I'm notoriously awful at baking turkeys. I feel that it should be a skill that every housewife should master, in yet have had trouble getting the skill perfected. Perhaps it's because turkey baking only comes once each year so it takes alot of time to learn it. Or perhaps it's because the bird is so huge that everything is increased from normal cooking experiences.
Anyhow, my biggest trouble has been time. All the turkeys come with these handy little charts on the back that tell you how to bake them, but somehow that has never worked for me. Maybe I'm just to paranoid to serve raw turkey to my guests, so ensure that every part is up to the recommended safe temperatures. Whatever way it is, my turkeys never get done in the way (or time frame) I want them to. Maybe my expectations are just too high (evenly cooked meat throughout with no overcooked or undercooked areas...is that too much to ask?)
I've tried baking open in the roaster (as recommended on the package), wrapped in foil (as my mother-in-law and her mother do), on a V-rack in the roaster (to lift it higher for better airflow) but the legs just never get done and the breast meat dries out drastically. I've had to have guests wait 2 hours for dinner too, as the bird didn't get done on time (and yes, my oven temperature was correct). I've tried flipping the bird over half way through baking so that everything gets baked more easily (challenging on the best of days!) I also used to get the free turkeys offered at the grocery stores when you buy a certain amount of groceries, so I always chose the biggest one (that would be the most economical, right?) But, a 24 lb. turkey is a monster to cook, compared to this 18 lb. one I did now. The few extra pounds aren't worth the hassle anymore, in my opinion. Cooks Illustrated magazine even had an article on this dilemma one time. They concluded that the best way to cook everything evenly was to just cut the legs off and bake them separately. Apparently I'm not the only one with this struggle!
Yesterday I attempted to bake a turkey again. It turned out the best so far and here's what I did:
I followed several people's recommendations (who have successfully baked numerous turkeys). My friend Janine does this: 1) Put in an oven bag 2) Low heat overnight 3) Put cut up apples and onions inside the cavity to keep moisture in 4) Bake it until the meat is falling off the bones. Our friend Kristie (where we always go for Thanksgiving) always has fabulous turkeys. She uses the oven bag too. I recall my Grandpa Kurtti always saying to Grandma, "Mom, remember to heavily salt and pepper the cavity!" (and under the skin)
So, I sort of improvised those things and it worked well. I put it in an oven bag, and baked it at 325*F for about 6 hours (18 lb. bird). For the last 2 hours I turned the heat down to 250*F. I also used Greg's remote BBQ thermometer so that I didn't have to take the turkey out of the oven at all until the coldest part was up to temperature. Then I let it sit out of the oven for about 20 minutes (to let juices reabsorb back into bird) before I opened the bag and started cutting up the bird. I didn't have guests or a time frame, so just let it bake until the thermometer beeped. In other words, I didn't stress! Delicious and easy!
Things I'd like to try in the future that have been suggested to me:
-Brining (I've heard really good things about this, but just haven't tried it yet)
-1 stick of butter spread under the breast skin to keep in moisture while the rest of the turkey is finishing cooking (adds good flavor too).
-Get myself a fancy apron and some red heels ('cause food always tastes better when you're dressed up right!)
