HELP MEEEEEE!

[MomTo2Boys2526]

I've never cooked a turkey before in my life and I have never done a Thanksgiving dinner before either..

Please help me out!

How do I cook the turkey?

I'm soooooooo lost! lol

[Penguin_of_Matt]

Here is a great site to give to tips and pointers http://www.butterball.com/  

[SuperPickle]

This is how I do mine

First I brine  it.

Then I do this recipe

Roasted Turkey with Bourbon-Butter Glaze

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons snipped fresh marjoram or 2 teaspoons dried marjoram, crushed
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 14- to 16-pound turkey
1/4 cup bourbon
Salt
Pepper
Fresh herbs (optional)
Kumquats (optional)

For glaze, combine butter, brown sugar, marjoram, and lemon peel in a small mixing bowl. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Using your fingers, separate turkey skin from breast meat, being careful not to tear skin or pierce meat. Spread about half of the glaze over the breast meat under the skin. Melt remaining glaze; cool slightly. Stir in bourbon. Brush mixture over outside of turkey. Season turkey with salt and pepper. Pull neck skin to back and fasten with a short skewer. Tuck drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. If there isn't a band, tie drumsticks to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Insert a meat thermometer in the center of an inside thigh muscle. The thermometer bulb should not touch bone. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast in a 325 degree F oven for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees F. After 3 hours, cut the skin or string between drumsticks. Remove foil the last 30 minutes of roasting to let bird brown. Turkey is done when drumsticks move very easily in their sockets and their thickest parts feel soft when pressed. Remove turkey from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. If desired, garnish platter with fresh herbs and kumquats.

[dolou]

thaw it out, wash it and pat dry. Remove the giblets and the neck. giblets should be in the neck cavity, neck will be in the big cavity. Put it in a pan and put in the oven for several hours depending on t he size. YOu can put spices on the turkey and under the skin before cooking it. You can baste it with butter or olive oil while it cooks. Hope this helps you. It's not hard to cook a turkey. dolou

[trobnolte]

To make it REALLY easy for you. Buy those Reynold's plastic cooking bags. You do not have to worry about it, or check on it. I use them all the time for chicken and turkeys and it always comes out browned and juicy.

[MomTo2Boys2526]

Thanks ladies! I feel so silly not knowing how to cook a turkey but hey gotta start somewhere! lol

=)

[logansmama16]

Well..pull your turkey out now and put it in the fridge, if its not defrosted wednesday night, put it in the bathtub over night with cold water..then you need a oven bag, and a roasting pan..you can get both for under $5 at walmart..then when you go to cook it you take the bag and throw some flour in it and blow some air in it and shake it up..then put the bag in the pan, put some celery down and lay your turkey on top (inside the bag) dump in 2 cans of chicken broth..dont forget to clean it out and stuff it if you want..

Unstuffed
8 to 12 pounds 2 3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds 4 1/2 to 5 hours

Stuffed
8 to 12 pounds 3 to 3 1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours

Now what I do for seasoning..I take like 2 sticks butter and soften them (NOT TOO MUCH!!) just soft enough to play with..then I take a package of knorrs onion soup mix and mix it together with the butter..then you lift up the skin of the bird and rub it everywhere..you can even doo it on the inside of the turkey..then rub a lil on the skin and cook that sucker in the bag!!

[meganjjones]

me too!

Quoting trobnolte:

To make it REALLY easy for you. Buy those Reynold's plastic cooking bags. You do not have to worry about it, or check on it. I use them all the time for chicken and turkeys and it always comes out browned and juicy.

[ally1021]

this

Quoting trobnolte:

To make it REALLY easy for you. Buy those Reynold's plastic cooking bags. You do not have to worry about it, or check on it. I use them all the time for chicken and turkeys and it always comes out browned and juicy.