There was of course a lot more food that went along with the fabulous turkey (sorry, but I really impressed myself, ha) but I'll cover those in another posting. I've cooked my turkey the same way for the last 3 Thanksgivings and it has always been really easy and moist.
What you'll need:
Whole Turkey (your choice on size)
1 Apple
2 Celery Stalks
1 Onion
2 Lemons
Chicken Broth (about 16 oz)
Butter
Salt & Pepper
Poultry Seasoning
Olive or Vegetable Oil
Rosemary (prefer fresh, but used dried)
Onion & Garlic Powder
Because I only cook a whole turkey once a year I found a BIG one...21 lbs! When you buy a frozen turkey (which they almost always are) you'll want to start thawing it by putting it in your refrigerator about 4 days before you will cook it. After 3 days I still had to rinse some ice out of mine.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Cleaning it: I'm sure they turkey is already clean but I always cut mine out of the wrapper and place in in a large strainer in the sink (or if you scrub your sink really well, right in the sink). I remove any ties, plastic pieces, or anything else the turkey wasn't born with (except the plastic timer if you prefer to use it). I put the neck, and the "bag of organs" to the side. These can actually be cooked in a skillet with a little of your favorite seasonings and eaten while you wait for the turkey to cook. I've only eaten the neck, but I here some of it's pretty good. I also cut off his tail piece (just because it gets in the way) and then rinse him well inside and out.
I then move him (I'm really not sure if it was a boy or girl ok, but it's shorter than typing "the turkey" each time) to a large pan that has a grate in the bottom of it. You can also buy those big disposable foil pans and they have built in ridges that work....the point is just to keep the turkey out of the liquid that will build up. The turkey should be placed breast side up. The wings should be folded under. You might have to force them, and if he won't cooperate I don't think it's all that important. It's for appearance, not flavor.
Chop the fruit and veggies. You can do it as pictured but how they are chopped is not really important. You will not be eating any of these and removing peels is not necessary. Stuff the inside of the turkey with the fruit and veggie pieces and put any remaining pieces in the pan around the turkey. If you have fresh rosemary a sprig of that can be put inside the turkey. I forgot to buy it and was not going to the store on Thanksgiving.
Pour the chicken broth into the pan around the turkey and pour a little of it inside the turkey. Sprinkle with each seasoning listed and feel free to remove or add anything you want. After the sprinkling is complete put a few dabs of butter on him and pour a little oil over the top of him. Now give him a good rub down....hey, it is his last meal. Ok, bad joke, just make sure he's seasoned well :)
Cover with foil and put him in the oven. The rule of thumb I've always been told is 20 minutes of cook time per pound. Mine took 7-8 hours so the rule was right on. Be sure to baste the turkey about every hour and a half or so. Because of the fruits and veggies it's pretty hard to dry this turkey out...so if you miss a basting do not be too hard on yourself. During the last hour of cooking remove the foil so that the skin can brown and baste every 20 minutes. If the skin is browning too quickly you can cover that part of the turkey back up.
I always use a meat thermometer to make sure it's done. Turkey should be at least 170 degrees in the breast. Avoid checking it too often because the juice leaks out of each hole you poke in it (even the fruits and veggies can't save him if you poke him too often). After you remove the turkey from the oven it's best to let it sit for about 15 minutes before cutting it up. Let the juices settle in a little and then feast!
