Fool Proof Turkey Tips

One of my favourite fool-proof recipes for roasting a turkey is from Barbara Kafka’s Roasting, A Simple Art (Morrow 1995). Although she roasts everything practically at a heart thumping 500?F, believe or not it’s makes a moist and tender turkey. Make sure you have an absolutely clean oven and good fan exhaust before you start!

Simple Roast Turkey

Serves 10-15

15-pound turkey, thawed, if necessary, and at room temperature, wing tips removed, reserving giblets and neck for gravy, liver for stuffing

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup water or turkey or chicken stock

Place oven rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500?F.

Rinse the turkey inside and out. Pat dry. Sprinkle the outside with pepper. If stuffing, stuff cavity and crop, securing openings with long metal skewers. Lace them. Do not truss.

Put turkey in an 18x13x2 inch roasting pan, breast side up. Put in oven legs first. Roast until the leg joint near the backbone wiggles easily, about 2 hours. After 20 minutes, move the turkey around with a wooden spatula to keep from sticking. Remove the turkey to a large platter. Let sit 20 minutes before carving.

Pour off grease from roasting pan and put pan on top of the stove. Add water or stock. Bring to a boil while scraping bottom of the pan vigorously with a wooden spoon, loosening all the crisp bits in the bottom of the pan. These add intensity to the gravy. Let reduce by half and add to your gravy.

Basic Roast Turkey Times at 500 F.

Weight.......................Stuffed....................Unstuffed

9 pounds...........1 hour 45 minutes.......1 hour 15 minutes
12 pounds.........1 hour 50 minutes.......1 hour 20 minutes
15 pounds.........2 hours 30 minutes......2 hours
20 pounds.........3 hours 30 minutes......3 hours