perfect turkey in an electric roaster oven

🥘 Ingredients

• • whole turkey
• • olive oil
• • seasoning salt
• • poultry seasoning
• • pepper

📝 Instructions

1. 1 take the insert pan out of the roaster and pre-heat the roaster to its highest setting
2. 2 on mine it's 450 , but use 500 if your oven goes that high
3. 3 do not wash the turkey ! the usda says that washing it could cause a spread of salmonella poisoning
4. 4 sprinkle salt in the cavities
5. 5 stuff if desired
6. 6 dont pre-stuff your turkey
7. 7 mix and stuff ingredients immediately before roasting
8. 8 tossing in a few pieces of cut fruit or herbs is not considered 'stuffing
9. 9 ' stuffing usually means filling up the cavity with about cup stuffing per pound of turkey
10. 10 rub the entire bird with olive oil or butter
11. 11 doctor up your bird with whatever special seasonings you wish
12. 12 i always use poultry seasoning
13. 13 finish with a good sprinkle of seasoning salt and black pepper
14. 14 i highly recommend using a wired thermometer so you can watch the temperature without lifting the lid
15. 15 your turkey will be done much earlier than the estimated cook time , so keep a sharp eye on that thermometer
16. 16 if using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer , those little pop-ups stick sometimes so you should really use two of them
17. 17 put the rack into the insert pan and make sure the handles are up , not tucked below
18. 18 put the bird in the insert pan on top of the rack
19. 19 dont add water to the pan
20. 20 put the insert pan back into the roasting pan
21. 21 if your roaster doesn't have an insert pan , it's ok - just be very careful putting the bird into that hot oven , you don't want to burn your hands on the sides of the oven ! cover
22. 22 roast at highest setting for 30 minutes
23. 23 the butter / oil , seasonings and the searing time will make the skin beautifully browned and perfect !
24. 24 after 30 minutes , turn the oven temperature down to 325
25. 25 the turkey will self-baste if you do not lift the lid , so you don't have to baste it every 20 minutes like you do in your conventional oven
26. 26 do not lift lid during cooking time ! lifting the lid will increase cooking time because roaster ovens lose their heat unlike regular ovens
27. 27 i've read that roaster ovens effectively 'steam' the turkey making the meat come out -- well , steamed
28. 28 this is not true as you will find out
29. 29 similar to the roasted chickens you can get at your supermarket , the bird will come out moist and perfectly roasted
30. 30 why do you think they call it a roaster oven ?
31. 31 figure your total cooking time from the time you first put the bird in the roaster
32. 32 the butterball website has a great calculator:
33. 33 final temperature for safety and doneness is: 180 degrees in thigh and 165 degrees in breast and stuffing
34. 34 juices should be clear , not pink
35. 35 check your turkey early
36. 36 really start watching the temp an hour before it's supposed to be done
37. 37 your turkey will almost certainly be done before the suggested cooking time
38. 38 watch your wired meat thermometer
39. 39 if using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer , check by lifting the lid quickly so the oven doesnt lose its heat
40. 40 if necessary , check after another 30 minutes , but i doubt you'll have to do that
41. 41 i say check after 30 minutes because it's really ok to let the bird roast a little extra - you won't dry it out using my method if you let it go for 1 / 2 hour
42. 42 when done , remove the turkey from the roaster , tent with foil , and let rest for 20 minutes
43. 43 this allows the juices to really seep into the meat , so they say
44. 44 if you try this method , please let us know your results !
45. 45 happy thanksgiving everyone !