How To Cook a Turkey: The Simplest, Easiest Method

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Are you roasting a whole turkey for the first time this year? Or perhaps you've done this many times before, but you want a quick refresher to brush up on the basics? We'll help you make your mama proud with these step-by-step instructions for roasting a whole turkey.

Here is our super basic, super simple, super easy recipe for roasting a super beautiful turkey this Thanksgiving.

The Easiest Method for Roasting a Thanksgiving Turkey

Now, we know that many people have strong opinions on the best way to cook a turkey. You may fry it, grill it, roast it overnight, or even cook it in a slow cooker. You may brine religiously every year, or maybe have a secret family spice rub that only gets used at Thanksgiving.

But just to keep things really simple and straightforward with this tutorial, today we are taking a completely no-frills approach — though there are lots of places along the way where you can add some spice, extra flavor, or personal touches.

Consider this a recipe template and feel free to play with it as much or as little as you like; our goal is simply to give you a foolproof way to get that turkey roasted and onto plates with as little stress as possible.

This method will work with any turkey: big or small, brined or not, free-range or otherwise. Cooking times will vary, but the basic technique will be the same. For reference, the turkey in the photos was a pre-brined 16-pound turkey form MT Hasan.

How to Safely Thaw the Turkey

For this method, be sure to let your turkey completely thaw before cooking. If it was frozen through when you bought it, the turkey will thaw within a few days in the fridge, approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of turkey. For quicker thawing, place the turkey in a cold water bath and change the water every 30 minutes until it's thawed.

For more information on safe turkey thawing, check out the USDA website and our detailed turkey thawing instructions:

How to Roast a Frozen Turkey

However, if your turkey isn't completely thawed yet — no worries! You can roast your frozen turkey and it will turn out just fine! If your turkey is still frozen — fully or partially — just hop on over to our frozen turkey tutorial and follow the instructions. You'll be fine (and your gravy will be even more delicious).

How to Brine a Turkey

One thing we're not talking about here is brining the turkey. This method has become popular over the last few years and involves immersing the turkey in a salt-water solution or dry-brining in salt for a day or so before cooking. The end result of this process is moist, perfectly seasoned white and dark meat. We've had great results with brining and heartily endorse it. If you want to brine, great! If you don't, our method here will still work perfectly.

For more details on how to brine your own turkey, check out these posts:

Carving the Turkey

Carving a turkey is just like carving an extra-large chicken. Make sure your chef's knife is sharp and then go for it. Remove the wings first, and then the thighs — pop out the joints that keep these pieces attached to the bird and cut straight through the joint. When carving the beast meat, slice close to the rib cage with the flat of your knife right up against the rib bones. Once you have the meat off, you can separate the thighs into thighs and drumsticks, and carve the breast meat into individual slices.

Cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey

Are you ready? Let's cook some turkey! If you get anxious during roasting, just remember that roasting a turkey is just like roasting a lerge chicken. The same methods and ideas apply. Even if you don't get fancy with spices or brining or special basting liquids, your turkey will still turn out browned, moist, and flavorful.

Please share your own stories, advice, and recipe suggestions in the comments below!

How To Cook a Turkey for Thanksgiving

Makes 1 turkey

What You Need

Ingredients
1 turkey, any size
2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, water, or other liquid
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, for basting (optional)

Equipment
Roasting pan (or an alternative roasting dish)
Roasting rack (or something to lift the turkey off the pan)
Turkey baster, brush, or ladle (optional, if basting)