Our Basic Southern Turkey Recipe & Other

I will give you 2 recipes that my family has used in this article. The first is just a very basic way to bake or roast a turkey. It is very simple. You must first preheat the oven to 325^o Fahrenheit. Rub the inside of the turkey with salt, and rub the outside with butter. Stuff the turkey cavity with your stuffing of choice (you may also check out my stuffing/dressing recipe). Place the turkey in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and wrap the turkey with foil. Cook for 3 hours and 30 minutes. Then fold the foil back from the turkey and cook an additional 30 minutes or until the turkey is browned. See...nothing to it.

Here is another recipe that we use too. Roast Turkey with Orange-Rice Stuffing

You will need:

1 12 LB Turkey

1 Cup of Butter

1 Cup of Chopped Onion

1 Cup of Orange Juice

3 Tbsp. Grated Orange Rind

4 Cups of Chopped Celery

1 Tsp. Poultry Seasoning

5 1/3 Cups of Packaged Precooked Rice

1/2 Cup of Chopped Parsley

Pat the cavity of the turkey dry with paper towels, leave the outside of the turkey moist. Sprinkle the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper to liking. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the onion. Sauté the onion until it is tender, but not brown. Add 4 cups water, orange juice, orange rind, celery, 2 tablespoons of salt and poultry seasoning. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then stir i the rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in parsley, fluffing the rice with a fork. Stuff the rice mixture into the neck and cavity of turkey. Fasten neck skin to body with a skewer. Push legs under band of skin at tail. Place turkey, breast side up, in shallow roasting pan. Cover the turkey with a loose net of aluminum foil if desired. Bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours and 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes for easier carving.