Absurdly Simple Roast Thanksgiving Turkey

NOTE: This is an updated version of my turkey recipe, which I posted last year. I’m reposting it right before Thanksgiving in case it’s helpful to anyone. Happy Thanksgiving!

I used to do a lot of stuffing, trussing and basting when I roasted my Thanksgiving turkey, but I’ve long since given that up. I found this easy method of roasting a turkey in The New York Times many years ago, and I’ve followed it ever since. The secret to roasting a great-tasting, no-fuss bird, is to salt it the day before and roast it at higher heat, which seals in the juices and cooks it faster.  The stuffing, trussing and basting was always a gigantic waste of time.

I used to buy large turkeys, but the flavor was disappointing. The white meat was dry, and the dark meat was tough. A few years ago, a friend who raises free-range turkeys, told me never to buy a turkey larger than 14 pounds. Once I began roasting smaller turkeys, I had much better success. If you’re expecting a crowd, roast two turkeys instead of one huge one.

The day before Thanksgiving, wash the defrosted or fresh turkey, pat it dry with a paper towel, put it in a roasting pan, then salt it inside and out. Cover the turkey with parchment paper (or put it in a plastic bag) and leave it in the fridge overnight.

On Thanksgiving Day, take the turkey out of the fridge half an hour before you plan to roast it to let it warm up to room temperature.  Remove it from its wrappings. Put a bay leaf, onion and lemon into the cavity. Don’t add any more salt, or you’ll end up with a desiccated bird. Sprinkle the turkey inside and out with fresh ground pepper.

Pop the bird into a preheated 425 degree F oven for half an hour, then take it out and add a foil tent to the top of the turkey to prevent burning the skin. Put it back in the oven, turn the heat down to 375 degrees F, and roast it for another hour. Set the timer, and forget it. Don’t bother to baste it either. The turkey’s on its own.

Because of the higher roasting temperature, calculate about 8 minutes per pound of cooking time for a 12-14 pound bird. If your turkey is larger than 14 pounds, roast it for about 9 -10 minutes per pound.

When the timer goes off, take the turkey out of the oven and measure its temperature with a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh. If it reads 165 degrees F or higher, it’s done. If the temperature is lower, put the foil tent back on, and return the turkey to the oven.

Measure the temperature every 15 minutes. You can tell the turkey’s nearly done when the roasting pan fills with juice. As soon as the temperature hits 165 degrees F, take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest, covered with parchment and a damp kitchen towel, for 30 minutes so it reabsorbs its juices.

While the turkey’s resting, use a turkey baster to take the juice out of the roasting pan and use it to make giblet gravy. Save the onion and lemon, which have absorbed all that delicious turkey flavor, for other uses.

After the turkey’s finished napping, remove the parchment and kitchen towel. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter. Tuck herbs around the bottom of the bird, and show it off to your guests!

Here are links to a few more of my Thanksgiving recipes:

The Greatest Dairy-Free Egg Nog Ever

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Turkey Giblet Gravy

Cranberry Sauce with Maple, Cinnamon and Apple

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Sage

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

No Roll Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pie Crust

Sugar-Free Coconut Whipped Cream

Print Recipe

Absurdly Simple Roast Thanksgiving Turkey

By Springhouse Turtle – Serves: 8-12

Prep Time: overnight plus 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 90 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes

The secret to roasting a great-tasting, no-fuss bird, is to salt it the day before and cook it at higher heat, which seals in the juices and cooks it faster.

Ingredients

• 12-14 pound turkey
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions

1

The previous day or at least four hours before you plan to roast the turkey, take it out of the wrapper, remove the giblets (save for gravy), rinse it with cold water, put it in a roasting pan, pat it dry with paper towels, and salt it inside and out.

2

Cover the turkey with parchment paper, then plastic wrap or foil, and put it back in the refrigerator overnight. (If space is at a premium in the fridge, place it in a plastic bag.)

3

Half an hour before cooking, remove the turkey from the refrigerator.

4

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

5

Remove the parchment and wrap or foil from the turkey.

6

Put bay leaf, onion and lemon into the front cavity.

7

Sprinkle the turkey inside and out with pepper.

8

You may tie the legs together with kitchen twine if you want, but I don't bother.

9

Put the turkey in the oven and roast at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes.

10

Remove it from the oven and cover the turkey with a foil tent to prevent burning. Press the foil under the edges of the roasting pan to keep it in place. Try not to let the foil touch the turkey.

11

Put the turkey back in the oven, turn the heat down to 375 degrees F, and continue roasting for another hour.

12

Open the oven door and take a look at the turkey. If there's a lot of juice in the pan, it's nearly done. Larger turkeys will take longer. Estimate about 8 minutes per pound. Total roasting time should be between 90 minutes and 2 1/4 hours.

13

If the turkey is sitting in a bath of its own juice, remove it from the oven and check the turkey's temperature by sticking a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to let the tip of the thermometer hit the bone. If it's 165 degrees F, the turkey is done.

14

If the temperature is under 165 degrees F, put the turkey back in the oven and measure its temperature every 15 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes if the turkey isn't brown enough.

15

Take the turkey out of the oven, and remove (rinse and recycle) the foil.

16

Cover the bird with fresh parchment and a damp kitchen towel.

17

Let it sit, reabsorbing its juices, for 30 minutes.

18

Transfer the turkey to a serving platter, tuck fresh herbs around it, and serve immediately.

Notes

If you can find a local farmer raising grass-fed turkeys, reserve one early. You will be astonished by the flavor of a bird that spends its natural life running around outside eating grass and insects. I usually buy my Thanksgiving turkey from a local farmer who raises organic grass-fed turkeys. These taste unlike any turkey I've ever eaten. They are lean and the meat has an intense turkey flavor, closer to steak than turkey. If I don't reserve a turkey by September, they're gone! They cost more than most turkeys, but are worth triple the price because they're unforgettably delicious.

Salted inside and out, the raw turkey spends the night in the refrigerator.

The next day, Put a bay leaf, lemon and onion into the front cavity

Sprinkle the turkey inside and out with pepper, and the bird is ready for the oven.

Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F. The higher heat will seal in the juices, and turn the turkey gold.

To prevent burning, make a tent out of aluminum foil, place it over the turkey and crimp it to the sides of the roasting pan.

Turn the heat down to 375 degrees F, and roast the turkey for another hour. Take the turkey out of the oven and check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. If it’s reached 165 degrees F, the turkey’s done. If not, return it to the oven, and check the temperature every 15 minutes. When it reaches 165 degrees F, remove the turkey from the oven, cover it with parchment paper and a damp kitchen towel, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Transfer the turkey to a serving plate, tuck herbs around it, and serve immediately.

Springhouse Turtle Eats