Different Ways to Cook a Turkey for Thanksgiving
Cooking Turkey for Thanksgiving
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it will soon be time to start planning the feast. And what is more important than the main course, the turkey?! When it comes to preparing the bird there are so many different ways you can go with it. You have your traditional way of cooking but their are endless possibilities as well. What I have done is pulled together some of the best and easiest ways to cook a turkey. The recipes below will walk you through the ingredients you need and how to switch up your typical Thanksgiving meal for the better!
1. Traditional Turkey:
Juicy Butter Herb Turkey Recipe is a tender, buttery turkey stuffed with slices of citrus, a crisp apple and fresh herbs coated with a buttery herb mixture all baked until golden brown. Thanksgiving turkey just got easier with these step by step instructions! Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 4 Hours Recipe Difficulty:
What you need to make a Traditional Turkey
1 12-20 pound turkey thawed Stuffing ingredients 1 onion quartered 3 cloves garlic 2 sprigs rosemary 1 apple quartered 1 lemon sliced 2 sprigs thyme
Herb Butter
1 cup butter softened 3 cloves garlic minced 1 Tablespoon thyme finely chopped 1 Tablespoon oregano finely chopped 1 Tablespoon rosemary finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper
How to make a traditional turkey HERE
2. Slow Cooker Turkey:
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours Recipe Difficulty:
What you need to make a slow cooker turkey
1 5-6 pound turkey breast (make sure it will fit into your slow cooker) ½ C orange juice 1 14 oz can whole cranberry sauce 1 package Onion Soup Mix salt and pepper to taste
How to make a slow cooker turkey HERE
3. Brine Turkey:
Turkey Brine creates a tender, moist and juicy turkey with sweet citrusy flavoring and a hint of spice all submerged in a water bath for your turkey to soak from the inside-out. Make your turkey irresistible this holiday season! Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Day and 5 Minutes Recipe Difficulty:
What you need to brine a turkey
1 gallon warm water 1 cup salt 1 orange sliced 1 medium sized onion quartered 1 lemon sliced 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme 3 tablespoons peppercorn 1 turkey
How to brine a turkey HERE
4. Smoked Turkey:
This Smoked Turkey is the perfect turkey to serve on Thanksgiving or other special occasions. If you haven’t had the opportunity to try the tender delicacy that is the perfect smoked turkey, now is the time to try it out. It takes the ol’ turkey to the next level. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 7 Hours
Find out how to smoke a turkey HERE
5. Deep Fried Turkey:
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours Recipe Difficulty:
What you need to make a Deep Fried turkey
13 lb Turkey (thawed) 2 tsp minced garlic 2 Tbsp seasoned salt 24 oz pop (cola flavored) 1 large onion (quartered) 1 large apple (quartered 1 tsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp ground pepper 1 Tbsp salt
Find out how to make a Deep Fried Turkey HERE
6. Roast Turkey:
Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours Recipe Difficulty: Intermediate
What you need to roast a turkey
1 stick of unsalted butter 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme leaves 1 lemon zested and juiced 1 fresh turkey (10-12 lbs) Ground black pepper Salt 1 whole lemon halved 1 large bunch of fresh thyme 1 head garlic, halved 1 spanish onion quartered
How to roast a turkey
7. Turducken Turkey:
Prep Time: 30 Minutes ( Inactive for 8 hours) Cook Time: 5 Hours Recipe Difficulty: Advanced
What you need to turducken a turkey
1 gallon of water 1 cup salt 1 cup brown sugar House seasoning (1 cup salt, ¼ cup black pepper, ¼ cup garlic powder) Cornbread( 1 cup self rising cornmeal, ½ cup flour, ¾ cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp vegetable oil) Cornbread dressing ( recipe follows) Paprika 18-21 lb turkey skin intact and boned except for drumsticks 3-4 lb chicken, boned 3-4 lb duck, boned
Cornbread Dressing
Cornbread 7 slices white bread, dried in the oven 2 cups chopped celery 1 large onion chopped 1 sleeve saltine crackers 8 tbsp butter 7 cups chicken stock ½ tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 1 tsp dried sage 5 eggs, beaten 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
How to make a turducken turkey here
8. Grilled Turkey:
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 4 Hours Recipe Difficulty:
What you need to make a grilled turkey
2 cups water 12 lb turkey 2 tsp garlic powder 3 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder 1 tsp poultry seasoning 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp chopped parsley
How to make a grilled turkey HERE
9. Crockpot Turkey:
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 7 Hours 30 Minutes Recipe Difficulty:
What you need to make a crockpot turkey
½ cup water 8 lb whole turkey 2 tsp seasoning salt ½ black pepper ½ cup unsalted butter 2 tsp italian seasoning 2 tsp garlic powder
How to make a crockpot turkey
10. Frozen Turkey:
Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 6 Hours Recipe Difficulty:
Temperatures for cooking a turkey
Cook times can vary:
8- to 12-pound turkey: 4 to 4 ½ hours 12- to 14-pound turkey: 4 ½ to 5 ¾ hours 14- to 18-pound turkey: 5 ¾ to 6 ¼ hours 18- to 20-pound turkey: 6 ¼ to 6 ¾ hours 20- to 24-pound turkey: 6 ¾ to 7 ½ hours
What you need to cook a frozen turkey
1 14-16 lb turkey 1 cookie sheet 1 cooling rack 1 instant read or probe thermometer
How to cook a frozen turkey
Which turkey recipe will you make?
Hopefully some of these recipes were able to spark some interest. There are so many different ways to prepare a Turkey and it never hurts to try something new! Keep in mind some of the basics when it comes to Turkey cooking; do not forget to take the giblets out! It is not that they cannot be consumed but typically may be wrapped in a bag or such that could be harmful if melted and cooked into the turkey! Also make sure when preparing to make the turkey you have access to a thermometer so that you can accurately check the temperature to ensure that it is fully cooked. The recipes will tell you the highly suggested cook times but it can vary due to how big of a turkey you have so you’ll always want to make sure that the safe temperature for consumption has been reached.
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