Cooking And Heating Instructions For Turkey, Smoked Turkey, and Turducken

Fresh Turkey Cooking Instructions

The flavor in this roasted turkey comes primarily from the mix of fresh herbs and a bit of butter. We will also give you tips for making a simple traditional pan gravy, a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving feast.

 

1 (12-15 pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed 3 Tbs unsalted butter softened 1 Tbs plus 1 teaspoon salt, divided 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided 6 large sage leaves 6 large flat-leaf parsley sprigs 3 large thyme sprigs 3 fresh or dried bay leaves 1/2 medium onion 1 garlic clove halved 2 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth 1 Preheat oven to 450�. 2 Remove and discard the neck and giblets. Rinse the turkey under cold water; dry. 3 Gently separate the skin from the breast of the turkey with your hands. Rub the unsalted butter evenly over both breasts. Then pat the skin back into place. 4 Season the cavity of the turkey generously with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 5 Place the sage leaves, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, onion, and garlic clove into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs tightly together with a piece of kitchen twine. 6 Season the skin of the turkey on the top and bottom with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then, tuck the wing tips under the breast of the turkey, and place it in a wire rack in a roasting pan along with the chicken broth. 7 Place the turkey on the bottom rack of the preheated oven and roast it for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 325� and continue to roast the turkey for 2 1/2 hours, basting it every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165� when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh of the turkey, away from the bone. Cover the bird loosely with foil. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise while standing. 8 Allow the turkey to rest for 30-40 minutes before transferring to a platter and carving it. Then use the pan juices to make Maria’s easy gravy. 9 Simple Traditional Pan Gravy: Start by pouring the juices from the roasting pan in which the turkey was cooked into a bowl, and skim off the fat. Set the bowl aside. Add 1 cup dry white wine to the roasting pan and bring it to a boil. Stir the wine to release the caramelized bits from the pan. Reduce the wine until the pan is almost dry, then add the skimmed juices back to the pan. If the juices are scant, supplement them with fat-free low-sodium chicken broth, as needed. Bring the mixture to a boil and then strain it into a saucepan; keep hot and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk, 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour into 1 cup water (there should be enough of the flour mixture to thicken 8 cups of gravy). Using a whisk, stir 1 cup of hot stock into the flour mixture until it is smooth. Add the thickened stock back into the remaining juices and whisk the mixture together while bringing it to a boil. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a gravy boat, and serve.

How to Reheat a TBS Whole-Smoked Turkey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place your turkey in a shallow roasting pan with about 1 cup of chicken broth or apple juice.

Brush a little olive over the skin to keep it pretty. Then, cover it tightly with aluminum foil and stick it in the oven.

For a small turkey, 12-14 lbs, you need to give it about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, a large one needs 2 to 2 1/2 hours to heat.

Bake for approximately 60 minutes, baste with pan juices, recover with foil and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150F. Internal temperature only needs to get to about 150 degrees, since it’s already cooked. Carve and enjoy!

By the way, here’s the best carving method I’ve found, as shown by the master:

Once you’ve reheated the turkey, I’d advise carving all of the remaining meat off the bone and storing in air-tight containers, or freezing immediately.

How To Cook Your Turducken

Place your bird breast up on a roasting rack with the net in place- this will keep the bird in one piece for presentation later. Baste with butter and season the outside as desired.

How to heat a TBS Bone-in Ham or Smoked Turkey

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place met on a roasting rack in a large pan. Fill pan 1/4 of the way with liquid, water, apple cider, or flavored broth.

Cover meat tightly with a tent of foil and heat for approximately 15 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer placed 1″ away from and parallel to the bone reads 160 degrees. let the meat rest on the counter for ten minutes and re-check the meat- it should read 165 degrees to ensure safety standard temperature is reached.

During the last half hour of cooking, take the foil tent off and glaze the meat as desired.

*For turkey, check the temperature alongside the thigh bone, and again in the breast, but not touching any bone. Bring to 160 degrees, let it rest, and recheck, ensuring the temperature is 165 before serving.

(Please make sure your thermometer is calibrated before temping any meat. It should read 212 degrees when plunged into boiling water and 32 degrees when plunged into ice water.)