Easy No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey

Are you ready to cook this Easy No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey? I remember the first time I cooked a Turkey I was fairly nervous. But honestly, I don't know what all the "fuss" is about! Cooking a turkey is a fairly simple process and I hope this recipe will help make your Thanksgiving less stressful!

The History

As with all the other traditional Thanksgiving food items I've researched thus far, Turkey was not a permanent feature at every holiday table across the country well until the 19th century.

Despite the fact that the Turkey is a specifically North American bird, the original Thanksgiving feast in the 17th Century more likely featured venison and game such as duck and geese.

As we now know, Thanksgiving wasn't declared a national holiday until the 19th Century by President Abraham Lincoln. There are a few possible reasons why Turkey became the favored meal of the holiday around that point in time.

While most farms in the 19th Century had multiple animals available for slaughter, Turkeys were raised mainly for the purpose of providing a source of meat as opposed to Chickens and Cows that also served the secondary purpose of providing eggs and milk.

This made the famous bird an obvious choice for a meal that is the largest eating day in the country. As a more affordable option than other forms of meat and one that can feed a large number of people it is a great choice for a holiday where extended family sits and eats together.

Plus, any leftovers (and we all know there will be some) can easily be refurbished into sandwiches, casseroles, pot pies, soups and so on.

Cooking The Easy No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey

What Size Should My Turkey Be ?

The first step is picking the right sized turkey. On average, 1 pound of meat serves 1 person, unless you want leftovers. In that case you can go up to 1 ½ pounds per person. Depending on how many people you're hosting, you may want to cook just a Turkey Breast as opposed to the entire bird. The recipe and instructions would be the same regardless.

As a general rule, here is a guide to the size turkey you will need for your expected guests:

• 10lb -12lb for 8 people
• 12lb - 14lb for 10 people
• 14lb -16lb for 12 people

For less than 8 people I would suggest a Turkey Breast or a 10 lb bird minimum, as anything smaller will have too many bones and not enough meat.

For more than 12 people I would suggest 2 birds rather that anything bigger than 16 lbs. as handling a bird larger than that can be tricky.

What Is Brining ?

This step is very important in order for your Turkey to be juicy. Most Turkeys now a days usually come pre brined and prepped. In the case that yours isn't be sure to soak it in saltwater for a minimum of four hours but preferably the night before.

Should You Stuff The Turkey ?

Placing your stuffing directly inside the cavity of your turkey is a huge risk as far as bacteria and salmonella are concerned. This is due to the raw meat and the eggs in the stuffing.

To counter this, I make the stuffing separately and place it in the cavity at the time of serving, for presentations sake.

Add some onions, carrots and celery at the bottom of the roasting pan to add to the flavor of the turkey and my gravy. I place an onion, garlic bulb, lemon and some herbs inside the cavity of the turkey for the same reason. I later discard all these vegetables and herbs, but they add tons of flavor and I highly recommend it!

Seasoning The Turkey

Season the turkey well, both under the skin and on top of the skin. I use paprika in addition to salt and pepper as I love the smoky taste as well as the color it adds to the roast.

Basting The Turkey

This step is essential to make sure the skin doesn't get too dry and crackly. It also helps the roast brown more evenly. For best results, baste every 30 minutes. I add some of my broth to the pan to create some steam, which keeps the Turkey moist as it cooks.

I also keep an extra broth and melted butter mixture on hand incase the liquid is drying out too rapidly due to the oven temperature. The additional liquid and fat in the form of butter helps keep the skin from becoming too dry.

All of this mixes with drippings from the turkey and the vegetables to create the most amazing gravy!

Cooking Time & Thermometers

Using a thermometer is the best way to get perfect results. The rule of thumb is a cooking time of 20 minutes per pound of turkey. However, since ovens vary, this is not a fully foolproof method.

A more experienced cook may be able to adjust the time as necessary and gauge when the turkey is done but if you're new to this and in all honesty if you would rather spend your time doing other things then a Thermometer is the least stressful and most accurate way to insure the Turkey is done.

My go to is the Thermapen One by thermoworks.com and believe it or not it was recently rated one of the best thermometers by americastestkitchen.com. It's speed, precision and accuracy make up for it's high price and believe me it's my favorite and most used kitchen tool !

I cook my Turkey to 165 degrees as the meat typically keeps cooking for a while after you take it out and this way you'll ultimately reach the desired temperature without the risk of a dry Turkey.

The reading is best taken by inserting the thermometer into the deepest part of the turkey's thigh.

Getting That Perfect Brown

the Turkey is also tricky as you want a nice deep color but nothing too dry or burnt. Due to its size and the length of time that you have to cook your roast this can be tricky.

Towards the last hour or so, if I feel that the turkey is browning too rapidly, I place a loose foil over the top to keep it from browning further.

Don't seal the foil as this will take away the crunchiness of the skin which all of us want and love!

The drippings !

All that delicious slow cooked liquid turns into an amazing gravy for your Turkey and potatoes.

There you go! This is all it took to get your easy no fuss thanksgiving turkey ready! Now all you have to do is lay out your delicious sides.

These are some of my favorites from the blog:

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• fresh-quick-green-beans-almondine
• orange-pomegranate-cranberry-sauce
• easy-fall-harvest-turkey-stuffing
• individual-pumpkin-pies
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• deconstructed-pumpkin-pie