We’re closing in on Thanksgiving, which means it’s time to talk some serious turkey. If you want to serve a fresh, never frozen turkey, you still have time to order one. And if you aren’t sure about some of the basics, we’ve got a guide that spells out exactly how much to buy, how long you’ll need to allow for thawing, and answers to other burning questions (like is brining really worth the effort).
As to which roast turkey recipe to use, there are so many choices. Over the years, we’ve tried
just about every method of preparing Thanksgiving turkey. We’ve done the classic oven roast, yielding crispy brown skin. We’ve butterflied the bird and cooked turkey parts, which both cut the cooking time significantly. We’ve even tried a tricked-out, complicated recipe from one of the country’s best chefs. Some turkey recipes worked better than others, and these 12 stand-out as our favorites.
Simple Classic Roast Turkey
Are you a Thanksgiving traditionalist? You can’t go wrong with this brilliant roasted turkey from Portland cookbook author Diane Morgan’s “The Thanksgiving Table.” The preparation is easy enough for first-timers, but yields a cooked turkey with a knock-out taste (and moist breast meat). Morgan serves it with an equally easy-to-make gravy.
Recipe: Simple Classic Roast Turkey; Simple Classic Gravy.
Gourmet’s roast turkey
When the venerable cooking magazine Gourmet closed its doors almost a decade ago, we got nostalgic over all the great recipes we’d found in its pages over the decades, including some tried-and-true Thanksgiving dishes, like Roast Turkey With Cider-Sage Gravy. The recipe calls for a brined or kosher turkey, which ensures juicy meat. For the gravy, we recommend using one of the delicious hard ciders from one of Oregon’s artisan cider houses.
Recipe: Roast Turkey With Cider-Sage Gravy.
Simplest Roast Turkey
Here’s another winner from the pages of Gourmet, and it couldn’t be easier. Just 4 ingredients: a whole turkey, butter, salt and pepper. The secret is the high-heat roasting method, which locks in juices and gets the bird done in no more than 2-1/2 hours. This method won’t work for turkeys larger than 16 pounds (the meat will dry out with larger birds). But if you’re feeding a smaller crowd, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of this approach.
Recipe: Simplest Roast Turkey.
Grilled turkey
Ivy Manning came up with this terrific way to cook turkey over a gas or charcoal grill. Not only does it free up your oven to cook other Thanksgiving dishes, you get a bird with delicious smoked flavor. If you’re using a gas grill, Manning has a tip that is born out of experience: Have an extra canister of fuel on hand – just in case you run out on the holiday when stores are closed.
Recipe: Grill-Roasted Turkey.
The butterflied bird
Want to cook a whole turkey in the fraction of time it normally takes? Try a butterflied bird (aka “spatchcocked.” Chefs swear by this method, because the turkey cooks more evenly. Before roasting, you use kitchen shears to remove the backbone, then split the turkey along the breastbone. You won’t put this turkey on Pinterest, but you’ll be pleased with how good it tastes.
Recipe: Easy Butterflied Turkey.
Roasted turkey parts
This speedy turkey recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated and the folks at America’s Test Kitchen. It may not give you the picture-perfect roasted turkey, but we aren’t trying to be Noman Rockwell. The beauty is you can remove the breast from the oven when it’s done, and allow the thighs and drumsticks to continue cooking longer.
Recipe: Roasted Turkey Parts With Gravy.
The low-and-slow approach
The recipe creators at America’s Test Kitchen turned to a French technique called cooking “en cocotte” where the bird is cooked with aromatics at very low heat with no added liquid in a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. This traps the steam released by the meat during cooking, essentially braising it in its own juices. It’s a good approach if your Thanksgiving meal is for four people – you’ll still have enough leftovers for next-day sandwiches.
Recipe: Turkey Breast en Cocotte With Pan Gravy.
Turkey for just two
Here’s another recipe that’s perfect if you’re not serving a big crowd. Sara Moulton roasts a turkey breast with a mixture of zucchini and ricotta cheese under the skin, which keeps the meat moist and infuses it with flavor. Because the turkey has Italian flavors, leftover are perfect for Black Friday casseroles.
Recipe: Italian-style Roast Turkey Breast.
Turkey with a touch of barbecue
What would happen if you took the flavors of the summertime grill and transported them to the Thanksgiving table? That’s exactly what we’re after with this recipe, which features cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion, thyme and smoked paprika.
Recipe: Barbecue Spiced Turkey.
The dry-brined bird
We’re fans of brined turkeys – they really do make a more-moist and flavorful bird. But some people are turned off by the mess. This Ivy Manning recipe cleans things up, using a dry brine of spiced sea salt, which is generously rubbed all over the turkey, inside and out, the night before Thanksgiving. No messy brining bags or liquid to pour down the drain.
Recipe: Dry-Brined Turkey and Pan Gravy.
A touch of sweetness
Maple syrup is a flavor associated with a lot of Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts. But it gives this roast turkey a touch of sweetness, which is accentuated further with the apple and ginger-spiced sauce.
Recipe: Roast Turkey With Maple Glaze, Apples and Ginger Butter.
The CRAZY chef recipe
Bryan Voltaggio is one of America’s best chefs, and he’s cooked plenty of turkeys over the years. Because different parts of the bird cook differently, he breaks it all down and cooks things in different ways, braising the thighs and wings, smoking the drumsticks, and roasting the breast. Yes, it’s an insane amount of work, even for experienced cooks. But Voltaggio contends it’s worth the effort. For an easier path, you can just buy whole turkey breasts and prepare them using his unique mayonnaise-based marinade, which is thick enough to hold the marinade in place instead of running out of the meat.
Recipe: Bryan Voltaggio’s Thanksgiving Turkey.
More Thanksgiving recipes
- 30 Thanksgiving side dish recipes, including 3 must-have green bean casseroles.
- 17 Thanksgiving stuffing recipes to dress up your table.
- 35 plant-based Thanksgiving recipes that are sure to please everyone.
- Make-ahead mashed potatoes, plus 14 other essential Thanksgiving potato dishes.
-- Grant Butler
503-221-8566; @grantbutler
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