How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey Testimonials Page 5

• I made my first turkey last night using your directions... (modified a little for oven bag use).... and it came out great! .... and moist! ..... more than mom's has ever been!
  Thanks! Amy B. 11/17/09
• Just wanted to let you know. We have what we call "family dinner"
  which is us and our friends. Always the week before thanksgiving before we all head out of town to visit our respective families. This year, I followed your recipe and the turkey turned out great! It was incredibly juicy and delicious and everyone commented on how good it was! Thanks for sharing! Josh,
• What a relief it was to find your site again! Last year I volunteered to make a turkey for a church get together (I live in Costa Rica and not everyone has a big oven). Well! I cooked two turkeys for church, and they were such a big hit that all told during the holiday season I cooked seven turkeys! I printed out the directions last year and misplaced them somewhere, so it was great to find your site right at the top of the Google search. Whew! This site made my turkey time stress free! Thanks, Elizabeth P., 11/20/09
• WOW!!!!! I have never had white meat from a turkey be so juicy. I am 33 years old, and cooked my very first turkey ever using your recipe last year. It was awesome. I had absolutely nothing left for leftovers. For years when my mom or aunts would cook the turkey I remember always having turkey leftovers for days. But not mine!! Now don't bust my bubble I know I could have picked a smaller turkey than they did. And there are a few more mouths to feed. I just like to think mine is better. I am cooking my second one this year using this same recipe, and can't wait to eat. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. Jane S., 11/22/09
• I found your website last year and followed the instructions. It was the best turkey I have ever made! The only thing I did different was brine the turkey prior to cooking it. I do not have a covered dish but I made a foil "tent" over the bird and it worked just fine. You have given me the gift of making the perfect bird for my family every year. Thank you so much for putting up such wonderful instructions on how to cook a turkey. I can only imagine your site gets lots of hits around the holiday. I recommend it to everyone! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Cindy D., 11/22/09
  
• I've got to tell you, I've been trying to find the best way to cook a turkey and with only very small changes to your instructions, it's the best turkey my family has ever tasted. Thank you!
  
  I pull the skin apart and rub butter, but I also make a mixture of spices to rub under the skin. Rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, black pepper among others (no salt!)
  Putting the salt and pepper on the outside and cooking at 450 for 20 minutes is key. It makes the skin adhere to the meat, sealing the moisture in and then cooking it at 250 for an extended period of time. I find that the larger the bird, the fewer minutes per pound it needs to cook. A 19-20lb bird should be 18 minutes per pound instead of 20 (my experience).
  The other modification I have to your instructions is, I cover the drumsticks and wings with two layers of foil. I also loosely cover the breast with foil, but take it off 1/2 way through the cooking cycle. It helps lock in the moisture as well.
  
  I also brine my turkey and this adds some great flavor and really helps keep it moist.
  
  Thanks for sharing your techniques, it's proved to have some really great value.
  
  Sincerely, Chris - NH, 11/24/09
• All I can say is WOW!! My Turkey came out great this morning, Wednesday, November 25th, 2009. I put it in around 11pm last night and this morning when I took it out, it looked perfect and smelled Divine. I had a taste test and it is moist, juicy and delicious.
   
  Thanks so much for your recipe. I will use it every year from now on. This is our 2nd Thanksgiving in our new home and we decided to have Dinner tonight instead of tomorrow as we are going to relatives tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and Thank you again for help with making the most delicious turkey that I have tasted in a while- and I made it, Yah!! Kim from Philadelphia, PA 11/25/09
• I just want to say THANK YOU for putting your recipe online for me to find. I followed all your instructions, and my turkey was amazing. This is the first one I've ever cooked and I'm so glad it turned out great. I did however, use a 22 lb turkey, because I had already bought it before I found your site and saw the recommendations. Everybody was very pleased and talked about it the whole time we ate. My whole life my parent's cooked the turkey so dry, I never knew it could be so moist and tender. It even got done in almost half time I was supposed to cook it. It was supposed to take 7.5 hours and was done in 4 hours. Very pleased, and I plan to use this recipe EVERY year : Thanks! - Samantha from WV, 11/27/09
   
  I'm glad Samantha checked the turkey!

• That's a beauty!

  All I have to say is THANK YOU!
  
  This is the first time I ever prepared a dinner for more than myself and my child. I had eight guests but one most important was my 90 year old grandmother. I cooked a 20lb turkey. The meat fell right off the bone - it was beautiful. Everyone absolutely loved it. Grandma asked me for the recipe. I took your suggestion of placing seasoning underneath the skin of the breast. The only thing I did differently was seasoning. I used a special Spanish seasoning rub that has been passed down in the family. I have attached a copy of my bird for you to see.
  
  
  Thank you so much and I wish you and your family/friends many blessings and a safe holiday season. Yours Truly, Natasha J., 11/27/09
• I had my doubts, especially after reading disaster stories.
  But It came out great. I did thaw it in brine and I'm sure it helped. I had my temp set to 260F It worked! Maria M., 11/27/09
• I utilized your recipe with some adjustments. I injected orange juice and cooked the turkey upside down for more than half the cooking time. The turkey ended up being the best, most moist, delicious flavorful turkey. But the problems I had were the skin never got crisp, which is fine since I never eat it anyway. But also the thermometer never reached 170--only 140. After cooking the turkey an extra hour I went with the other method for testing doneness, clear juice present when stabbing the turkey in various places. The thermometer did get hot in boiling water so not sure the problem. However, the turkey seemed like it needed that extra hour due to a few pink spots, and was perfect after that extra time. I had the top partially covered with a pyrex dish for 75% of the cooking trying to speed it up and keep it moist. All that matters is it was delicious. But maybe warn people to leave extra time. Janelle D., 11/27/09
• Your recipe for a slow roasted turkey turned out excellent ! I have worked in the restaurant business my self and must tell you I made a few changes in your roasting temperatures simply for the sake of safe food handling.
  
  But I prepared the 25 pound bird by separating the skin from the meat as shown. I then melted two sticks of sweet butter in a bowl in the microwave. Pouring this between the skin and the meat was easy because I had the bird in an electric roaster pan. I added about 2 cups of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan, then salted and peppered the skin of the bird.
  
  I placed the bird into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F. I was able to monitor the internal temp of the breast with a remote digital thermometer. When the breast temperature reached 145 degrees F. , I lowered the oven temp to 225 degrees F. and continued the roasting until the temp. reached 180 degrees F., (not 170 F.)
  
  Total cook time was 6 hrs 45 min., total rest time 20 min. End result.... just as you said, "moist turkey" and many compliments.
  
  By the way, I brined the turkey in 2 and 1/2 gallons of water , 1 cup kosher salt and 2 cups dark brown sugar for 12 hours before roasting it. Brine and bird fit perfectly in a 5 gal. plastic pail, which fit in my second refrigerator with one shelf removed.
  Thanks for the great method for a perfect slow roasted turkey. Sincerely, Roy 11/27/09