How to Thaw, Prepare, and Bake a Turkey

This is a guide to making a traditional baked turkey of 8 to 12lbs. I have followed this recipe for two years now and have had perfect results both times. My turkey was not dry and it didn't explode like the Griswold's Christmas Turkey. :-) I hope you all can use this guide in making your own wonderful turkey this holiday season. Here it goes...

The first thing you should do is purchase a turkey and an oven bag for your turkey. When you buy your turkey, you can either get a frozen one or fresh one. I prefer fresh turkeys because thawing a frozen turkey can take forever. If you do choose a frozen turkey, the more popular ways to thaw it are in the refrigerator, in a bowl or sink of cold water, or in the microwave. The general rule for thawing in the refrigerator is to allow 24 hours of thawing time for every 5 pounds of turkey. That's saying that for an 8 to 12lb turkey, it could take a day or 2 to thaw out. If you are ready to cook your turkey right away, the cold water method is your best bet. Allow 30 minutes for each pound. You will also need to change the water out every 30 minutes - otherwise it becomes room temperature which is not good. For smaller turkeys, you can thaw them in the microwave.

Once your turkey is thawed, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the oven bag and shake it around. Place the oven bag on a baking pan that's at least 2" deep. Go over to your washed turkey and brush it with vegetable oil or melted butter. Place the turkey in the oven bag and close it up with the included tie. Cut six slits in the top of the bag just like you do with frozen foods before you put them in the oven or microwave to allow steam to exit.

Place the turkey in the center of the oven and make sure your racks are spaced apart. This is to ensure that the bag has room to expand without touching anything.

For an un-stuffed, bone-in turkey breast, it only takes about 2 hours to fully cook. Those of you who want to bake whole, un-stuffed turkeys weighing 8-12lbs can expect your turkey to be done in 2 hours too. If you check yours with a thermometer, it should read 180-185. A stuffed whole turkey of 8-12lbs, on the other hand, will take longer. It will take at least 2.5 hours if not more to fully cook. It will be done once it reaches that 180 to 185 degree mark in its thickest part.

Let the bag cool off a bit, and then cut the top of it off to reveal the beautiful turkey.