I was so excited about this juicy turkey recipe every step of the way and I think you’ll feel the same way when you try it. I spent several days researching all of the best turkey recipes online, in books, and getting trusted advice from my Mom and you, my readers. This tender and delicious turkey will impress your dinner guests. The turkey breast is so juicy and flavorful and the skin is crisp and roasts to a beautiful golden brown. I invited all of my family over to help eat this turkey and received rave reviews from 10 adults and quite a few kiddos. I was so giddy with excitement when I tasted the juicy bird.
Since the beginning of my blog (2009), I’ve been flooded with requests for a great turkey recipe for the holidays. Three years ago I baked a turkey with my old oven which didn’t provide the most even cooking and when I took the turkey out, I found that portions of it were under-baked. Mom has always taken charge of the annual turkey and my experience had discouraged me from further attempts. I left the turkey to Mom; until now!!
You don’t need to be scared to try new things in the kitchen, like the Thanksgiving turkey which is the “year’s most important dish”, but that with the right appliances you can cook things exactly as you’d like. With Wolf ovens, you can cook with greater control, which means that you can cook with the confidence that you’ll need to tackle this main dish at your next holiday gathering. Wolf ovens perform for decades and they began in commercial kitchens, so you know that they mean it when they say that nothing less than precision will do. The dual convection in Wolf ovens build consistent temperatures, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not the turkey is going to be under-baked. Using the right appliances makes you feel confident in knowing that your holiday meal is going to be a hit, and you can’t go wrong by adding this turkey recipe to your menu. It’s fantastic. Read on to learn everything you need to know for a perfect turkey.
Ingredients:
12 lb turkey (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary – see below)
Salt & Pepper for the inside and outside of the bird
For the Flavored Butter:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin), plus more to drizzle the top
2 small or 1 large lemon
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
1/2 Tbsp salt (I used sea salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly groundFor the Stuffing:
1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
1/2 bunch parsley
1 lemon, quartered
What you’ll need:
Kitchen String Heavy duty foil
A heavy roasting pan that accommodates your bird, but isn’t over-sized
A temperature probe (to ensure a fully-cooked turkey)Instructions/ Tips for prepping your bird:
*If using a frozen turkey, defrost it in its plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3 days prior to roasting.
*Remove turkey from fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. *Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey.
*Rinse turkey with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Let turkey sit in a roasting pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess water from the turkey.
*Fold the wings behind the turkey; if you don’t they are the quickest to scorch and dry out.Seasoning, Stuffing and Tying up a Turkey:
1. Season inside of turkey cavity generously with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir until well combined (the lemon juice doesn’t easily stir into butter, but keep mixing and it will happen). This mixture was adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey video and it’s wonderful. Take a whiff of it; you’ll fall in love with how fresh it smells!
3. Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey, being careful not to tear the skin.
4. Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
5. Rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
6. Stuff turkey with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.How to Roast a Turkey: Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom) – this ensures that your large turkey roasts in the middle of the oven and keeps the turkey breast further from the top heating element. P.S. I love that a Wolf range has a bake mode where nearly all of the heat comes from the bottom heating element; perfect for fully cooking turkey without burning the top.
1. Here is a fantastic tip I picked up from Alton Brown to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You’ll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
2. Place a meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drumstick; deep into the dark meat. It’s ready for the oven. Start roasting at 430˚F for 20 min.
3. Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area. 4. Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 180˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 161˚F to make sure it’s fully cooked through; then remove from the oven. 5. Transfer turkey to your serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for a most delicious gravy. Gravy recipe coming soon! Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe
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This tender and delicious turkey will impress your dinner guests. The turkey breast is so juicy and flavorful and the skin is crisp and roasts to a beautiful golden brown.
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Skill Level: Medium/ Advanced
Cost To Make: Varies by season and turkey prices
Ingredients
12 lb turkey (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary)
Salt & Pepper for the inside and outside of the bird
For the Flavored Butter:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin), plus more to drizzle top
2 small or 1 large lemon
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
½ Tbsp salt (I used sea salt)
½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
For the Stuffing:
1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
½ bunch parsley
1 lemon, quartered
What you'll need:
Kitchen String
Heavy duty foil
A heavy roasting pan that accommodates your bird, but isn't over-sized
A temperature probe (to ensure a fully-cooked turkey)
Instructions
Seasoning, Stuffing and Tying up a Turkey:
Season inside of turkey cavity generously with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 3 pressed garlic cloves, ¼ cup chopped parsley, ½ Tbsp salt, ½ tsp pepper. Stir until well combined (the lemon juice doesn't easily stir into butter but keep mixing and it will happen). Take a whiff of it; you'll fall in love with how fresh it smells!
Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey; being careful not to tear the skin.
Stuff ⅔ of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
Rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
Stuff turkey with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, ½ bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.
How to Roast a Turkey: (Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom).
Here is a fantastic tip I picked up from Alton brown to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You'll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
Place a meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drum stick; deep into the dark meat. Start roasting at 430˚F for 20 min.
Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 180˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 161˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through; then remove from the oven.
Transfer turkey to your serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for gravy. Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
Notes
!Instructions/Tips for prepping your bird:
*If using a frozen turkey, defrost it in its plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3 days prior to roasting.
*Remove turkey from fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly.
*Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey.
*Rinse turkey with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Let turkey sit in a roasting pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess water from the turkey.
*Fold the wings behind the turkey; if you don't they are the quickest to scorch and dry out.
3.2.2807
This giveaway and turkey recipe are sponsored by Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliances - I’m so excited to be working with such a phenomenal brand; they are truly top notch; the creme de la creme of ranges and ovens. Wolf is all about empowering home cooks to make predictably delicious dishes every time. This is especially crucial during the holidays when everything has to be just so. Be sure to show Sub-Zero & Wolf some like and thank them for sponsoring by visiting their Facebook page.
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