We’re pulling this dish out of the archives because it really is the ultimate roast turkey recipe and should not simply be linked to. It needed to come back into the limelight and take its rightful place at the center of our holiday menu once again. Enjoy!
Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you the king of the American Holiday table, the centerpiece of nearly every family gathering in the United States for the months of November and December, the prince of poultry, the roast turkey. As promised, I’m kicking off the Holidays with a focus on the foods of the season, and there’s simply no better place to start than with with this, the noblest of all domestic foul.
The turkey is either the most awaited or most dreaded addition to a holiday meal. Most awaited if the bird is moist, succulent and juicy, and most maligned when dry, overcooked and in desperate need of a slathering of gravy just to make the remains of the once proud bird palatable. the latter almost never happens to me, and I’m going to give forth the secret of the perfect bird, which I assure you, this was.
There are literally thousands of roast turkey, Christmas turkey and Thanksgiving turkey recipes on the Internet, and the methods for achieving the “perfect” bird vary wildly from one recipe to another. Most call for basting the bird constantly throughout the cooking process. If it makes you happy, I suppose you can go ahead, but you’re not going to end up with the results you were looking for. To make the truly prefect turkey you must keep the mantra of poultry perfection on your lips at all times…
“I will not baste. I will not open the oven door. The turkey is fine.”
Sound silly? I know my mother and grandmother would have thought so. Both women basted their birds religiously, and both made some pretty fine turkeys. Over the years I’ve discovered that basting does not make for a better bird. Patience does.
One caveat. If you’ve bought yourself a butterball turkey, this method will not work for you. The skin of a butterball turkey has been pierced, and therefore basting is necessary. For any other poultry in the world, it is NOT, and should not be done. The second part of the mantra is this…
“I will not stuff the turkey…”
Stuffing the bird increases cooking times drastically while robbing you of the perfect opportunity to add flavor to the bird. I adore turkey flavored dressing but if you’ve got a good bird you should have more than enough turkey drippings to make not only a wonderful dressing, but a good amount of gravy as well. (But I digress, those are different entries.)
This method is simplicity in itself, a rub, a trip into the oven and one action that you need to take in the middle, a little patience at the end and viola! You’ll thank me for this, I promise.
The perfect, hassle-free recipe for moist, tender roast turkey, every single time.
- 1 turkey of appropriate size for your gathering or leftover preferences, with giblets and neck. (The turkey pictured weighed 21 pounds.) Not a Butterball or other treated bird!
- 1 medium onion, halved and quartered
- 1 head garlic, cut in half across the cloves
- 1 lemon, halved and quartered
- 1 orange, halved and quartered
- The rub recipe is given in parts because the amount necessary will vary on the size of the turkey to be cooked. Adjust as needed for your application. You may, if you like, make this in advance and store indefinitely in an airtight container.
- 1 part curry powder
- 2 parts powdered dry sage
- 4 parts salt
- 1 part pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 400°F. (210°C)
Combine curry powder, sage, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Rinse turkey well and pat dry. Reserve neck, giblets and tail (If like mine, it was cut most of the way off in processing.) Turn wingtips under body of bird and place in roasting pan, breast side up.
Rub spice mixture over entire surface of bird and in cavities. Place onions, oranges, lemons and garlic in body cavities. Truss legs if desired, arrange any loose skin so that it is tucked under the body of the bird.
Insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the turkey, where the breast and thigh meet. Be certain probe is not touching bone.
Place turkey in oven and cook for one hour. Cover loosely with foil and reduce heat to 350°F (180°C). Cook until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 160°F (71°C), remove foil tent and cook 20 minutes longer.
Remove from oven, transfer to platter or board, reserving all pan drippings, cover with foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
If using a Butterball or other turkey that has had the skin pierced, add a Tbsp of flour to a Tbsp. of butter and be sure to seal the punctures in the skin, or the turkey will be dry!
Plating:
I firmly believe that a turkey should be presented whole at the table. Anything less just seems to take something away from the bird and the work that you’ve put in to it. Place it on a bed of greens (I used curly leafed lettuce) and garnish with fresh fruits or veggies. It’s all the presentation you need.
*Note. the bird may sit at rest indefinitely, even until cooled, without losing any of it’s juiciness as long as the skin is never pierced. to reheat, simply place in a 225°F (107°C) oven for 30-45 minutes.
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
Not a bloody thing.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
That is one beautiful turkey! Puts me right in the Thanksgiving frame of mind.
It was just as good to eat as it was to look at, too!
That turkey looks great. Thanks for the recipe. These Pumpkin Pie Bars at http://lovemyphilly.blogspot.com/ would be a great dessert with it. You can check out the recipe for them there.
The Turkey was absolutely picture perfect. The best Turkey I have ever eaten. Thanks for letting me share it with you Jerry, and thanks for restoring my faith in turkey!!!!
Naomia,
I’m glad I could help with that faith issue, Hon. But how could you doubt after you’d tried my collards?
Hey Big Brother,
You know that I’m not a gib curry fan, but you did one heck of a job on the Turkey. Way to go there… Next time, we’ll have to try de-bone-ing it. You’ll think time-daver. That way too, I can teach you about rolled turkey and stuffing. AML…N-
Oooooh, yum! Love curry!
This is by far, the BEST turkey I have EVER had!! Tender and succulent, melted in my mouth! And the gravy that came out of it was simply magnificent!! I’ll never do turkey any other way again! Thanks!
I’m always a little hesitant at the thought of cooking a whole turkey. I’ve tried brining and all different forms of rubs and stuff – to no avail. The few birds I’ve cooked have looked amazing – but I gotta be honest. They haven’t tasted good.
I think it would make sense to try this on a day that’s NOT a holiday when I don’t have a bunch of people coming over for the big annual feast. I have enough recipes for turkey leftovers to use everything up with just me and my hubby.
Honestly, it’s like getting back up on a horse after you’ve been thrown. It’s the only way.
Hmmm, I was just thinking about turkey recipes for my Thanksgiving dinner in Mexico. I think I found the perfect one.
Cheers buddy!
So, does this mean I don’t have to brine my turkey? If this is the case, then hallelujah!! I’ve found the perfect roast turkey recipe.
Actually, I don’t even LIKE brined turkey. It changes the texture. For this one you just cook.
Thanks Jerry!! I had a turkey in my freezer since forever all because of that dreaded brining, lol.
My pleasure! Definitely do try adding the curry powder. It ads something special.
Do you not add butter/liquid at all?
Nope. No butter, no liquid, no basting. The turkey does all the work
I roasted a 22 lb turkey using this method and it was the best turkey I have ever cooked. I have been frying turkeys for the last 10 years or so. I was just so tired of the mess. The cost of the oil and having to get rid of it is a pain.
Thanks for getting my turkey back in the oven where it belongs!
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