How To Roast a Moist Thanksgiving Turkey

Today I am sharing my tips for how to roast a moist Thanksgiving Turkey and my favorite Thanksgiving menu with options for every course of the meal.

Not much has changed when it comes to how I roast my Thanksgiving turkey and the side dishes I serve.

I am still roasting my turkey the same way I've been cooking it for over 30 years.

I am also still serving the same Thanksgiving appetizers, side dishes, and dessert recipes I have been making for years.

Sometimes I through in a few new recipes to try. Other times I just make the Thanksgiving recipes my family loves every year.

First Time Roasting a Turkey

If this is the first year you will be roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving you might want to see how I do it. I have been making a prefect Thanksgiving turkey year after year for over 30 years.

First you need to figure out how big of a turkey you will need to buy. Butterball has a very easy to use calculator that will help you figure out what size turkey you need and how long you will need to roast a turkey by the weight of the bird.

What you will need to roast a turkey

• Roasting Pan: You will need a roasting pan large enough for your turkey. Measure the width and length of the turkey you will be roasting if you need to. You will need a roasting pan that has plenty of room for the turkey to not touch the sides and so there is room for the drippings that will accumulate as the turkey is roasting. If you use too small of a pan the dripping may overflow. This can be dangerous because the dripping can catch on fire and will fill the oven and house with smoke as it burns on the hot oven bottom. And this huge greasy mess is a pain to clean out of the oven.
• Basting: 3 sticks of softened margarine or butter, none of the tub stuff for this job. In this case I prefer Fleishmann's margarine.
• Aluminum foil. If you are roasting a twenty pound or larger turkey buy a long large roll instead of the smaller roll.
• Instant meat thermometer: I have been using one for many years. It is important to check the temperature deep within the turkey. You can not tell if the turkey is cooked through the center by looking at the outside of the turkey.

How To Roast The Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner Turkey

1. Opening the turkey packaging: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Scrub and rinse the sink well before beginning. Place the thawed turkey in the clean sink and remove the plastic outer wrapping. Carefully cut the plastic with a scissor at the leg end without damaging the skin of the turkey.
2. Rinse the turkey: Clean the outside and both cavities of the turkey. Remove the bag of gizzards and the neck bone. Reserve both if you plan on using them to make gravy. (I don't use them for gravy). Rinse both cavities out with cold running water. Reach inside the neck cavity and remove any pieces of gizzards that might be in there. You may also find the little nubs of feathers still in the skin. Grab onto them and tug. They will come right out. Drain the turkey in the sink.
3. Place in roasting pan: Put your turkey in your roasting pan, breast side up. Pat the skin dry with paper towels.
4. Basting: Place one whole stick of margarine or butter into the cavity of the turkey. Use two more sticks of margarine or butter to coat the outside skin of the turkey. Tuck some of the margarine or butter under the skin at the tail end of the bird.
5. Wrapping the pan: Cut off two 3 inch wide strips of aluminum foil. Cut each piece in half. Wrap the tips of the wings and drumsticks in the aluminum. Now cut off a long sheet of aluminum that will cover the turkey completely with enough overhang to tightly wrap around and crimp over the edges of the pan. Depending on the size of the turkey and the pan you might need to cover the pan horizontally with 2 or more pieces of aluminum. Repeat until the entire turkey and pan are covered tightly. Cover the entire roasting pan with aluminum foil. Creating a tight seal. You will not need to baste your turkey at all during the cooking. This method will also decrease the cooking time.
6. Roasting the turkey: Roast the turkey at 350° F. following the time on the turkey packaging for the size bird you have. A 20 pound turkey will cook in about 4 ½ hours using this method.
7. Browning the turkey skin: After about ¾ of the roasting time has passed carefully remove the aluminum foil covering the turkey and set it aside to recover the turkey when it comes out of the oven. Slide the turkey back into the oven uncovered to brown the turkey for the remaining roasting time until the turkey is done. Occasionally baste the turkey with the pan drippings.
8. Check the internal temperature: Begin checking the internal temperature of the turkey with a meat thermometer when there is about 30 minutes left to the roasting time. Insert it in the thickest area of the turkey thigh. Poultry is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 180° F. in the thickest part of the thigh or 170° F. degrees in the thickest part of the breast.
9. When the turkey is done: When the turkey is done roasting carefully remove it from the oven. Allow the roasted turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Pour the pan drippings in to a sauce pot to make homemade turkey gravy.
10. Transfer the roasted turkey to a platter or carve the bird in the roasting pan.

Notes

• My turkey is always moist and tender. Sometimes the turkey is so moist that the meat literally falls from the bones when you try to lift a large turkey from the roasting pan. You may not end up with a perfectly plated bird.
• If you like to plate a whole golden brown roasted turkey on a serving platter and carve it at the table this might not be the best method for you, especially if you are roasting a large turkey.
• If you don't mind carving the turkey meat and serving the sliced turkey meat on a platter this method will perfect for you.

I gave up trying to serve my turkey on the dining room table once my family had grown so large that the turkey and platter took up too much room on the dining table. I cook a large 20 pound or larger turkey for Thanksgiving. My family is very large. If you cook a smaller bird you may not have any trouble lifting the cooked turkey from your roasting pan.

FAQ

My Thanksgiving Day Menu Plan 

Roasted turkey and a baked ham are the stars of our holiday menu.

With a big family we usually make a Baked Ham and a large turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

Mashed Potatoes are the number one Thanksgiving dinner side dish. I've been making my Crock Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes instead of plain mashed potatoes for years.

A new addition to my Thanksgiving dinner menu for the past few years homemade mac and cheese is always a hit with the kids.

I've switched from making crock pot corn on the cob to making Instant Pot Corn on The Cob. Cooking in the Instant Pot is so much faster.

This is my moms homemade Bread Stuffing recipe she made every Thanksgiving.

My Crock Pot Candied Sweet Potatoes is a family favorite and one of my most visited recipes during the holiday.

You can also make southern style sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot.

This kabocha squash recipe is a new favorite of mine. Tastes very similar to sweet potatoes but has less calories and carbs than the root vegetable.

• Turkey Gravy: I always make homemade turkey gravy from the turkey pan drippings.

Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't be complete without homemade Sweet Dinner Rolls. If you have the time to make them you should.

Cranberry Sauce you either love it or hate it. We ate canned jellied cranberry sauce for years. This is what I grew up with but I also love making Cranberry Compote.

Crock Pot Green Beans are made with fresh green beans and flavored with bacon.

Thanksgiving Day Appetizers 

This is the best Tangy Deviled Eggs recipe you will ever make. I include my tips for getting the smoothest deviled eggs filling.

If you love spicy hot dips this Crock Pot Jalapeno Popper Dip is for you. It is always a hit of the party and so easy to make.

I love how easy it is to make Crock Pot Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

Cheese Platter: Cheese Platters are the easiest holiday appetizer tray to make.

Thanksgiving Day Dessert Recipes

Is Cranberry Bread a dessert? Not when you make this Best Cranberry Bread recipe. You just can't wait for dinner to be over to eat some. One bite and you're your hooked. You won't be able to stop eating it.

Million Dollar Pie is an old-fashioned holiday dessert pie recipe the family will love.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake is the best cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner dessert. Thick rich and creamy New York Style Cheesecake will be the hit of dessert.

Best Pumpkin Pie recipe: I have a secret ingredient that makes my Pumpkin Pie recipe the best Pumpkin Pie recipe you will ever make.

Old Fashioned Watergate Salad (is it a dessert or a side dish?) 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Print the recipe below