry, so make sure you make a lot of gravy and save some drippings just in case.

I follow almost the same method as Victoria W. But I do the brine and roasting bag also.

use any recipe that appeals to your taste buds; but it you want a MOIST turkey definitely baste and use a cheese cloth over the turkey. I still hold my family record on the moistest turkey cooked and I used the recipe in the L.A. Times. I did soaked the turkey in a brine for 5 days and the basting was every 20 minutes (which added cooking time, but so worth it). If you decide to use the cheese cloth; you dip it into the brine and drape it over the turkey covering it all, you want to baste often to keep the cloth moist. If the cloth dries up (from not enough basting) it will pull off the turkey skin when you take it off. Good luck, don't stress and have fun with it. OH and Happy Thanksgiving.

You have to be careful with brining. Most turkeys sold in the supermarket are already injected with a saline solution and if you brine those you end up with a soogy salty turkey. If you do go the brine route, by just a turkey ( it should say that on the labe, like "Ingridients: Turkey". Butterballs are already salted and so are " Kosher" turkeys. I always make my bird in a oven bag. Always moist and tender.

I Brine it using the Morton Kosher salt instructions on the side of the box it will remind you to rinse it afterwards.

I stuff it with onion celery and a bell pepper (remember to remove the giblets from under the neck skin).

Roast it Brest side down..

I have been roasting turkeys for over 30 years multiple times a year and have never had a dry turkey, even when we cooked them in a barrel.

I've never had a dry turkey....so I must be doing something right:

I do not baste, I do not soak in brine. I simply add 2" (or more) of water to the bottom of the pan....."tent" it with foil, being very careful not to touch the bird.....& bake as directed. I pull the foil when the popper "pops" & allow the bird to "brown" for 15-30 minutes, depending on what it needs. Been using this method for almost 40 years...& it's always tender/moist!

I use S&P, some garlic powder, & rub the entire bird with stick butter/margarine. I stuff an apple & 1-2 onions in the cavity. & that's it!

disclaimer: I have noticed that with my new convection oven, I do require more water than in the past.

Like Abbie said, cook it upside down. I got this tip from Foodnetworks Alton Brown couple years back and tried it, it was fantastic! We through all sorts of spices (handfuls of rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, marjoram) under the skin and tried to rub it in and then added lemon slices under the skin. We then flipped it upside down, cooked it and it was amazingly flavorful and juicy. The only thing though, is doing it this way, it doesn't come out of the oven in a presentable fashion, it's best to cut it up then serve the turkey slices on a platter:)

I cook mine breast side down. It's not as pretty but the dark meat needs to cook more than the white. Also remember that the temp of the turkey comes up after you pull it out. General rule - when the legs are loosey goosey and the juices are running clear the turkey is done. If there doesn't seem to be a lot of drippings in the pan its not quite done. I also brine my turkey and it isn't too salty. Just follow a recipe. I never stuff mine with dressing - I stuff it with lemons and garlic and herbs. Honestly - don't worry too much. I remember when I did my first turkey years ago I was worried and a male coworker said he once forgot to thaw the turkey in time and that he and his daughter just threw the turkey whole and frozen into the oven and it eventually cooked and taster just fine! In other words it is hard to mess up! :)

I've got a Spanek vertical roaster for turkey (I've got the smaller size for chicken, too) and the turkey comes out perfectly moist every time.
It stands up on a contraption that looks a bit like the Eiffel tower in a pan with about an inch and a half of water in it (I add 1/2 a cup of sherry to the water).
The turkey gets steamed, and the outside skim gets crisp.
Once the turkey is finished the water in the pan has become broth and can be used for grave or stuffing once you skin the grease off it.

I've vertically roasted every bird (turkey, goose, duck, chicken, game hens) for over 20 years and my family doesn't want me trying any other way.
I've tried both and prefer the chrome finish to the non-stick version.

http://spanek.com/store/page2.html

Cook it upside down. (Put the breast side down in the pan)

1. Inject it with seasoning (bbq sauce/marinade asile)
2. cook it SLOW (pm me and I can send you instructions)
3. consider cooking it in a bag
4. cook it upside down (breast down). It won't look so beautiful, but it will taste great.

I do not stuff mine. If I did, it'd be with garlic and herbs for flavor (then toss the herbs when the turkey's done.

Made my first turkey last year. I slathered it with mayo and put it in a baking bag. I was very moist. As for dressing, we make that separate with cornbread. Good luck!

My suggestion is to cover it for the main cooking of it. Get some tin foil and secure it over the top of the pan and cook that bird. The liquids from the meat will steam the bird and you get a bird that is falling off the bone. I can't get the bird of the pan it is so falling off the bone!

For a brown skin take off the top for the last 30 minutes. It is awesome!

We made Alton Brown's turkey from Food Network last year...it was fabulous.

what i do to my turkey is i put butter cubes under the skin on the breast and legs. and then i just baste it like crazy lol

This is my first year having to roast the turkey too! I heard that if you put the turkey in the pan breast down (upside sown from the way you will serve it), then the juices flow into the breast, which tends to be the driest part pf the turkey. I am going to try it. I think it was a tip from Martha Stewart.

20 minutes per pound if not stuffed, 22 minutes per pound if stuffed, baked at 350*F. Season the skin before you put it in the oven if you do that sort of thing... spread it with butter or olive oil so the seasonings stick. Then cover it with heavy duty foil. DO NOT REMOVE THE FOIL or open that oven until two hours before the turkey is planned to come out of the oven so that the skin can brown. Baste it at that time when the foil comes off and only that one time, and then leave the oven closed again. People wonder why their turkeys don't cook through and it's because they're always opening to baste and letting all the heat out. Don't do that. No need to baste as the turkey will baste itself.

Thank you for asking this! I was planing on asking the same question, but now I don't have to!

I've never brined a turkey in my life, nor do I use baking bags. I slather it in butter (real butter, not margarine), liberally sprinkle with spices, put it in a covered roasting pan, and baste the living hell out of it, and it always comes out juicy with a nice brown, crispy skin. And yes, we eat the skin.

i haven't read all the responses, but i just got my Food Network magazine in the mail and its all about thanksgiving. there's a whole section in there about different turkey types and whether you should use a brine with each type, etc. i recommend to go out and get that magazine. it's fantastic this month (and every month!)!

Oven bag (Reynold's makes them, sold near the aluminum foil and such in the store). It is almost impossible to make a dry turkey using the bag, and no brining needed.

Some people like Butterballs but we never buy those because every time we do no matter what I do it's dry! We preffer Armour turkeys but can't find them here in PA. We've found whatever turkey was cheapest was just fine. They are more moist generally speaking.

Each turkey has directions on it. It'll tell you the temp, and how long to bake per pound, whether stuffed or unstuffed.

Thaw it in the fridge in advance.
Pull out the bag of innards and what not
Rinse well and put in pan
Use a metal pan with lid, or disposable pan on a cookie sheet or broiling pan and cover with foil.
Your best bet is to add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan when you start.
Baste every hour and recover.
As long as you bake the amount of time asked on the wrapper it'll be fine.
Some like to uncover the last 30-60 minutes but I never found it necessary especially when using foil cover.
Don't use a bag unless you don't mind a very moist turkey as in falling apart and now browned traditionally. If you want a pretty "traditional" turkey use a pan and cover to baste every hour.
Stuffing it is better as the stuffing gets the extra flavor of the turkey juice in it.
If the juice gets too full in the pan use a suction thingy to pull most of the juice out and put it in a pot to use with the gravy. Makes the gravy more rich!
No need to add any seasoning or anything. You'll get the full taste of the turkey with basting and following the package cooking directions.
Don't put it breast down. Does not make it more juicy at all.
No need to brine!
No need to inject!
Do nothing more than the directions on the turkey, cover and baste hourly!

It's not as hard as it sounds. When you do it once, you'll know exactly how to do it the next time for Christmas.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets