Current Events > I have never cooked a turkey and I'm getting ready to try for the first time

(+) Yeah! (+)

I have a roaster oven and a turkey. We are cooking the potatoes, veggies and stuffing separately.

Can I cook the turkey without stuffing anything in the turkey after I take heart and kidneys and stuff out?

Do I need to season it or is it fine as is?

Also any secrets to making sure it stays moist?

Any advice is helpful!
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I'm going to the grocery store in thirty minutes

Halp plz
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You need to season the inside and out. Make a compound butter and rub it in between the skin and the meat.

You should put some stuffing in the turkey. You can keep it simple with like onions, celery, carrots, maybe some lemon or oranges.

But before all that, you should brine your turkey for a day or so. This is how it stays juicy after cooking it.

And also when you cook it, baste it every so often with the juices in the pan.

Well I'm doing this on the cheap, bought some onions and carrots and chopped them up and put them in there. I buttered and salt and peppered the turkey and just put it in. I watched a YouTube video and it should be done in about three hours lol
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As someone who's not very good at cooking, making a turkey is pretty easy. Just make sure you baste it every 30 to 40 minutes, and put the foil on at the correct time. You'll be golden.
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Well I'm doing this in a roaster oven so there's no tin foil. The directions say NOT to open it until it should be close to ready (about 3 hours)

Is cooking a turkey in an oven different than a roaster oven?
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You got me there. That's beyond my knowledge, as I've only done oven roasted turkeys for Thanksgiving. I'm sure somebody here would know.
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Alton Brown says to brine it, then cook it at 500 for I can't remember how long. Put foil over the white meat to keep it from drying out.

I've never tried it though.

There are lots of easy guides you can find on youtube, which it looks like you have.
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Twinmold posted...

You got me there. That's beyond my knowledge, as I've only done oven roasted turkeys for Thanksgiving. I'm sure somebody here would know.

Ya the box says "self basting roaster oven" so I'm hoping it bastes itself lol

DevsBro posted...

Alton Brown says to brine it, then cook it at 500 for I can't remember how long. Put foil over the white meat to keep it from drying out.

I've never tried it though.

There are lots of easy guides you can find on youtube, which it looks like you have.

Man idk what brine is, I'm just trying to be nice and cook my roommates some thanksgiving (like) dinner in august. I'll probably fuck it up and we'll have to order pizza lmao
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lob_city_3 posted...

Well I'm doing this in a roaster oven so there's no tin foil. The directions say NOT to open it until it should be close to ready (about 3 hours)

Is cooking a turkey in an oven different than a roaster oven?

Yes. I prefer the over method and the continual basting makes the skin really crisp and delicious and it makes the bird brown beautifully. I've never actually cooked a turkey in a roaster oven, so I can't offer a lot of advice there. I do think you should stuff the inside of the turkey with something though, because in addition to making a good stuffing, it also keeps the turkey moist. Thing is, I don't know how to adopt any of the stuffing methods I've used to a different setup.

Do a google search for 'beer can thanksgiving turkey' and see what pops up. Someone brought a turkey prepared that way to a Thanksgiving party I and my housemates threw back in college, and turkey it produced was moist and juicy to a degree that it put everything else to shame. Apparently it was the easiest recipe to use too.
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lob_city_3 posted...

Man idk what brine is,

Soak it in salt water for a while prior to putting it into the oven.
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Low and slow.

Use a heatproof thermometer, ideally one with cables and a digital readout, those BBQ ones are perfect.

Anyways, I typically deep fry mine, not much advice for roasting.
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hollow_shrine posted...

lob_city_3 posted...

Well I'm doing this in a roaster oven so there's no tin foil. The directions say NOT to open it until it should be close to ready (about 3 hours)

Is cooking a turkey in an oven different than a roaster oven?

Yes. I prefer the over method and the continual basting makes the skin really crisp and delicious and it makes the bird brown beautifully. I've never actually cooked a turkey in a roaster oven, so I can't offer a lot of advice there. I do think you should stuff the inside of the turkey with something though, because in addition to making a good stuffing, it also keeps the turkey moist. Thing is, I don't know how to adopt any of the stuffing methods I've used to a different setup.

Do a google search for 'beer can thanksgiving turkey' and see what pops up. Someone brought a turkey prepared that way to a Thanksgiving party I and my housemates threw back in college, and turkey it produced was moist and juicy to a degree that it put everything else to shame. Apparently it was the easiest recipe to use too.

Damn I almost did that but I didn't want to fuck it up. I'm a terrible cook, like I burn frozen pizza so I'm just doing the best I can
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