Turkey 101: Prepare the Perfect Bird with This Easy Recipe
It’s a countdown to Thanksgiving. Listen to me; this is the week to prepare. Next week is the time to cook. Don’t waste to the last minute because some of your favorite items might be gone and not restocked when you visit the grocery store.
Yesterday, I gave you some insight into picking the right size turkey with my Mother’s age-old calculation. Click here for the calculation.
Most of us get frozen turkeys. If you get a fresh turkey, you are good to go. In preparation to bake your turkey, please pay attention to this part. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Follow the instructions to defrost your frozen turkey. I’ve known many people that think they can defrost the turkey the morning of Thanksgiving. NOT THE CASE.
Butterball has a wealth of information on everything “turkey.” Their instructions on defrosting are easy to follow. “Safely thawing your frozen turkey is one of the important steps in your meal prep. Refrigerator thawing is preferred and the least labor-intensive but requires more time. Coldwater thawing takes less time but requires more attention.” Click here for the “how long to thaw” calculator.
Please take my advice, go with the refrigerator thawing method. The cold water method takes so much time. Another tip is to put the frozen turkey in a pan or bowl while it defrosts in the refrigerator.
Here is my baked turkey recipe that I have been using since 1994. My Mother’s recipe is similar.
Mr. Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
Defrosted Turkey
24 ounce of bacon
Half a bag of Red Apples that are diced
Tub of Butter
Olive Oil
Mrs. Dash
Turkey Cooking Bag
Two Tin Foil Pan (one for thawing and one for baking)
Directions:
- Please wash your hand thoroughly between every step
- Be sure you remove all cavity contents (See Video Below)
1 – Clean and rinse Mr. Turkey with cool tap water (See Video Below)
2 – Pat Mr. Turkey dry
3 – Take a scoop of soft butter and rub the butter into the skin of Mr. Turkey. Turn on slow music; it sets the mood. LOL
4 – Take another scoop of soft butter and rub the butter into the cavity of Mr. Turkey
[Now is a good time to preheat the oven]
5 – Now, it’s time to fill the cavity of Mr. Turkey. You will do this in layers of bacon and diced apples. Start with a layer of bacon, add a layer of diced apples, and repeat it until the cavity is filled.
6 - Take some olive oil and pat it all over Mr. Turkey
7 – Now sprinkle Mrs. Dash seasoning all over the top, sides, and back of Mr. Turkey. Also, add in your favorite seasonings too. Like, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, etc.
8 – Slide Mr. Turkey in the turkey baking bag and into the tin foil pan.
9 – Bake Mr. Turkey according to its weight.
10 – Every 20 to 30 minutes, I use a baster, take the juice and pour it back over the turkey.
11 – When Mr. Turkey is done, let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before pulling it out of the turkey cooking bag.
12 – Plate Mr. Turkey and snap those selfies!
Here is a great video on how to clean your Turkey before baking
How long to bake the turkey! That’s another calculation. Make it easy on yourself, head over to Butterball. Click here for the “how long to cook” calculator.
(Source) For more from Butterball, click here. For the Butterball online calculators, click here.