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Nov262015

How to properly oven roast a turkey

It’s funny when I hear people talk about cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  A state of panic sets in but why?  My approach when I cook a bird is pretty straight forward.  To me it’s just a big chicken.  It’s bigger, fatter, heavier and stuffed with more stuff.  So I just adjust my cooking times and temp and just let my oven work it’s magic. That being said I went straight to my trusty source to get the facts to share with you.

turkey101Important Tips

♥ Make sure when you put your turkey in a roasting pan you put it on a roasting rack, breast side up.  If you don’t have a rack just crumple up some tin foil and line the bottom. You don’t want the bird to sit on the bottom of the pan
♥ Your turkey is done when the temperature with a meat thermometer is 180° F in thigh and 165° F in breast or stuffing.
♥ Cover neck and exposed stuffing with foil to prevent over-browning for turkey breasts.
♥ When the turkey is about 2/3 done, loosely cover breast and top of drumsticks with a piece of foil to prevent overcooking.
♥ When your turkey is up to temperature, remove it from the oven and the roasting pan. Place on a platter and let to sit for at least 25 minutes prior to carving.

Cooking Temps

♥ For whole turkeys, turkey breasts or even a boneless bird cook them at 325F  (standard or convection). Your bird will state what temperature to cook it at.  Some manufacturers say 325F while others say 350F. I personally go with 325F as that falls into alignment with the USDA.

Cooking Times

For more details see the USDA site about turkey cooking.

 

Roasting a Whole Turkey in a Regular Oven
Weight Cook Time (Unstuffed) Cook Time (Stuffed)
4 1/2 – 7 lbs 2 – 2 1/2 hrs 2 1/4 -2 3/4 hrs
7 – 9 lbs 2 1/2 -3 hrs 2 3/4 -4 1/2 hrs
9 – 18 lbs 3 – 3 1/2 hrs 3 3/4 – 4 1/2 hrs
18 – 22 lbs 3 1/2 – 4 hrs 4 1/2 – 5 hrs
22 – 24 lbs 4 – 4 1/2 hrs 5 – 5 1/2 hrs
24 – 30 lbs 4 1/2 – 5 hrs 5 1/2 – 6 1/4 hrs
Roasting a Whole Turkey in a Convection Oven
Weight Cook Time (Unstuffed) Cook Time (Stuffed)
6 – 10 lbs 1 1/2 – 2 hrs 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 hrs
10 – 18 lbs 2 – 2 1/2 hrs 2 1/2 – 3 1/4 hrs
18 – 22 lbs 3 1/2 – 4 hrs 4 1/2 – 5 hrs
22 – 24 lbs 3 – 3 1/2 hrs 3 3/4 – 4 1/4 hrs
Roasting a Turkey Breast in a Regular Oven
Weight Cook Time (Unstuffed) Cook Time (Stuffed)
3 – 5 1/2 lbs 1 1/2 – 2 1/4 hrs 2 – 2 3/4 hrs
5 1/2 – 9 lbs 2 – 2 3/4 hrs 2 3/4 – 3 1/4 hrs
Roasting a Turkey Breast in a Convection Oven
Weight Cook Time (Unstuffed) Cook Time (Stuffed)
3 – 5 1/2 lbs 1 1/2 – 2 hrs 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 hrs
5 1/2 – 9 lbs 2 – 2 1/2 hrs 2 1/2 – 3 1/ 4 hrs

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