It is November and I can officially start thinking about the holidays. Thanksgiving will be here soon and with that some wonderful foods. This month I will be sharing recipes for Thanksgiving lunch or dinner. Today I want to talk turkey. There are many ways to cook your turkey and all can turn out wonderful. Here are some tips when choosing and cooking your turkey for the big day.
- Turkey Size
o The size of turkey you want will depend on how many people you want to serve. Don’t forget to think about the leftovers you will want.
o You will want about 1 pound for each person. A chart on this website says a 10-12 lb turkey will feed 10-12 people without leftovers and 6-8 with leftovers.
- Seasoning
o There are multiple ways you could season a turkey. I have had them both injected and done with herbs, spices and a butter mix. I don’t think you can go wrong.
o Traditional flavors would be rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, and onion.
o Injecting can be super easy, all you have to do is attach the injection needle and follow the directions. This gives great flavor all through the bird and gives it some extra juiciness.
- Cooking
o It should be fully thawed, if it was frozen when you purchased it should sit in the refrigerator for one day for every four pounds.
o Cook at 325°F for 13-15 minutes per pound. You want to pull the turkey out when it reaches 145°-150°F. The heat will carry over and reach 165°F by time you eat.
o Let it rest. Don’t start cutting in to it yet the juices and meat need to rest.
- Carving
o It is hard to write how to carve a turkey so here is a great video. You can find many videos out there if this is your first time. The most important thing in my opinion is to remove the legs and wings first so they are out of the way. And you can hide a leg for yourself ;)
Some other great resources:
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