Best way to roast a small turkey in oven?

[bbqgeekess]

Not going to BBQ tomorrow, but just seeking some advice as to the best way to roast a turkey tomorrow in the oven. Temps, how long cover vs uncovered. Going to use a covered enameled steel roasting pan.

Do I roast to start uncovered ? Or will it get brown if I roast it covered from the start? Is warped a little , thin steel, so there should be some airflow at all times through it I imagine.

What temp should I roast it at and to what internal temp?

Thanks a bunch and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Maylar]

Mom always said 20 minutes per pound at 325 unstuffed, 25 min per pound stuffed. Covered. Uncover for the last half hour. For years now I have been roasting them in a Reynolds roasting bag and I won't do them any other way. Cooks faster and it's impossible to dry out the bird.

 

[Tbro]

X2 on the roasting bag.

 

[WilliamKY]

X3 on roasting bag.

 

[bbqgeekess]

Well I didn't have the roasting bag so I just went with the pan and some foil instead of the lid. Just out of curiosity, what does that plastic bag do? Surprised it can stand up to the heat being plastic. Does it leech any plastic into the food? How does it function? What's magical about it? Is it better than people using say a brown paper bag? I might try it next year.

 

[Maylar]

If you use the roasting pan be sure to have a wire rack under the bird to keep it off the bottom.

Don't know what the bags are made of but they certainly don't get soft or leech anything into the cook. I liken them to having a covered crock pot. Moisture stays in and the steam helps keep the meat moist. Bake time is also significantly reduced.

 

[Aggie12]

Mom always said 20 minutes per pound at 325 unstuffed, 25 min per pound stuffed. Covered. Uncover for the last half hour. For years now I have been roasting them in a Reynolds roasting bag and I won't do them any other way. Cooks faster and it's impossible to dry out the bird.

Trust me, it is possible to dry one out in the bag... especially if you cook it until the included "thermometer" pops out. Every turkey I ever had growing up was dry, bordering on inedible. I always wondered what all the hoopla was about turkey until I cooked my own the first time.

 

[bbqgeekess]

I pull the plastic thermometer out when I get the turkey. I check with my thermopop 165F in breast.

 

[ttkt57]

1. Remove turkey from freezer and put it in fridge on Saturday.

2. Thursday morning remove turkey from fridge, clean out cavity, pat dry, and place it on a greased rack in a shallow pan.

3. Fill two sandwich bags with ice, clip them together, and place them on the breast like saddle bags. Position the bags so that the ice doesn't touch the drumsticks.

4. Rest the turkey on the counter top with ice bags in place for two hours.

5. Remove the ice bags and season the turkey with butter, olive oil, herbs, salt, pepper, etc.

6. Put the turkey in the preheated oven at 425°F for one hour with temp probes in the breast and thigh.

7. Open the oven to let the hot air out and turn the heat down to 325°F.

8. Cook at 325°F (no basting!) until the breast reaches at least 157°F and the thigh reaches at least 170°F.

(Total cook time usually takes between 2 and 3 hours depending on fridge temp and turkey weight.)

9. Remove the turkey from the oven and rest it uncovered for one hour.

10. Carve and enjoy!

 

[jimstocks53]

Well I didn't have the roasting bag so I just went with the pan and some foil instead of the lid. Just out of curiosity, what does that plastic bag do? Surprised it can stand up to the heat being plastic. Does it leech any plastic into the food? How does it function? What's magical about it? Is it better than people using say a brown paper bag? I might try it next year.

1. Partially seal in the steam/heat though slits are cut into the bag
2. Yes
3. No
4. See answer no. 1
5. Not a thing
6. No, though one needs to oil the paper sack to keep it from disintegrating.

In the era of Julia Child there was another TV chef David Wade. He popularized cooking a 'Turkey in a Sack' using his own eponymous Worcestershire Powder. The spice is still available. Here in East Texas the Tyler Paper for years republished his recipe before every Thanksgiving.

The only downside to using a sack or bag is that for food safety reasons the bird should probably not be stuffed to avoid cooking the bird but not the stuffing.