Fun fact - my grandfather was a turkey farmer! The first time I made turkey, I cooked it upside down. A learned process for sure, but the end result is great! I make turkey and stuffing for friendsgiving every November. I make the turkey the night beforehand and also prep the Cornbread Stuffing the night ahead of time, but don't bake it. I drizzled about a 1/4 cup chicken broth over it right before I baked it to make sure it wasn't too dry. Turkey and stuffing are always a hit!
Ingredients:
15 pound turkey
Italian Spice Blend: salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, basil, oregano, chili powder
1/4 cup olive oil
Preparation:
1. Remove the giblets, take the neck out of the chest cavity, rinse it with water.
2. Place turkey, unstuffed, on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with olive oil and put enough water in the bottom of the pan to where it was just under the rack. Sprinkle turkey and water with spice blend. Cover with lid.
3. Bake turkey at 325 degrees for just under 3 hours for a 15 pound turkey. Cook until internal temp of 170 degrees.
4. Take turkey out of the pan and slice it up. Use a disposable foil pan and pour in the juices from the roasting pan through a strainer to drain out the fat. Soak the cooked turkey in the juices. There should be enough juice in the pan to cover all the turkey.
5. Soak the turkey in the juices in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Place the foil pan on the metal cookie sheet to prevent any leaking. Reheat the foil pan in the juices in the oven for an hour at 325 degrees. It works well for serving a lot of people, as the warm juices keep the turkey warm sitting on the counter for serving. I baked the stuffing separately so it would be fresh right before serving.
Ingredients:
15 pound turkey
Italian Spice Blend: salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, basil, oregano, chili powder
1/4 cup olive oil
Preparation:
1. Remove the giblets, take the neck out of the chest cavity, rinse it with water.
2. Place turkey, unstuffed, on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with olive oil and put enough water in the bottom of the pan to where it was just under the rack. Sprinkle turkey and water with spice blend. Cover with lid.
3. Bake turkey at 325 degrees for just under 3 hours for a 15 pound turkey. Cook until internal temp of 170 degrees.
4. Take turkey out of the pan and slice it up. Use a disposable foil pan and pour in the juices from the roasting pan through a strainer to drain out the fat. Soak the cooked turkey in the juices. There should be enough juice in the pan to cover all the turkey.
5. Soak the turkey in the juices in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Place the foil pan on the metal cookie sheet to prevent any leaking. Reheat the foil pan in the juices in the oven for an hour at 325 degrees. It works well for serving a lot of people, as the warm juices keep the turkey warm sitting on the counter for serving. I baked the stuffing separately so it would be fresh right before serving.