It’s funny when I hear people talk about cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas. A state of panic sets in but why? My approach when I cook a bird is pretty straight forward. To me it’s just a big chicken. It’s bigger, fatter, heavier and stuffed with more stuff. So I just adjust my cooking times and temp and just let my oven work it’s magic. That being said I went straight to my trusty source to get the facts to share with you.
♥ Make sure when you put your turkey in a roasting pan you put it on a roasting rack, breast side up. If you don’t have a rack just crumple up some tin foil and line the bottom. You don’t want the bird to sit on the bottom of the pan
♥ Your turkey is done when the temperature with a meat thermometer is 180° F in thigh and 165° F in breast or stuffing.
♥ Cover neck and exposed stuffing with foil to prevent over-browning for turkey breasts.
♥ When the turkey is about 2/3 done, loosely cover breast and top of drumsticks with a piece of foil to prevent overcooking.
♥ When your turkey is up to temperature, remove it from the oven and the roasting pan. Place on a platter and let to sit for at least 25 minutes prior to carving.
Cooking Temps
♥ For whole turkeys, turkey breasts or even a boneless bird cook them at 325F (standard or convection). Your bird will state what temperature to cook it at. Some manufacturers say 325F while others say 350F. I personally go with 325F as that falls into alignment with the USDA.
Cooking Times
For more details see the USDA site about turkey cooking.
| Roasting a Whole Turkey in a Regular Oven | ||
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Cook Time (Unstuffed) | Cook Time (Stuffed) |
| 4 1/2 – 7 lbs | 2 – 2 1/2 hrs | 2 1/4 -2 3/4 hrs |
| 7 – 9 lbs | 2 1/2 -3 hrs | 2 3/4 -4 1/2 hrs |
| 9 – 18 lbs | 3 – 3 1/2 hrs | 3 3/4 – 4 1/2 hrs |
| 18 – 22 lbs | 3 1/2 – 4 hrs | 4 1/2 – 5 hrs |
| 22 – 24 lbs | 4 – 4 1/2 hrs | 5 – 5 1/2 hrs |
| 24 – 30 lbs | 4 1/2 – 5 hrs | 5 1/2 – 6 1/4 hrs |
| Roasting a Whole Turkey in a Convection Oven | ||
| Weight | Cook Time (Unstuffed) | Cook Time (Stuffed) |
| 6 – 10 lbs | 1 1/2 – 2 hrs | 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 hrs |
| 10 – 18 lbs | 2 – 2 1/2 hrs | 2 1/2 – 3 1/4 hrs |
| 18 – 22 lbs | 3 1/2 – 4 hrs | 4 1/2 – 5 hrs |
| 22 – 24 lbs | 3 – 3 1/2 hrs | 3 3/4 – 4 1/4 hrs |
| Roasting a Turkey Breast in a Regular Oven | ||
| Weight | Cook Time (Unstuffed) | Cook Time (Stuffed) |
| 3 – 5 1/2 lbs | 1 1/2 – 2 1/4 hrs | 2 – 2 3/4 hrs |
| 5 1/2 – 9 lbs | 2 – 2 3/4 hrs | 2 3/4 – 3 1/4 hrs |
| Roasting a Turkey Breast in a Convection Oven | ||
| Weight | Cook Time (Unstuffed) | Cook Time (Stuffed) |
| 3 – 5 1/2 lbs | 1 1/2 – 2 hrs | 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 hrs |
| 5 1/2 – 9 lbs | 2 – 2 1/2 hrs | 2 1/2 – 3 1/ 4 hrs |
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