Thanksgiving is often the main event. You don’t have to make the same boring Thanksgiving dinner every year. You don’t have to be afraid of trying new Thanksgiving turkey recipe recipes. This will allow you to create a memorable meal for your whole family on the most important day of the year.
Here’s a list we created of the top Thanksgiving turkey recipes you should try this year. You are sure to find something that grabs you attention and makes you excited about Thanksgiving dinner.
How to cook a turkey?
Although there are many variations to this tradition, the basic idea of how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey is simple. It’s as simple as that. No matter how you cook your turkey, it can be done perfectly in the oven, grill or on a spit. There are three main ways to cook whole turkeys in an oven: brine, roast, 3-2-1 and deep frying.
The 3-2-1 Method
The 3-2-1 method involves completely thawing your turkey and washing it in cold water. Dry it off with paper towels and seasoning it with salt or other spices. Finally, place aluminum foil on the wings and drumsticks and cook the turkey for 3 hours in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. After three hours total turkey cooking time, take the aluminum foil off the drumsticks and wings, flip the turkey breast-side down, baste it with your favorite sauce, or liquid seasoning, then return it to the oven at 350° for an additional 2 hours. Finally, bake it for another hour. After the third hour, turn the turkey breast-side down and remove it from the oven. Turn the turkey so it is breast-side up. Then, cut along the backbone to remove. You can then cut your turkey into pieces and serve it.
The Brine-and-Roast Method
The brine and-roast method involves completely thawing your turkey and placing it in a large, resealable container or bag. Add enough water or ice so that the bird is covered by at least one inch. Season the water with salt and spices of your choice, such as bay leaves and peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and garlic cloves. Place the container or bag in a sealed bag and let it rest for at least 8 hours. The turkey should be taken out of the brine at least 30 minutes prior to roasting. Once it is dry, wipe it with paper towels and then place in a baking pan. Salt and pepper both sides of turkey. Season with any herbs or spices you like. To prevent the wings or drumsticks from burning in the oven. Temperature set at 325°F. After roasting your turkey for three hours without basting, remove the aluminum foil from your wings and drumsticks and flip it over breast-side-up. Next, bake it at 350°F for 2 more hours.
Deep-Frying Method
The deep-frying technique requires that you completely thaw your turkey before washing it in cold water. Dry it off with paper towels, or a dishcloth. Finally, tie the legs together to preserve the interior. Season both sides with salt or other spices. In a deep fryer, heat up 6 cups oil until it is hot enough to brown the turkey. Place the turkey in the deep fryer. Set the timer for 8 minutes. Turn the turkey over and cook for 10 more minutes. Use tongs or other cooking utensils to carefully remove the finished deep-fried turkey. Place it on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving. This will allow the juices to settle and redistribute throughout.
How long does it take to cook a turkey?
The time it takes to cook a turkey depends on its size, how hot the turkey was before you put it in the oven and what kind of turkey cooking method you use. The general rule is to cook the turkey for 15 minutes per pound. Before removing it from oven, use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature. A 10 lb turkey, for example, will take around 14 hours to brine and 8 hours in the brine. It will then need to drain 30 minutes, and cook for approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. A 20-lb turkey, on the other hand, takes around 22 hours to brine. It needs 8 hours in brine, 30 to drain, and 4 hours 40 minutes for cooking.
How do you cook a turkey?
The turkey is considered fully cooked when it reaches the 165°F internal temperature in the thickest portion of the meat. For turkey cooking, the following are the internal turkey temperatures:
- Shoulder meat should be cooked at 160 degrees F
- Dark meat should not be cooked below 170°F
- Because it contains more myoglobin (a protein that aids turkey meat to maintain its rich color), dark turkey meat has an internal temperature higher than light turkey meat.
Depending on the turkey method used, the time it takes to cook a turkey will vary.
- For a 15-pound turkey, the brine and-roastmethod takes 3-4 hours at 325°F.
- A turkey can be deep-fried at 350°F for about 5 minutes per pound
- Roastturkey takes about 2 to 3 hours for 15-pound turkeys at 325°F.
- An oven-roasted turkey of 15 pounds takes 3-4 hours at 325°F.
Depending on where the meat thermometer is inserted, the turkey’s cooking time will vary. The turkey’s innermost portion is located between the breast and thigh muscles. This is where your turkey cooking thermometer should be inserted.
Thanksgiving Day’s Best Turkey Recipes
Many people take Thanksgiving’s delicious turkey dinner for granted. There are many other holiday recipes that you can choose from, such as roast turkey with stuffing or mashed potatoes. These are the top Thanksgiving recipes that you can make to share a wonderful meal with your family and friends.
1. Simple Roasted Turkey recipe
Let’s not make Thanksgiving complicated by making complicated recipes. Instead, we’ll start with a simple roasted turkey recipe you can use with any side dish. We found this great recipe from Tastes better from Scratch. It will show you how to roast a turkey in the oven. This recipe makes 16 servings. It should take less than 4 hours to prepare and cook. You will need a turkey, onions and lemons as well as apples, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme and sage. To make herb butter, you will also need unsalted butter and salt.
2. Seasoned Roast Turkey
This Country Living seasoned roast turkey recipe is a great way to cook turkey. This recipe will make your Thanksgiving turkey even more delicious. You will need a 12 to 14 pound turkey, rosemary, fresh herbs stuffing, olive oils, no-salt Bell’s Seasoning, kosher Salt, carrots, celery and garlic as well as chicken stock and clementines to garnish. This seasoned roast turkey recipe makes 8 servings. It should take no more than three hours and a quarter to prepare. We are sure it will taste amazing and look stunning!
3. Juicy Roast Turkey – Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Natasha’s Kitchen has a great recipe for a tasty and easy Thanksgiving turkey recipe. This recipe will yield a delicious, juicy turkey breast with crispy, brown skin. A 12-pound turkey is required for the roast turkey. Unsalted butter, olive oils, fresh lemon juice and garlic are all necessary for the flavor butter. For turkey stuffing, make sure to prepare onions, garlic and parsley. The secret to this delicious Thanksgiving turkey recipe is the turkey gravy. It can be made from fat and fat-skimmed leftovers from the roasted turkey as well as milk, flour, salt, and some spices. This elaborate recipe is sure to be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dinner.
4. Roast Turkey with Beetroot Puree, Tahini Gravy and Brined – The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
This Delicious Magazine recipe is a great way to make your Thanksgiving turkey extra special. This amazing barbecue roast turkey recipe with beetroot purée and tahini gravy is sure to impress! You will need a 10-11 pound turkey, unsalted Butter, fresh lemonthyme, garlic and bay leaves. Oranges with wedges are also needed. You will need to make the brine by adding fennel, coriander, cinnamon sticks, light brown syrup, salt, bay leaves and garlic cloves. You will need the following ingredients to make the beetroot purée: star anise and cumin seeds, cinnamon, star anise and coriander seed, cooked beetroot and garlic, fresh coriander, fresh coriander, and thick Greek yogurt. It’s a complicated recipe that requires many ingredients. We can guarantee you it will all be worth it when you prepare this delicious turkey recipe. This is one of the most delicious Thanksgiving turkey recipes we have ever seen!
5. Herb-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Breast Recipes
Some people don’t want to cook a whole turkey for Thanksgiving. Many people settle for the turkey breast. It is the best part of the whole bird. Food Network has created a simple Thanksgiving recipe that focuses on turkey breast. This herb-roasted turkey breast recipe goes well with any side dish like mashed potatoes, green beans, or mashed potatoes. This delicious and moist dinner can be prepared with the following ingredients: A bone-in turkey breast, its skin removed, olive oils, garlic cloves fresh thyme, rosemary leaves, salt and ground black pepper.
6. Thanksgiving Turkey Brine Recipe
You can make your Thanksgiving turkey recipe! The Pioneer Woman will share her Thanksgiving Turkey brine recipe with you. It can be used to submerge large turkeys in the brine, then cover and place it in the refrigerator for 16-24 hours. This recipe is so easy to make. Once you have all the ingredients prepared, it takes only 25 minutes to prepare. Then mix everything together in a large bowl. You will need apple juice, apple cider, cold, fresh rosemary leaves and garlic cloves. Kosher salt, brown sugar. Peppercorns. Whole bay leaves.
7. Jamie’s Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Who doesn’t love Jamie Oliver? He is a true culinary genius! He is available to assist you in making the best and most simple Thanksgiving turkey recipe. His recipe is easy to prepare in the oven, and it takes very little effort. For a 13-pound turkey that weighs in at 3 hours, it will cook in just 3 hours, enough time to feed 12 people at Thanksgiving dinner. Unsalted butter, a Clementine, onions and carrots, as well as fresh woody herbs such bay, sage and rosemary are all necessary. Follow Jamie Oliver’s intuitive steps, including how to carve your turkey.
8. Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing Recipe from Grandma
You don’t need bread stuffing when there is Thanksgiving turkey stuffing. This may seem like a strange question, but we are confident that turkey stuffing tastes just as good as traditional bread stuffing. This is especially true for grandma’s Thanksgiving turkey stuffing recipe from Tastes Of Lizzy T . This recipe makes 10 servings and takes approximately 50 minutes to prepare and cook.
