How to Roast a Turkey (Thawing, Timing and Temps)

Before you start

• How big: figure 1 to 1½ pounds per person, more if you want leftovers. Two 12-pound birds cook faster and more evenly than one 24-pounder.
• A thermometer: an instant-read digital one, or a leave-in probe. The time charts get you close; the thermometer tells you when.
• A pan: a heavy roasting pan with a rack, or a rack set in a rimmed sheet pan. Low sides let hot air reach the thighs.
• A plan for salt: a dry brine 1 to 3 days ahead seasons the meat all the way through. See the brining guide, or follow dry-brined roast turkey.

Thawing chart

Thaw it in the refrigerator, breast up in a pan to catch drips, and give it about one full day for every 4 to 5 pounds. Forgot? Thaw it in cold water: keep it in its wrapper, sink it breast down in a clean sink or cooler, and change the water every 30 minutes. That takes about 30 minutes a pound, and the bird should be roasted as soon as it's thawed. Never thaw it on the counter or in warm water.

If it's still icy on the day, you can roast it anyway; a fully frozen bird takes about half again as long, and you'll have to pull the giblet bag out partway through.

How to roast it

1. Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour ahead. Pull out the neck and giblets (check both ends) and pat it dry. Tuck the wing tips behind the back.
2. Move an oven rack down a notch below center and heat the oven to 425°F. Put the bird breast up on the rack in the pan. Scatter a chopped onion, carrot and celery stalk and the neck in the pan with a cup of water so the first drippings don't burn.
3. Brush the skin with melted butter or oil. Roast at 425°F for 30 minutes, until the skin starts to turn gold.
4. Turn the oven down to 325°F and keep going. Don't baste; every time the door opens the oven loses heat and the skin gets wet. If the pan goes dry, add a splash of water.
5. Start checking temperatures about 45 minutes before the chart says it's done. If the breast is deep brown well before the thighs are ready, lay a piece of foil loosely over it.
6. It's done when the thickest part of the thigh reads 170°F to 175°F and the deepest part of the breast 155°F to 160°F. If the breast is there but the thighs are lagging, cut the legs off and send just them back to the oven.

Roasting time chart

These are times at 325°F for a fully thawed bird. Our hot start shaves about 15 to 20 minutes off, and a dry-brined bird, a convection oven or a very accurate oven can be faster still. Treat the chart as a way to plan the day, then let the thermometer decide.

We'd bake the stuffing in a dish (/stuffing or southern cornbread dressing with sage) instead of inside the bird. It cooks evenly, gets a crisp top, and the turkey doesn't have to overcook while the stuffing catches up. If you do stuff it, pack it loosely right before roasting, about ¾ cup per pound of bird, and make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165°F.

The spatchcock option

Cut out the backbone and press the bird flat, and everything gets easier. The thighs sit out in the heat instead of hiding under the breast, so white and dark meat finish together. A 12- to 14-pound turkey roasts in about an hour and a half, and every inch of skin faces up and crisps.

With heavy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from tail to neck and lift it out (save it for gravy). Flip the bird skin side up, spread the legs, and press hard on the breastbone with the heel of your hand until it cracks and lies flat. Set it on a rack over a rimmed sheet pan with vegetables and a little water underneath, and roast at 450°F until the thighs and breast hit the same temperatures as above. The details are in dry-brined spatchcock turkey. It needs a sheet pan large enough to hold it, so measure your oven first.

Resting and pan drippings

Move the turkey to a carving board and let it rest 30 to 45 minutes. It stays hot far longer than you'd think, the breast climbs to 165°F as it sits, and the juices settle back into the meat. Tent it loosely with foil if your kitchen is drafty; leave it uncovered if you'd rather keep the skin crisp.

Meanwhile, tip the pan juices into a fat separator or a tall measuring cup and let the fat rise. Set the pan over two burners, add a cup of stock, and scrape up every brown bit. For gravy, cook 3 tablespoons of the turkey fat with 3 tablespoons of flour for each cup of liquid until it smells nutty, then whisk in the defatted drippings and the deglazed pan liquid and simmer until it coats a spoon. Taste before salting, especially if the bird was brined. Our make-ahead turkey gravy has the full method, including a make-ahead version.

Common mistakes

• Starting the thaw too late. A 20-pound bird needs to go in the fridge the weekend before. Count back from the day.
• Going by the pop-up timer. It pops well past done. Use a real thermometer.
• Only checking the breast. The thighs are the slow part and the safety question. Check both.
• Carving right away. Give it the full rest. It's the best 30 minutes of the day to finish the sides.
• Opening the oven to baste. It doesn't make the meat juicier, it just slows everything down and softens the skin.