How to Roast a Turkey the old fashioned way.
I’ll go ahead and admit that my favorite turkey is fried. I know it’s probably not the healthiest way to enjoy a turkey. But, it’s my very favorite. I do not fry turkeys. I use the turkey fryer my brother gave me for Christmas to de-feather headless-chicken-carcasses. So, I am not enthusiastic about using it to fry something that I will eat. Yuck.
It did hit me that de-feathering a dead chicken doesn’t bother me, but cooking with something I de-feathered a chicken in does. And dunking a warm, just killed chicken in the turkey fryer is perfectly fine with me, but cooking with the fryer gives me the quivers.
There is something wrong with me. Sorry.
With Christmas and New Years still approaching there are plenty of good reasons to roast a turkey. I love turkey. I love left over turkey. I love leftover turkey carcasses. When turkeys everywhere go on clearance the last week of November, I usually buy 4, or 5, or 7. I’ll cook one, and freeze the others so I can eat turkey year round.
I roast my turkeys in the oven. Mamaw taught me how to roast a turkey. She does it the old fashioned way. It’s golden, juicy and perfect every time.
Put the bird in the biggest roasting pan you own. The bigger the better. The larger your pan is, the more water you can add to it. The more water you add, the more delicious broth you will get.
Pour as much filtered water as you can into the pan with the turkey. Mine holds over a gallon.
Now Salt and Pepper the entire bird, and the surface of the water. Do not under-salt. Shake, shake, shake.
Do the same thing with some Lawry’s. Coat the turkey, and the entire surface of the water. Shake, Shake, Shake.
Cover tightly with foil.
Put the lid on & bake at 350. Bake the turkey 20 minutes for every pound. I baked mine 4 hours.
Take off the lid and foil for the last 30 minutes so the top can brown.
Perfect every time. Be sure to set this guy aside and let him soak in his tub of broth for an hour (or more) before slicing. I let him bask in his hot tub while I finalize all the other trimmings.
This turkey is swimming in the most scrumptious broth.
Broth means gravy, and dumplings, and soup, and wonderful healthy goodness.
I scooped out some of his broth to cook the green beans in. Then I scooped out some more to make gravy. Then I poured some broth into a separate pan, brought it to a boil and dropped in some dumplin’s.
When everything else was done, I transferred the turkey onto a slicing board & carved him up.
By the way, tomorrow, when all that is left of this glorious bird is a bunch of bones, slime, glop and some innards……… I will do this.
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Happy Roasting!
Candi
Ingredients
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Place brined (optional) turkey into a large roasting pan. Add as much filtered water as the pan can hold (leave some space, the turkey will settle & you don't want broth all over your oven). Salt and pepper the entire bird and the surface of the water. Do the same with the Lawry's. Do not under season.
Cover tightly with foil. Cover with lid. Bake 350 degrees for 20 mins per pound.
Remove lid and foil for the last 20-30 minutes of baking time so the top of the turkey can brown.
When the turkey is done allow to rest for 30 mintues before slicing.
