Fresh Sheet: Give bird time to thaw, time to roast
In my Thanksgiving memories, Mom always got up in the wee dark hours to put the turkey in the oven and it roasted forever. And just when you thought you couldn’t wait any longer (or that you couldn’t possibly eat another black olive from the veggie tray), the meal was served.
It really doesn’t take that long. But I can never remember from year to year how long that bird needs to roast.
Here is the official timetable for roasting turkey from the Food Safety and Inspection Service at USDA. You can find it online, along with other turkey and food safety advice online at www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/ Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp. By the way, if your turkey is still frozen, you might want to go there to find out about safely thawing it before tomorrow.
Here’s what they say:
Place the turkey in a shallow pan or on a rack in a pan, tent the breast with aluminum foil and set the oven at 325 degrees and cook for the following times. Remove the foil about an hour before the turkey should be done so it browns.
Unstuffed Turkey
– 8 to 12 pounds:
2 3/4 to 3 hours
– 12 to 14 pounds:
3 to 3 3/4 hours
– 14 to 18 pounds:
3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
– 18 to 20 pounds:
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
– 20 to 24 pounds:
4 1/2 to 5 hours
(above 24 pounds, add 10 to 15 minutes per pound and watch closely because cooking times will vary.)
Stuffed Turkey
Test stuffing inside turkey using a food thermometer. The stuffing must reach 165 degrees before the turkey can be removed from the oven.
– 8 to 12 pounds:
3 to 3 1/2 hours
– 12 to 14 pounds:
3 1/2 to 4 hours
– 14 to 18 pounds:
4 to 4 1/4 hours
– 18 to 20 pounds:
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
– 20 to 24 pounds:
4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
Do not stuff turkeys above 24 pounds because the stuffing will be in the temperature Danger Zone too long. For optimum safety and uniform doneness, it is recommended to cook stuffing outside the bird.
Turkey meat is safe to eat if it is cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees according to the USDA, but there can still be some pink near the bone that turns people off. I like to let mine go a bit longer.
Take care if you’re using an older cookbook or meat thermometer, roasting the bird to 185 degrees (Old Dorothy Dean leaflets recommend 190 degrees for well-done meat!) as was recommended for many years is sure to mean you’ll be serving dry turkey breast.
Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.