Roast Turkey
Heresy Method:
Cook the turkey upside down! The breast does not get as dried out. The dark meat is actually done at the same time as the breast. What a concept! Go to the Upside Down Turkey page for scary images...
Traditional Method:
The traditional method of roasting a turkey was to follow the directions in the 1946 version of The Joy of Cooking, by Irma Rombauer, a delightful book that also showed us how to do great things like skin a squirrel and roast a beaver tail.
Roast turkey: Preheat the oven to 450°. Immediately reduce the heat after placing the turkey inside. For an 18-25 lb. turkey, cook in a 300° oven, 15 minutes to the pound. For a 10-16 lb. turkey, cook in a 350° oven, 20 minutes per pound.
Rub turkey with sage and pepper, or with commercial poultry seasoning. Spray with Pam to hold the seasonings in place. Refrigerate overnight to allow seasoning to penetrate meat.
Make aluminum foil "booties" to go over the ends of the legs and tips of the wings. When the turkey starts to get nice and brown, put a loosely fitting aluminum foil tent over the top to keep it from drying out.
Cooking Method:
These cooking directions are from Sunset Magazine. Be sure that you have a good meat thermometer, because the temperature is more important than the time.
