Stuffed turkey how long

Try placing onion quarters, celery stalks, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper inside the turkey before roasting. At the same time, add a few halved shallots, sliced carrots, some celery, and 2 cups of water to your roasting pan , under the rack. The vegetables will perfume the meat and flavor the drippings as the turkey cooks, while the water keeps things from burning. Loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil, shiny side out to deflect heat at the very beginning.

Tenting with foil keeps the skin from getting too dark too soon. Remove the foil about halfway through cooking to let the skin brown. Traditional recipes call for basting the turkey every half hour to moisten and flavor the bird.

Basting is a simple process that just requires opening the oven and carefully spooning or using a turkey baster to squirt the pan juices all over the turkey. You can add butter to the roasting pan for a richer basting solution, or have turkey broth simmering on the stove to use if the pan juices run dry.

Basting will certainly help the skin brown up nicely, but opinions vary on whether the liquid actually penetrates the skin to moisten the flesh. And remember: An open oven door lets heat escape, lowering the ambient temperature and lengthening the roasting time.

If, however, you prefer to roast your turkey at a higher or lower temperature, follow these guidelines. The following cook times are for unstuffed birds. Our rule of thumb is to avoid stuffed turkeys and instead to bake the stuffing alongside so that it can easily reach a safe temperature. According to the USDA the bird must reach this temperature before you take it out of the oven. Whichever turkey roasting temperature you choose, be sure to use an accurate food thermometer to confirm the final temperature.

In the past, home cooks used to look at the color of the meat as an indication of doneness: The turkey was pierced with a knife and if the juices were clear instead of pink it was considered done. But this is not a reliable method for several reasons. First, pinkness can disappear before a safe temperature is reached. A meat thermometer comes in handy all holiday season. Tracking the temperature helps to ensure that you get a perfect roast turkey every time.

To check the temperature of the turkey, you can use either an instant-read thermometer which you insert after cooking, as it gives a reading immediately or a remote food thermometer the type that has a probe you insert before cooking, which connects to a digital display that sits on your counter. This gives the juices time to settle into the bird and be reabsorbed; carving it up too soon will just allow the moisture to run out, leaving you with dried-out meat on top of a puddle on your cutting board.

Tented with foil, you can leave the bird in a warm place for up to 40 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to make gravy. The only thing worse than not knowing how to roast a turkey on Thanksgiving morning? With longer thighs and drumsticks, a leaner breast, and a more diminutive size compared to a standard supermarket turkey, heritage birds look, taste, and cook differently than your average Thanksgiving fowl.

Heritage birds generally top out at 14 to 16 pounds, so if you plan on serving a larger crowd, you might want to roast two side by side. Remove stuffing before carving. By following these tips for how to cook a stuffed turkey, you're sure to serve a perfectly roasted dinner every time.

Karla Walsh Headshot. By Karla Walsh Updated August 17, Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Save Pin FB More. Classic Roast Turkey with Stuffing on platter with rosemary and citrus, bowl of cranberry sauce in background. Credit: Andy Lyons. Loosely pack the central cavity and the hollow under the flap of skin at the top of the breast with 6 to 7 cups of the stuffing, tucking the flap under the bird.

Set the stuffed turkey in a large roasting pan, tucking the wings under the bird. Set the turkey in the oven to roast. After 3 hours of roasting: Remove the extra stuffing from the fridge and douse it with about 1 cup of the giblet stock. Cover the dish with greased aluminum foil and bake with the turkey for 1 hour, uncovering the dish for the last 15 minutes to brown the top.

If the skin browns too much before the turkey is done, cover the bird loosely with foil. If the turkey fails to brown evenly or sufficiently, use a pastry brush to paint the skin with some of the brown juices in the roasting pan.

Remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 min. Tent loosely with foil and let it rest while you make the gravy. Recipe Notes Edit Delete. Save to Recipe Box. Add Recipe Note. Saved Add to List Add to List. Reviews Rate or Review. Reviews 2 reviews. Rate this Recipe.