How to Stuff and Prepare a Thanksgiving Turkey
The secret is there is no secret. This simple method yields a flavorful, moist Thanksgiving turkey every time: spread butter under the skin, stuff loosely, season generously, and truss the legs. Here's a step-by-step guide.
Our Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Turkey for Thanksgiving
For a perfectly moist and tender turkey, follow our advice. The result? A bird is the star at your Thanksgiving table.
Pan Gravy
Serve with our Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze.
Maple-Glazed Turkey with Gravy
This turkey's crunchy, sweet crust is the result of boiling down maple syrup until it's almost crystallized and then brushing it on the bird during the last hour of cooking.
Classic Brined and Roasted Turkey
Brined to retain moisture, then basted with butter and wine while roasting, this turkey, the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, is golden and juicy. The bird is brined for 24 hours, so leave plenty of time for this recipe. If you don't brine yours, skip steps one and two.
Roast Turkey with Herb Butter
Getting a great-tasting turkey on the Thanksgiving table is easier than you might think. Here, the bird is rubbed with a flavorful mixture of butter and fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme before going into the oven. Use the roasted vegetables and turkey neck to make Rich Gravy.
Perfect Roast Turkey 101 (With Cheesecloth)
In her recipe for perfect roasted turkey, Martha roasts a 20-pound bird stuffed with her Classic Stuffing. Before it goes into the oven, she covers the turkey with four layers of cheesecloth soaked in a butter and white wine basting mixture. The cheesecloth keeps the bird moist, and prevents it from getting too dark too quickly. It's removed about an hour before the end of roasting to allow time for the turkey to brown.
Turkey Brine
Keeping your bird juicy isn't that hard—all you need is the right seasoning and a really large fridge. Brining is the first step in our roasted turkey recipe.
Roast Spatchcocked Turkey
Want to cook your turkey faster? Try spatchcocking. When the turkey's backbone is removed and the halves are flattened, the meat cooks in just one hour. Since this method doesn't allow for stuffing the bird, simply make a batch of turkey stock to flavor and moisten the stuffing as it bakes beside the meat.
Citrus and Herb Turkey
Roasted with orange, lemon, garlic, and fresh sage and thyme in its cavity, this simple citrus and herb turkey makes a spectacular Thanksgiving centerpiece. An easy pan gravy is the finishing touch.
Upside-Down Turkey
For super-flavorful gravy, scatter cut oranges, onion, and garlic, along with a few rosemary and sage sprigs, in the bottom of the pan before you begin roasting the turkey. This recipe for upside-down turkey is a fun way to prepare your Thanksgiving meal.