Grandmas Holiday Turkey Cooked In Roaster Food

PERFECT TURKEY IN AN ELECTRIC ROASTER OVEN

Steps:

• Take the insert pan out of the roaster and pre-heat the roaster to its highest setting. On mine it's 450, but use 500 if your oven goes that high.
• Do not wash the turkey! The USDA says that washing it could cause a spread of salmonella poisoning. Sprinkle salt in the cavities. Stuff if desired. Don't pre-stuff your turkey; mix and stuff ingredients immediately before roasting. Tossing in a few pieces of cut fruit or herbs is not considered 'stuffing.' Stuffing usually means filling up the cavity with about ¾ cup stuffing per pound of turkey.
• Rub the entire bird with olive oil or butter. Doctor up your bird with whatever special seasonings you wish. I always use poultry seasoning. Finish with a good sprinkle of seasoning salt and black pepper.
• I highly recommend using a wired thermometer so you can watch the temperature without lifting the lid. Your turkey will be done much earlier than the estimated cook time, so keep a sharp eye on that thermometer. If using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer, those little pop-ups stick sometimes so you should really use two of them.
• Put the rack into the insert pan and make sure the handles are up, not tucked below. Put the bird in the insert pan on top of the rack. Don't add water to the pan. Put the insert pan back into the roasting pan. If your roaster doesn't have an insert pan, it's ok - just be very careful putting the bird into that hot oven, you don't want to burn your hands on the sides of the oven! Cover.
• Roast at highest setting for 30 minutes. The butter/oil, seasonings and the searing time will make the skin beautifully browned and perfect!
• After 30 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 325.
• The turkey will self-baste if you do not lift the lid, so you don't have to baste it every 20 minutes like you do in your conventional oven. DO NOT LIFT LID during cooking time! Lifting the lid will increase cooking time because roaster ovens lose their heat unlike regular ovens. I've read that roaster ovens effectively 'steam' the turkey making the meat come out -- well, steamed. This is not true as you will find out. Similar to the roasted chickens you can get at your supermarket, the bird will come out moist and perfectly roasted. Why do you think they call it a Roaster Oven?.
• Figure your total cooking time from the time you first put the bird in the roaster. The Butterball website has a great calculator:.
• http://www.butterball.com/calculators-and-conversions.
• FINAL TEMPERATURE FOR SAFETY AND DONENESS IS: 180 DEGREES IN THIGH AND 165 DEGREES IN BREAST AND STUFFING. Juices should be clear, not pink.
• Check your turkey EARLY. Really start watching the temp an hour before it's supposed to be done. Your turkey will almost certainly be done before the suggested cooking time. Watch your wired meat thermometer. If using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer, check by lifting the lid quickly so the oven doesn't lose its heat. If necessary, check after another 30 minutes, but I doubt you'll have to do that. I say check after 30 minutes because it's really OK to let the bird roast a little extra - you won't dry it out using my method if you let it go for 1/2 hour.
• When done, remove the turkey from the roaster, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. This allows the juices to really seep into the meat, so they say.
• If you try this method, please let us know your results!
• Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

ROAST TURKEY THAT MAKES MEMORIES

Steps:

• Take the turkey out of the fridge in the morning. Remove the giblet bag and neck from the inside of the turkey cavity. Save the giblets and neck in the fridge for making stock later. Rinse the turkey in the sink under cold, running water. Then take a teaspoon of herbed salt and wipe the inside of the turkey cavity and under the neck skin with salt. Spread the salt thinly.
• Firmly stuff the turkey with the prepared stuffing. Truss up the legs over the cavity to keep the stuffing inside the bird. Some people sew the legs together with twine. Others just tie them at the top of the drumsticks or tuck the drumsticks under the neck skin to hold the legs together
• Place the turkey, breast side up, on top of the roasting rack, inside the roasting pan. Pour water into the roasting pan so that it comes up to the top of the rack. Cover the roasting pan with a lid. Place in the oven.
• Start checking the turkey for doneness about an hour before it is supposed to be done. Use an instant-read thermometer to gauge the doneness of the turkey. Insert the thermometer into the deepest part of the muscles without touching a bone. Check the temperature in the breast and in the thigh. When the turkey is done the breast will be 170 degrees and the thigh will be 180 degrees.
• When the turkey is done, take it out of the oven and remove it from the roasting pan, onto the carving platter or carving board, and let it rest.
• Place the flour or starch called for in your gravy recipe into one cup of cold water. (Use tapioca starch or potato starch if you have a guest who has gluten allergies.) Beat the water and starch with a fork until there are no lumps.
• Pour the water-starch slurry into the bottom of the roaster with the meat drippings. Add the remaining amount of water called for in the gravy recipe, while beating the mixture with a whisk.
• Turn on the burner and cook the gravy over medium heat, while whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Stop whisking when the gravy thickens and begins to bubble.
• Transfer the gravy to a gravy boat or other container with a pour spout.

GRANDMA'S ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place thawed bird in roasting pan, and dry with paper towels. Be sure to dry every nook and cranny. Liberally salt the inside and outside of the turkey. Place in a fridge, uncovered, on the lowest shelf overnight. 24 hours minimum.
• Remove the bird from the fridge an hour before you want to bake it. There is no need to rinse the bird, and leave the juices in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick the bird up, and place on a small roasting rack to pickup off the bottom of the pan. Stuff the bird with lemon, onion, and sage. Tie the legs together, and brush melted butter all over the bird. Sprinkle the tablespoon of poultry seasoning over it, and rub liberally to spread around. Cover the bird on the roasting pan tightly with foil, and bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. 15 minutes per pound. Right at almost 4 hours. The last half hour, you'll want to remove the foil and let the skin brown. You can baste the bird, if you would like during this half hour.
• Once the turkey has reached 160 degrees, remove from the oven and cover tightly with foil to let it reest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

GRANDMA'S HOLIDAY TURKEY COOKED IN ROASTER

Steps:

• 1. Defrost turkey in refrigerator. This takes a couple of days. Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver). You can save these and use the heart and gizzard for making stock for the stuffing. The neck can be cooked along side the turkey or saved for turkey soup. Or all of the giblets can be used for making giblet gravy. Preheat the roaster oven to 400 degrees. Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• 2. Fill body cavity with stuffing. Grandma used home made but you can also use a packaged mix. Close up the turkey cavity with either string (not nylon string!) or metal skewers. Make sure that the turkey's legs are tied together, held close to the body, and tie a string around the turkey body to hold the wings in close. The neck cavity can also be stuffed and tied closed with thin skewers and string. Rub melted butter all over the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle salt generously all over the outside of the turkey Sprinkle pepper over the turkey. Place turkey up on the rack of the roaster.
• 3. For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400 degrees for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees for the next 3 hours. Start taking temperature readings with a meat thermometer, inserted deep into the thickest part of the turkey breast and thigh, an hour before the turkey should be done. You want a resulting temperature of 175 degrees for the dark meat (thighs and legs) and 165 degrees for the white meat (breast). Once you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
• 4. MAKING TURKEY GRAVY Scrape all the drippings off of the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour drippings into a smaller skillet. Ladle off excess fat. In a separate small bowl take a quarter cup of corn starch and add just enough water to dissolve the corn starch. Beat cornstarch with a spoon to remove lumps. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the drippings, stirring constantly. You may not end up using all of the cornstarch mixture. Only add as much as you need to get the desired thickness. Allow time for the cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Add salt, pepper, sage, thyme, or other seasonings to taste.

HOW TO: COOK A TURKEY IN A TURKEY ROASTER

Steps:

• Remove the rack from the turkey roaster and preheat roaster to 400 degrees.
• Place the rack on a large tray (to catch any liquid) and place the turkey on the rack.
• Stuff the turkey cavity with sliced apples, onion, and celery.
• Separate the skin at the top of the bird from the meat and slide the pats of butter in between the skin and the meat.
• Make the browning sauce mixture by mixing together the melted butter and the browning sauce.
• Using a pastry brush, generously brush the turkey with the browning sauce mixture. (This step can get messy, so be careful!)
• Generously season the turkey with salt, pepper, and the seasoning of your choice.
• Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, avoiding the bone.
• Pick up the rack, and gently place the rack and the turkey in the turkey roaster.
• Pour 1 can of chicken stock into the roaster and close the lid.
• Cook at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and cook until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. (Cooking times will vary depending on turkey size.)
• Once the turkey is cooked, remove it from the roaster using the rack. Tent the turkey with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

ROAST TURKEY IN AN ELECTRIC ROASTER

Steps:

• Mix together 1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick) with the freshly snipped herbs. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but remove from the fridge 1 hour before using so that it is soft enough to spread. (Or you can microwave to soften the herb butter).
• Set the roaster oven (with the lid on) to the highest temperature setting it will go.
• Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavity. (Throw them away or set them aside for gravy.)
• Take paper towels and dry off your turkey.
• Take your hand and loosen the skin over the turkey breast. Rub half of the butter underneath the skin of the breast.
• Rub the other half of the butter over the outside of the bird.
• Sprinkle the outside of the bird with salt and pepper.
• Put 1/4 cup butter in the cavity of the turkey along with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
• Place the turkey in the preheated roaster and cook at the highest temperature for 30 minutes.
• Without opening the lid, turn down the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and roast until the turkey tests done (at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the thigh).
• The exact timing will depend on whether the turkey is stuffed or unstuffed and how large the turkey is. Plan for about 8-10 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.

GRANDMA G'S BAKED THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Remove giblets and neck.
• For those of you who have never cooked a turkey before, check inside the body cavity, and inside the neck chest cavity.
• Rinse turkey and pat dry.
• Mix melted butter and salad dressing.
• Draw up mixture into injector and inject bird in several locations in the brest, thighs and leg.
• Place in roaster pan and add all vegetables inside the body cavity.
• Cut 4, 1/2 inch slices from the butter and insert under the breast skin, and push up as far as it will go.
• Place the remaining stick of butter in the cavity.
• Cover with heavy foil, making sure the foil does not touch the turkey.
• Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes in 450 degree oven.
• If meat thermometer reads 185 degrees, it's time to uncover and baste using all of basting liquid.
• If it has not reached 180 degrees return to oven for additional 30 minutes.
• Check therometer.
• Bake another 45 minutes, until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and cover with foil again and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.