Most Flavorful Turkey Ever
This year is the first year I've used fresh herbs in a lot of my cooking and stumbled upon my love of rosemary, it really makes everything delicious! Anyways this is how we've cooked our Turkey for years and have always had good luck with moist meat but since adding the fresh rosemary this year I'll never make a Turkey any other way!
**Read through all the directions before using this recipe**
Author: Stacy
Most Flavorful Turkey Ever!
Ingredients:
1 whole Turkey or if your feeding a small family we just buy a Turkey breast, they come the same way as a whole Turkey but without the legs (usually about 9 lbs).
6 tbs butter, I use country crock because it's soft but as long as your stick butter is room temp you'll be fine..
2 tbs minced garlic (I use minced garlic from a jar)
1 tsp fresh minced thyme (or to taste)
1 tsp fresh minced rosemary (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh minced chives (or to taste)
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper, I just use a little in the butter mixture cause you're going to salt and pepper the outside of the whole Turkey.
2 tbs olive oil (to coat the entire turkey with)
Instructions:
Thaw Turkey according to the package directions (never leave a Turkey out on the counter to thaw!). Once Turkey is thawed and ready to prep for roasting, place in a large roasting pan. Mix the butter with the garlic and dried seasonings in a small bowl, set aside and preheat oven to 475 degrees. Now this is where things get a little gross. To get the best flavors in your meat, better than injecting, separate the skin from the meat starting at the neck of the Turkey and working your way towards the butt of the Turkey, careful not to tear through the skin. This is gross but so worth it and you'll find that some areas of the skin close to the legs won't separate and that's fine. Once you've worked the skin up grab the butter mixture and stuff it between the skin and meat, spread the butter mixture as evenly as possible by pressing down on the outside of the skin (it spreads easier this way and its less time your hands have to be inside the Turkey!). Place a rosemary sprig under the skin over top of each breast and each leg then coat all the skin with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper the skin of the whole bird and you're ready to roast!
Cover the Turkey with the roasting pan lid or heavy tin foil if your pan doesn't have a lid and throw that bird in the oven at 475 degrees and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, this seals the Turkey and gets that initial crisp started on the skin. (I say 30 minutes cause sometimes you get busy and time slips but please do set a timer!). After the first 20 minutes turn the oven down to 250 degrees and roast your bird for another 20 minutes per pound. (Our 8.85 lb Turkey was done in 4 hours). When the thermometer reaches a temp between 155 and 160 degrees, remove the lid and baste often until the temp reaches 170 then switch your oven to broil and leave turkey under the broiler until the skin is nice and brown and crispy lookin! This may add a little extra to the cooking time so try and accommodate for that by at least an hour whether you start earlier or expect to eat a little later. Switch your oven to
Once your Turkey is fully cooked and your meat thermometer reads 170 - 180 degrees Fahrenheit (never assume a Turkey is cooked based off of time roasted, always use a good meat thermometer!!!) remove from the oven and allow to rest. You'll have about 30 minutes of rest time to finish up your other goodies like cheesy potatoes which I also have fantastic recipe for!
**Read through all the directions before using this recipe**
Author: Stacy
Most Flavorful Turkey Ever!
Ingredients:
1 whole Turkey or if your feeding a small family we just buy a Turkey breast, they come the same way as a whole Turkey but without the legs (usually about 9 lbs).
6 tbs butter, I use country crock because it's soft but as long as your stick butter is room temp you'll be fine..
2 tbs minced garlic (I use minced garlic from a jar)
1 tsp fresh minced thyme (or to taste)
1 tsp fresh minced rosemary (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh minced chives (or to taste)
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper, I just use a little in the butter mixture cause you're going to salt and pepper the outside of the whole Turkey.
2 tbs olive oil (to coat the entire turkey with)
Instructions:
Thaw Turkey according to the package directions (never leave a Turkey out on the counter to thaw!). Once Turkey is thawed and ready to prep for roasting, place in a large roasting pan. Mix the butter with the garlic and dried seasonings in a small bowl, set aside and preheat oven to 475 degrees. Now this is where things get a little gross. To get the best flavors in your meat, better than injecting, separate the skin from the meat starting at the neck of the Turkey and working your way towards the butt of the Turkey, careful not to tear through the skin. This is gross but so worth it and you'll find that some areas of the skin close to the legs won't separate and that's fine. Once you've worked the skin up grab the butter mixture and stuff it between the skin and meat, spread the butter mixture as evenly as possible by pressing down on the outside of the skin (it spreads easier this way and its less time your hands have to be inside the Turkey!). Place a rosemary sprig under the skin over top of each breast and each leg then coat all the skin with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper the skin of the whole bird and you're ready to roast!
Cover the Turkey with the roasting pan lid or heavy tin foil if your pan doesn't have a lid and throw that bird in the oven at 475 degrees and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, this seals the Turkey and gets that initial crisp started on the skin. (I say 30 minutes cause sometimes you get busy and time slips but please do set a timer!). After the first 20 minutes turn the oven down to 250 degrees and roast your bird for another 20 minutes per pound. (Our 8.85 lb Turkey was done in 4 hours). When the thermometer reaches a temp between 155 and 160 degrees, remove the lid and baste often until the temp reaches 170 then switch your oven to broil and leave turkey under the broiler until the skin is nice and brown and crispy lookin! This may add a little extra to the cooking time so try and accommodate for that by at least an hour whether you start earlier or expect to eat a little later. Switch your oven to
Once your Turkey is fully cooked and your meat thermometer reads 170 - 180 degrees Fahrenheit (never assume a Turkey is cooked based off of time roasted, always use a good meat thermometer!!!) remove from the oven and allow to rest. You'll have about 30 minutes of rest time to finish up your other goodies like cheesy potatoes which I also have fantastic recipe for!
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