Get a perfect, juicy turkey in half the time.
Did you wait too late to pick up a turkey? Do you hate waiting 4+ hours for it to cook only to risk it being dry? Either way, we’re here to help. Fox19 Now anchor Rob Williams shows us a simple trick that will help you cook a bird in less than 2 hours, juicy and perfectly cooked when it comes out.
What You’ll Need
- Whole turkey (Preferably fresh. If frozen, you’ll need more time to thaw.)
- Sharp kitchen shears
- Meat thermometer
- Roasting pan with stand
- Poultry blend
- Grape Seed Oil (Other oils like olive, canola, vegetable will do)
- Course Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
Directions
NOTE: For this video, we used a 14 pound bird and it was finished in an hour and a half. Cook time will vary based on your oven and turkey, but using this method will still cut your total cook time in half no matter what.
- If frozen, let your bird thaw based on directions on packaging
- Flip turkey over so the breast is facing down. You’ll be able to feel the backbone running along with top (facing you)
- Using your kitchen shears, start cutting through the backbone on both sides.
- This will take some time, be patient and make even cuts and it should come out cleanly.
- Use the removed backbone for stock or discard it.
- With the backbone removed, oil the entire turkey inside and out and heavily season with salt and pepper.
- In your roasting pan, set up your stand and place your poultry blend right in the middle.
- Place your turkey in the pan with the breasts on top and the open cavity facing down and out of sight.
- OPTIONAL: Add white wine or chicken stock to the pan along with onions, carrots and celery.
- Cook turkey at 375° for an hour and a half then check.
- The safe temperature for a turkey is 165° so use your meat thermometer and check in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Once you’ve got the safe temperature, remove from oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.
- If you begin carving immediately, you’ll lose all the juices inside!