If you use my secret formula for making Roast Turkey it will look like this one! I allow at least 3 hours for a 10 pound turkey but the color of the turkey will tell you when its done. My formula is pretty simple. It starts with seasoning the turkey with kosher salt the night before you plan to roast it and then roasting uncovered, slow and low, at 325° until the skin becomes the perfect color.
Tip : A very important step is to baste the turkey every 20 minutes to half hour while it is roasting. It will keep the turkey moist and will give you a chance to peek at how things are going.
Ingredients
- 8-10 lb turkey defrosted
- 2-3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 whole banana pepper or green pepper
- 1 whole tomato quartered
- 1 recipe Bread Stuffing for Turkey and Chicken
Instructions
- Season the turkey, inside and out on all surfaces with 2-3 tbsp kosher salt. You should use enough salt so that you can see the salt on the surface, be generous,
- Place the turkey in a roasting pan and cover with cling wrap and place the turkey in your fridge overnight.
- Pre heat oven to 325°F
- If stuffing, prepare your stuffing, allow it to cool to room temperature and stuff the cavity at the neck and under the breast of the turkey. Secure with a couple of wooden skewers
- Turn the turkey breast side up in the roasting pan.
- If you are not stuffing the turkey, just place breast side up.
- Add 1/4 cup water to the roasting pan or enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and to come up about a quarter of an inch along the side of the pan. Add 1 whole banana pepper or green pepper and 1 whole tomato, quartered to the roasting pan.
- Place the turkey on the middle rack of your oven and roast for about 3 hours. This timing is for a 10-11 pound turkey, but the golden brown color will tell you when its done. Baste the turkey every 20-30 minutes after the first half hour. The turkey will let out juices as it roasts, but if the pan looks dry at the beginning, add a little water to the bottom of the pan.
Author Notes
This year we bought an 11 pound turkey. I removed it from the refrigerator around noon, having salted it the day before, and allowed it to warm to room temperature. I placed the turkey in a pre-heated 325°F oven at 2:45 p.m. and basted it every 20-30 minutes until the color was just right. In my judgement this was about 2 hours and 45 minutes later. Just to make sure, I tested both the thigh and the breast with a meat thermometer, and both registered at 165°F.
The turkey lets out a lot of juice while roasting, so no need to add water to the pan after the first half hour. But don't throw away those pan juices, they are the foundation for an incredible turkey gravy. Just pour about a cup and a half of the pan juices into a saucepan. Skim the top to get rid of the extra fat, and then combine a couple of tablespoons of flour with water to make a slurry and add the slurry to the turkey drippings in the sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir with a wire whisk until the gravy is smooth. If it looks too thin, add more slurry.
