Turkey 🦃
Get ready for Thanksgiving by making the juiciest whole turkey for your holiday centerpiece with me! My sister and I learned to make a whole turkey from my grandmother, Josephine. I cannot tell you how many times we called my grandmother to get the recipe to make a whole turkey. The funny thing is that no matter how many years we made the turkey on our own we always had to call my grandma! And usually it was halfway through the process or trying to figure out how long to roast the turkey in the oven!
So now, I have all the information signed, sealed, and delivered to make a whole roasted turkey using Butterball turkey! This recipe is best made with a Butterball turkey! It’s simple, it’s easy and you will not believe how moist and delicious this turkey is! Happy Thanksgiving and let’s make it!
Butterball turkey takes center stage as the juicy superstar of the feast! It is a tender, flavorful meat that practically melts in your mouth. Compared to those store-brand turkeys, which might leave you wishing for a little more flavor and moisture, Butterball is like a Thanksgiving hug on your plate. I have tried to save money buying the store brand turkey but it never tastes like a Butterball turkey.
Take the turkey out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator at least two days before you’re going to prepare the turkey so it can fully defrost.
Your turkey should be padded dry and at room temperature before you start preparing.
I do not throw away any part of the turkey. When you cut off the netting and open up the turkey take all of the giblets and the neck out and save them. Check within the cavity of the turkey and also underneath the top part of the turkey where the head was to look for a bag of giblets. These giblets will make the most delicious gravy you’ve ever had in your life
Take out 2 to 3 sticks of butter and leave them on the counter a couple hours before you prep the turkey.
Don’t be shy with the butter! Massage it in and don’t forget to pull the skin apart from the meat and shove some butter in there as well. This secret will make your turkey tender and delicious and it makes the turkey skin a crisp golden brown.
This All-Clad roaster pan is my go-to pan for my thanksgiving turkey. The roasting pan is a heavy duty, durable, non-stick pan which helps with an easy clean-up. Click Here for more details.
My family doesn’t stuff our turkey. So instead, we generously chop up celery and onion, add inside the turkey cavity and all over the turkey and in the pan. This helps keep the turkey moist!
Covering the turkey while it cooks will keep the skin from burning. You will remove the aluminum foil the last hour of cooking to brown the skin of the turkey.
Basting the turkey is like giving it a spa day right in your kitchen! As you brush that golden, savory goodness over your bird, you’re not just keeping it moist; you’re infusing it with flavor that’ll make taste buds dance!
Every time you open that oven door, it’s like a little peek into Thanksgiving magic, watching the skin turn crispy and golden. So grab that Turkey Baster, get ready to show your turkey some love, and let the aroma fill your home.
🗒 More Thanksgiving Favorites
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store in an air-tight container in refrigerator for 3-5 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Ideally, you should allow 24 hours of thawing time for every 4-5 pounds of turkey in the refrigerator. For quicker thawing, submerge the turkey in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes—allow about 30 minutes per pound!
The best way to check is by using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and thigh. Don’t forget to check the stuffing, if you have any!
🎥 Items Featured in Video
Turkey 🦃
Ingredients
- 1 Butterball Whole Turkey mine was 15 lbs
- 1-2 large onions roughly chopped
- 1/2 stalk of celery with leaves roughly chopped
- 1 oz.fresh sage ripped up
- 1 tbsp of kosher salt for every 4 lbs. of turkey
- 4-5 tbsp of cracked black pepper
- rubbed sage dried seasoning about 1/4 of the bottle or at least 5-6 tbsp.
- 2 sticks of salted softened butter
- aluminum foil
Instructions
- Clean the turkey pat completely dry. The turkey must be at room temperature before you prepare and put in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 325° F
- Rub both sticks of salted butter all over the turkey in everything nook and cranny including the inside of the turkey cavity.
- Add about 2-3 tbsp. of rubbed sage into 1 stick of the butter and as best you can shove the butter under the skin of the turkey.
- Liberally season the turkey with kosher salt, pepper, and rubbed sage all over the outside , inside, and back of the turkey.
- Add the Celery & onions into the turkey cavity and scatter all around the turkey roaster.
- Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 325° F for 20 minutes per lb.
- Baste the turkey every 30-45 minutes. The turkey will brown under the foil, but uncover the last hour of roasting.
- Remove the turkey at 165° internal temperature and let it rest until it rises to 170° before serving!
Video
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