Best Awesome High Heat Holiday Turkey Recipes

HIGH-HEAT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Move oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 450°F. Fold wings across back of turkey so tips are touching. Rub both cavities lightly with salt and pepper. Tuck legs under band of skin at tail, or tie together with heavy string, then tie to tail.
• On rack in shallow roasting pan, place turkey breast side up. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone. (Do not add water or cover turkey.) If possible, place turkey in oven with legs to the back of the oven so they are in the hottest part of oven.
• Roast uncovered 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes, watching carefully. After roasting about 1 hour 30 minutes, wearing oven mitts that cover hands and wrists, place tent of foil loosely over turkey when it begins to turn golden.
• Turkey is done when thermometer reads 165°F and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. If meat thermometer is not used, begin testing for doneness after about 2 hours 15 minutes. When turkey is done, place on warm platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Let stand about 15 minutes for easiest carving.

HIDDEN VALLEY ® HOLIDAY TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a small bowl, mix the butter together with one of the packets of seasoning mix until well blended.
• With clean hands, carefully separate the breast skin from the breast by moving your hand underneath the skin. Spread the butter mixture evenly under the skin. Sprinkle the remaining packet of seasoning mix all over the turkey.
• Roast the turkey covered for 3 hours, then uncover and cook for another 30 minutes or until juices run clear and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached.

SAFEWAY'S TWO HOUR TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove and discard truss that holds turkey legs together. Pull or trim off and discard any excess fat in neck or body cavity. Remove giblets and neck.
• Rinse turkey inside and out with warm water. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Place the adjustable V-shaped rack in a 13 x 16 x 3-inch roasting pan (set rack sides so the bird is a minimum of 2 inches from pan bottom).
• Rub turkey skin generously all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set bird breast-side-up on rack. Pull wings away from body, then firmly twist them to push the wing tips under the bird.
• Using aluminum foil, form caps over the tips of the end of each drumstick. If any parts of the turkey extend beyond pan rim, fashion a foil collar underneath to make sure drippings flow back into pan. Do not tie legs together, add stuffing, or close body cavity.
• Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer near the center of the breast through thickest part until the tip touches bone, which is most accurate spot to check doneness.
• Verify oven temperature and set pan on the lowest rack in a 475° oven. Roast according to time chart:.
• 10-13 lb. 50min to 1 1/4 hrs.
• 13-16 lb., 1 1/4 hrs to 1 hr 50 mins.
• 16-19 lb., 1 1/4 hrs to 2 hrs.
• 19-22 lb., 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs.
• 22-24 lb., 1 1/2 hrs to 2 1/2 hrs.
• Continue to check as directed during cooking, until thermometer reaches 160°. Halfway through roasting time, rotate pan in oven to assure even cooking and browning (Tip C). If areas on turkey breast start to get browner than you like, lay a piece of foil over the dark areas.
• Remove pan from oven, set in a warm spot, and loosely cover pan with foil to keep it warm. Rearrange oven racks to accommodate potatoes and dressing. Decrease oven temperature to 400º. Let turkey rest 30 to 60 minutes. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to reach 165°, the USDA safe cooking temperature for poultry.
• Drain juices from body cavity (often plentiful in unstuffed birds) into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter or rimmed cutting board. Set aside juices for gravy.
• Cut off turkey legs at thigh joint . If joint is red or pink, return legs to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes (at 300° to 475°) or heat in a microwave oven for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Carve the rest of the turkey. Carving juices may be clear to pink or rosy; both are fine. Save juices to pour into gravy if desired.
• Time Saving Tip. If you have a frozen turkey, place it in the refrigerator to thaw 4-6 days before Thanksgiving. Take it out an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
• Helpful Hints.If there is any smoke, check pan and wings for drips into oven; adjust foil under wings, or slide roasting pan onto a larger shallow rimmed pan. Wipe drips from oven bottom.

OVERNIGHT HIGH-HEAT TURKEY

Steps:

• About an hour before you go to bed, preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Wash turkey thoroughly and empty the neck and carcass cavities.
• Do NOT stuff the bird (that's not negotiable).
• Rub outside of turkey with olive oil.
• Place bird in roaster and pour water over.
• Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake at 500 for one hour.
• DO NOT TAKE LID OFF AT ANY TIME!
• After one hour, turn down oven to its lowest setting (without actually turning it off).
• Leave bird in oven, lid on and go to bed.
• Wake up to a bird that is tender, juicy, brown and ready.

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
• Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
• The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
• Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
• Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

AWESOME HIGH HEAT HOLIDAY TURKEY

Steps:

• Dry a 16 to 18 lb. turkey inside and out with paper towels.
• Oil the turkey inside and out with any kind of vegetable oil (olive, canola, etc.) using your hands.
• Cut away any excess skin around the opening of the cavity and wedge a fork inside the cavity to open it further. Leave the fork in to keep cavity open.
• Rub spices, herbs, or just pepper all over the bird with your oily fingers.
• Place the turkey, breast side down on a rack in a large metal roasting pan.
• Cover the top of the turkey, including legs and wings with greased foil.
• Pour ¾-inch of chicken or turkey broth in the bottom of the pan. As the turkey cooks, check the liquid every 45 minutes and add more in case it evaporates.
• Cook the turkey at 500° to 525° for 2 hours.
• Remove foil, stuff the turkey with cooked stuffing and return it to the rack breast side up.
• Cook the turkey 30 to 45 minutes longer until an instant-read thermometer stuck deep in the thigh reads 175°.
• Let the turkey rest at least 20 minutes, this allows the meat to reabsorb its juices.