How to roast a large turkey and then how to prepare it for leftovers.
Course Holidays, Meat
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Calories 300kcal
Ingredients
Whole Turkey - 20 - 40 pound turkey
Fresh sage or oregano - 1 large bundle, some finely chopped
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Coarse salt - 4 tbsp
Instructions
Set the oven on 400.
Wash the turkey with cold water inside and out.
Set the bird in a pan large enough to catch the dripping that will extract from the meat while it cooks. A good 3 inches or more is advisable for the height of the pan
I prefer to cook the turkey upside down, breast down, because the breast meat takes on more flavor and does’t dry out this way.
Take a bundle of fresh sage, slide your finger between the flesh and the skin, and slip sprigs of herbs against the meat.
Score the skin of the breast area and rub the turkey down with olive oil.
Salt the cavity of the bird and the skin and rub some of the finely chopped sage into the scored skin.
Place the turkey in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes
Turn the oven down to 350 and cover the turkey with a lid or foil.
Rule of thumb has been to roast the turkey for about 20 minutes per pound, but I have found that rule to be way too much time. A meat thermometer is your most accurate way to know when the bird is cooked, and stick the thermometer into the thick of the thigh, and not the breast for a more accurate reading. 165 is the internal temperature you are looking for. If you don’t have a thermometer, just look for the meat to begin to fall off the bone around the leg area.
Once the bird is cooked and you have enjoyed the first meal, try to make the time to pull all the meat off the carcass while it is room temperature. It is more difficult after it has been in the fridge.