Jump to Recipe Save oven space by making your Roast Turkey in an electric
roaster this year instead of your oven! Juicy, tender turkey, perfectly cooked and oh so tasty! Roast Turkey is a beloved holiday tradition, and nothing quite says “togetherness” like gathering around the table with your loved ones and feasting the holidays away. This tasty, traditional roast turkey recipe is not only buttery, delicious, and tender, but by utilizing an electric roaster it is incredibly SIMPLE to make and will free up some valuable oven space and time! Oftentimes, the role of “turkey roaster” can seem daunting, especially if you haven’t prepared a turkey before. There are so many varying schools of thought and opinion regarding cooking methods, brining methods, seasoning methods … you get it … that it’s sometimes hard to know where to begin. Well, allow Num’s the Word to help you out! In part one of this special four-part series of posts we talked about how to brine a turkey. Now, we’ll talk about how to roast a turkey! And we’ll do our best to make sure we address any possible questions you might have about the best way to roast a turkey. So grab a cup of cider or a mug of cocoa and let’s get to it! How to prepare turkey for roasting?There are a couple schools of thought as far as preparing a turkey for roasting. In part one of this four-part series, we went over How to Brine a Turkey. For this recipe, we recommend brining your turkey, but if you’re not interested, that’s certainly not a deal breaker! The most important way to prepare your turkey for roasting is to make sure it is THAWED. Thawing a turkey can take several days, depending on how much it weighs. For every 5 pounds of frozen turkey, you should plan on 24 hours of refrigerator thaw time. So a 20-pound turkey will take about 4 days. If you want to brine your turkey, you need to begin thawing a 20-pound turkey 5 days prior to roasting day, in order to allow for 12-24 hours of brine time. Brining your turkey will help tenderize the meat and enhance the flavor. A brine is basically a saltwater bath for your turkey. It also contains various seasonings. As your turkey soaks in the brine, the salt helps to unravel some of the protein chains, creating space that is then filled with the water of the brine. This helps tenderize and moisturize your meat. Since the brine is infused with seasonings, it will also enhance the flavor. If you choose to brine your turkey, you will not need to season it with salt before roasting In fact, be sure to rinse your turkey after you remove it from the brine. Neglecting to do so will leave you with drippings and possibly an entire bird that are much too salty. We also do not recommend stuffing a brined turkey, as the stuffing will be too salty as well, not to mention stuffing makes it difficult to cook your turkey consistently to the proper temperature. How to season a turkey for roasting?For this scrumptious roast turkey recipe, you will only need a few ingredients! Don’t let the simplicity fool you — this roast turkey is PACKED with flavor and seasoned to perfection.
How to roast a turkey:There are a couple different ways to cook your Thanksgiving turkey, whether you choose to smoke it, oven roast, deep fry, or another of the myriad options is up to you! For this recipe, we’re going to focus on how to cook a turkey in an electric roaster — one of the most simple and efficient methods for preparing the PERFECT roast turkey. What temperature to roast a turkey?For both oven and electric roasting, you’ll want to cook your turkey at two different temperatures.
How long to roast a turkey?This is where things get complicated. Length of time is really an estimation game unless you have a grilling digital thermometer. Though this device won’t give you an exact estimate of how much cooking time you’ll need, it will tell you when your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature and is fully cooked, thus avoiding overcooking! We highly recommend that you insert a grilling digital thermometer into the thickest part of your turkey with it preset to 165 degrees. This is not a traditional thermometer, but one with a long cord so that the temperature gage can stay in your turkey while the digital box remains outside the oven/grill/roaster. How long to cook turkey in electric roaster?Turkey roasting time in an electric turkey roaster will be approximately 15 minutes per pound. This is an estimate, however, and your best bet is to use the aforementioned digital grilling thermometer to avoid over cooking and drying out your turkey. Pro tip: you do not need to baste a turkey cooked in an electric roaster! How many minutes per pound to roast a turkey in the oven?Oven roasted turkey will take approximately 20 minutes per pound. Again, we highly recommend you use a digital grilling thermometer to ensure that your meat is cooked to a proper temperature while maintaining the tender juiciness we all want from our turkey! Pro tip: after you remove your turkey, you should let it rest for 10 minutes. During this time, the turkey will continue to “cook,” and the temperature in larger birds may raise as much as 10 degrees. In smaller birds (around 10 pounds) there will not be much temperature change during the rest time. How to roast a brined turkey?You may be wondering if there is a difference in roasting times between a brined and not-brined turkey. Short answer — yes. But it’s small. A brined turkey will roast slightly faster than a turkey that has not been brined. This could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour faster than estimated. This is why a digital GRILLING thermometer is so important because you’ll know EXACTLY when your bird reaches it’s full cooking temperature without having to open the lid, losing precious heat each time! How long to roast a stuffed turkey?Your turkey roasting time will increase if you decide to roast a stuffed turkey. Plan to add an additional 15-45 minutes of cook time for a stuffed turkey. Disclaimer: it is harder to reach a safe internal temperature with a stuffed turkey, so be certain your bird is at least 165 degrees in ALL parts! How long to roast a 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, or 22 pound turkey?Here’s an easy-to-reference chart with recommended roasting times for varying sizes of turkeys. This information is from the University of Illinois Extension.
Delicious Thanksgiving Side Dishes:
We know you’ll enjoy this perfect roast turkey recipe! The combination of an electric roaster and digital grilling thermometer will make it the simplest, tastiest, tenderest, and all-around-best turkey you’ve ever had! Using an electric roaster really is the best way to roast a turkey, not to mention it frees up valuable oven space for those tasty sides! Happy Turkey Day and happy roasting! Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 4 hours Additional Time 10 minutes Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes Ingredients
Instructions
How long does it take to cook a 22 pound turkey in a roaster?You'll want to plan about 8-10 minutes per pound for an unstuffed bird at 325º Fahrenheit. You should always read your instruction manual because each roaster may be different.
What temperature do you cook a turkey in a roaster oven?Cook at 400 degrees for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and cook until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. (Cooking times will vary depending on turkey size.) Once the turkey is cooked, remove it from the roaster using the rack.
Do you put water in the bottom of a roaster for turkey?"Often consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."
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