Slow-roasting keeps the bird juicy and tender.
Slow-roasting your Thanksgiving turkey will bring more than smiles to the faces of your dinner guests. It also will bring rave reviews for many years. Roasting a turkey at a low temperature overnight will lead to a moist, tender and juicy bird that will impress even the pickiest of family members. To roast your turkey overnight, follow a proven recipe featured in the popular 1960s cookbook "Let's Cook it Right" by Adelle Davis. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Rinse the turkey in cold water and pat it dry using paper towels. Use disposable paper towels to eliminate the chance that you will cross-contaminate anything in your kitchen by setting a dirty towel down anywhere.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and begin prepping the bird about 24 hours before your dinner. If you want to stuff your turkey, place the stuffing into the turkey's cavity. Melt butter in the microwave and brush or rub it all over the surface of the turkey. Butter helps the turkey retain its juices so that it will remain moist during cooking.
3. Place the turkey breast-down (upside-down) in a roasting pan, and place the pan into the oven. Cook one hour at 350 degrees F. Cooking the turkey upside-down eliminates the need for basting, kills any bacteria that might still be living on the surface of the bird and prevents foodborne illness.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 185 degrees F. Roast the turkey at this temperature overnight.
5. Check the temperature of the turkey on Thanksgiving morning. Temperature in the breast should be 185 degrees, and the stuffing 165 degrees. If you have achieved these temperatures, continue without change until about 30 minutes before dinner. At that time, remove the turkey from the oven, carve and serve. If the turkey has not yet reached 185 degrees, dial up the heat in the oven to 225 degrees F to expedite cooking. Cook until the turkey's temperature reads 185 in the breast meat. If it reaches 185 degrees before you're ready to serve it, dial the oven back down to 185 degrees. The turkey can stay in the 185-degree oven for as long as needed.
6. Carve the turkey by turning it back over onto its backside. Remove the skin to reduce the amount of fat you consume while eating the bird.
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