Slow Roasted Turkey

I learned how to cook a turkey from my first husband's mom. Probably the one thing I regret is not telling her how much I learned about cooking from her. She was an awesome cook.

Keep in mind a few things with this turkey. This is NOT a pretty-Norman-Rockwell-Dad-Carves-the-Turkey-in-front-of guests-beautiful-golden-brown-turkey-on-a-platter. No. In fact, I don't even know how to do that. This is a super-moist-fall-off-the-bone-if-you-lift-it-out-of-the-roaster-you-pretty-much-just-get-the-bones-out kind of turkey. It is very delicious and the only kind my husband wants me to cook anymore.

Thaw that thing! Make sure you remember a couple days in advance to get the turkey out of the freezer and into the fridge to thaw.

Give yourself 10 hours or so for a huge turkey and adjust the time down for smaller birds. If we are planning the Thanksgiving meal at noon or 2 pm, which is what we usually do, I get everything ready the night before, set my alarm for about 2 am, turn on the turkey roaster oven and go back to bed. I also am fully aware that some people don't like to cook a turkey for this long and at this low of temperature, but I have been cooking turkey this way for 15 years, it's just such a GREAT turkey. You can do a half hour of HOT cooking at the end to make sure all the meat is at the necessary temperature if you are concerned about the low cooking temp.

Slow Roasted Turkey:
Rub a fully thawed turkey all over with butter, inside and out. You can also use olive oil instead of butter. Season cavity with salt and pepper. You can stuff the cavity with a quartered onion and some celery stalks, or traditional stuffing if you want (see notes below on stuffing). Rub the outside skin of the bird with a mixture of 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp poultry seasoning. Double the seasoning if it's a HUGE mother trucker of a bird.

I always use a turkey roasting oven that sits on the countertop to roast the turkey because I need my oven for other stuff all day. Place the turkey breast side down in the roasting oven on the roasting rack. Place the lid on and turn the oven temperature to 250 to 275 degrees ( I think I usually do 275 and turn it down to 250 if needed). Cook that sucker for 8 hours at that temperature, basting often, at least once per hour. About an hour before you're ready to serve the meal, turn the oven up to 400 and cook for 30 minutes, watching it very closely. Turn it down a little if it's just too hot. (I'll be honest here, I don't usually do this...that bird is cooked after 8 hours, but if you're germ-o-phobic it will make you feel better.) Transfer the meat to a warmed turkey platter and serve.

***Notes on Stuffing.....to stuff or not to stuff? I'm a stuffer. But this cooking method makes the stuffing a very moist, very sloppy stuffing because of the constant basting, but it's a very GOOD stuffing when it's done. It all depends on what your family likes. I serve stuffing two ways every year...the stuffed-stuffing and the not-stuffed-stuffing. I fill the turkey with my stuffing recipe and I also bake a separate casserole dish full of "unstuffed stuffing" for people that don't like the super moist in-the-bird version. So that's the stuff on stuffing.

Dutch Oven Version:
Same thing, put in a dutch oven sealed TIGHT. Probably max weight for a turkey in a dutch oven is about 16-17 lbs. I have a 16 inch dutch oven and I have to CPR that bird to get it in the dutch oven and my husband still has to use vice grips to keep the lid on tight until it cooks down a little. Replace coals all day to keep the dutch oven at a low temperature for 6-8 hours. Great camping meal, my friends beg for it every time we go.