Main Dish

Step By Step Guide to a Holiday Turkey

... from Aunt Sandy's Kitchen

• Serves: 8-10 people
• Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
• Cooking: 3 hours

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Lets cook a moist and flavorful Turkey for Thanksgiving. I'll show you step by step how to use injections, basting, and roasting the turkey.

Turkey Ingredients

• 1 turkey (12 - 20 lbs.), thawed (1 day for each 4 - 5 pounds of weight)
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 apple, quartered
• 1½ tsp rosemary (or 1½ tbsp fresh)
• 1½ tsp thyme (or 1½ tbsp fresh)
• 1½ tsp sage (or 1½ tbsp fresh)
• 2 stalks of celery, cut large pieces
• 2-3 whole carrots, cut large piece

Injection Ingredients

• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt

Basting Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ Herbs: rosemary, thyme & sage

Directions

1. Thaw turkey: 1 day for each 4 - 5 pounds of weight.
2. Cut in quarters: onion, lemon, and apple.
3. Cut in large pieces: celery and carrots.
4. Mix herbs together: rosemary, thyme, and sage.
5. Injection Ingredients: combine chicken broth, melted butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Whisk ingredients together.
6. Basting Ingredients: combine melted butter, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and 2 pinches of herbs. Whisk ingredients together.
7. Remove the neck and the giblets out of the turkey. Both can be used for making gravy or booth later.
8. Inject the turkey using 2 tsp of the injection mixture in both breast, each thigh on both sides of the turkey, and other thick parts of the turkey. It's good, if you can, to place the turkey back in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours, ideally overnight.
9. Remove thawed turkey from refrigerator 1 hour before baking, to let it come to room temperature.
10. Lower the rack in your oven to accommodate the height of the turkey.
11. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
12. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel.
13. Stuff the turkey with the onion, lemon, and apple quarters. Maybe a challenge to make all this fit.
14. Place the legs back in the hock lock (piece of plastic that comes with the turkey) to keep the legs together.
15. Place the turkey on the rack of a baking pan.
16. Tucked the wings behind the legs so they will not get too brown during baking.
17. Baste the outside of the turkey with the basting mixture. Save the rest for the mixture for our 2nd basting.
18. Add celery and carrots some inside the turkey and the rest under the turkey to season the pan drippings.
19. Cover the turkey loosely like a tent with aluminum foil.
20. Cook a 12lb. turkey for about 2½ hours at 325ºF.
21. After 2½ hours of cooking take the turkey out of the oven and apply the 2nd basting.
22. For the last ½ hour of cooking time, turn up the oven to 425ºF, and remove aluminum foil.
23. After turning the oven up to 425ºF, wait till the pre-heat is over before starting a 30 minute timer.
24. Remove the turkey from the oven for the final time.
25. Check the turkey's internal temperature with a meat thermometer. A whole cooked turkey should reach an internal temperature of 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh.