It’s November which means it’s officially turkey season!

Every year I get quite jazzed about this yummy source of protein going on sale.

This obsession of mine has been going on at least 10 years and I can say I’ve gotten pretty confident in my almost no touch method.

This works really well regardless of the size of the turkey.  I’ve heard before get a smaller turkey to avoid drying it out. I’ve tried this with smaller turkeys , medium, and big 20 plus pounds and it works every time.

Here is what you will need ( non food):

A roasting pan with the roasting rack removed

Some aluminum foil

A meat thermometer

For the food you will need:

Turkey of choice thawed per directions on the package

Butter – 1 to 2 sticks

Seasonings of choice

Optional onions cut into chunks

Here is how I cook my turkey for best results:

I plan ahead of time what day I need to thaw my turkey for what day I want to cook it.  One thing I’ve learned is to aim for the shorter of times recommended.  So if it’s 3 to 4 days for example I do 3. The reason is I find it easier to remove any partially thawed chunks of ice in the cavities than to deal with all the mess of it being fully thawed. Also please the your turkey in a pan… trust me that’s one mess in your fridge I’d recommend you avoid.

Once the day to cook comes i removed one of the racks from my oven preferably before turning it on ( I do occasionally forget)

Preheat oven to 350. If you have convection bake definitely use it.

As my oven heats I prep my turkey.

I drag my trash can close to avoid dropping raw turkey on my floor.

Take the turkey out of its packaging and discard.

I remove from the turkey:

The neck

The giblets

The built in timer if it has one

The plastic piece at the legs of it has one

Once this is done season up the turkey.  I use salt pepper and garlic.  Sometimes poultry seasoning.

Add butter into the neck and bottom cavities. Add onions if using. Honestly the jury is out for me if it’s worth this extra step.

If you want you can drizzle some olive oil on top. Sometimes I do but I don’t feel like it makes much difference in flavor.

Once the turkey is seasoned here is the most important step.

Put it breast side down directly on the pan.

Here is why .

By placing the turkey breast down without the rack it will sit in all of the yummy juice the turkey releases and all the butter that will drip down.  The breast is usually what ends up dry.  By cooking it in the juice you avoid that problem completely. 

Also under the turkey is a lot of good meat that you can easily get to of the turkey cooks breast down. 

I never regret cooking a turkey this way.  If you are worried about crispy skin I’ll get to that soon.

Once the turkey is situated cover with foil put it in the oven and do not worry about it again until it’s time to take it out of oven. No need to baist.

Cooking time will depend on your oven and the size of the turkey  .

Once your turkey is cooked for the amount of time recommended and you confirm it’s fully cooked with a meat thermometer take out of the oven.

If you want crispy skin you can remove the foil and put back in for a few minutes.  If you want the skin on the breast crispy that can be accomplished by turning the turkey to be breast side up.  Please please just don’t do this with your bare hands. Use a tool or I have even done it with a few forks just no bare hands.

Let your turkey rest for a few minutes and enjoy. 

Don’t forget the juice at the bottom of the roasting pan is liquid gold.