It’s almost Thanksgiving! I decided this is the year that I will cook a whole turkey for the first time. When we do our family Thanksgiving meals, I’m more in charge of side dishes and desserts. But at age 38, it’s time for me to cook a turkey.
Granted, I’m doing it a few weeks prior this time. I like being able to practice before the pressure is really on.
So, on a regular Wednesday night in early November, my family had turkey for dinner! I was excited but also a bit nervous. And I will go ahead and tell you it was a huge success! As you can tell from the picture, I’m very proud of it. (Which is grainy because it’s the one photo I forgot to take, so I had to pull it from a video. My excitement and hunger got the best of me!)
If you’re planning to cook a whole turkey – especially if it’s your first time – there are some things I learned. Here are my biggest tips for cooking a whole turkey to help you be successful.
(This post is part of a partnership. Clicking the link will take you to the product page, and I may make a small commission when you do.)
1. Start with a great turkey.
You have to start with a great turkey. I got mine from ButcherBox, and it was so incredibly good! I already love their other meat – it’s such better quality for a better price than what I was getting at the grocery store. And it gets delivered to my door. It’s so convenient!
So, when I decided to cook a whole turkey, I knew I wanted to use one from them. No antibiotics and no preservatives. Plus, they know exactly which farm it comes from, which I think is pretty cool.
And right now, you can get a FREE turkey from ButcherBox! (Yes, FREE!) Another thing to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. And it will be delivered right to your door, so you can check that off your holiday to-do list! (If you’re reading this later on, the link will take you to their current deal, so check it out!)
2. Brine your turkey the day before.
I had no idea about this. The day before cooking the turkey, I found the recipe I wanted to use, and it recommended brining. Luckily, I was about to grocery shop, so I got the stuff just in time to make the brine. Here’s the recipe I used. It smelled so good, and I think it added a lot of flavor and juiciness.
I’d also get a brining bag. I didn’t have one and used a big pot. But the turkey didn’t really fit all the way. Next time, I want to try a bag.
3. Use this recipe.
About halfway through, I smeared fancy butter on the turkey. It had oranges and rosemary and added so much flavor. Here’s the recipe I used, and it’s now my go-to for the next time. I did this on a weekday with a 4-year old and a 2-year old, so I needed a simple, doable recipe. And one that used flavors everyone would enjoy. This was it! Everyone loved the turkey – seriously!
4. Make note of how big your turkey is.
You’ll need to know this for the backwards math you’ll do to figure out when to put the turkey in the oven. (And definitely do that math the night before!) I had to pull my wrapper out of the trash to find the size. This will save you from that.
5. Take a picture of any instructions that come with your turkey.
My turkey had some instructions about the pop-up timer and stuff to remove from the inside of the turkey. So, I took a picture of it to reference the day of. That was very helpful. But I also ended up just using a conventional thermometer once I thought it was done.
6. Plan other times for other dishes to go in the oven.
With the size of my turkey, nothing else could fit in my oven. I tried to halfway bake potatoes and then finish them later, but they didn’t turn out so great. So, plan side dishes that don’t require the oven, or figure out your logistics ahead of time. If I were doing this for Thanksgiving, I’d honestly probably cook it the day before and just warm it up day-of.
7. The in-between stuff is the part that takes a lot of time.
While the turkey does take a while to cook, that part is easy. It just sits in the oven while you do other stuff. What I found took a lot of hands-on time were the steps in between – like disinfecting the sink after raw meat stuff. It’s not bad, but do plan some cushion in your schedule. We needed about 45 minutes more cushion than I gave us.
8. Be proud of yourself!
It may sound cheesy, but I am super proud of myself! And you should be proud of yourself too. I consider this a big-deal kind of dish to make. Make a big deal out of it, and enjoy it!
I’m happy to say that I would cook a whole turkey again. And that’s a good feeling. I hope this helps you have a great experience too! You can do it!
