How to Cook a Turkey

See our tips for cooking an unstuffed turkey plus turkey cooking times to have a moist roast turkey. And how long to cook an unstuffed turkey plus we have included information on how to roast a turkey in a roaster.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword cooking an unstuffed turkey, How long to cook a turkey, How to Roast a Moist Turkey, Moist Roast Turkey, roast a turkey in a roaster., Turkey Cooking time per lb

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Servings

Calories 514.15kcal

Author Evelyn Osborn

Ingredients

1- 15 lb Turkey
8 Tbsp Butter
1 onion quartered
2 stalks celery cut into thirds
sprigs fresh rosemary
Dalmatian sage
salt
black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Check that the bird is completely thawed out.
Remove the neck and giblets (gizzard, liver, and heart) from the cavity of the bird. Rinse the thawed turkey and pat dry with paper towels.
Place onions, celery, and rosemary in the cavity of the turkey. Pull the legs of the turkey together and tie with kitchen twine. Place turkey in a turkey roasting pan with rack
Melt butter on stovetop or low power in the microwave. Brush the entire turkey with the melted butter, season with the dried sage, salt, and fresh ground pepper.
Place the turkey in the preheated oven and roast according to the above chart. (Approximately 15 minutes per pound for an unstuffed Turkey). Tent with foil to prevent the turkey from becoming overly brown.
Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of your turkey about 30 minutes before being done. Continue to cook until the thickest part of the thigh is 185 degrees, and the breast is 170 degrees.
Remove from oven and let it rest at least 20 minutes to redistribute the juices before carving.

Nutrition