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November Meal Plan

Thanksgiving Turkey

This juicy, oven roasted turkey recipe is so easy...but they'll never know! Roast the perfect turkey this year with no special materials required!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword entree, Thanksgiving
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 10 people

Ingredients

  • 10 lb turkey (This recipe should work without ingredient adjustments for most birds 8 to 14 pounds. Please note that the cooking time will change depending on size!)
  • 1/4 c butter, softened
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t onion flakes
  • 1 t sage
  • 1 t thyme
  • 1 t rosemary
  • 1 med pear or apple, halved
  • 1 med onion, halved
  • 2 cloves garlic, halved

Instructions

  1. Mix your butter with half of each of these seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, sage, thyme, and rosemary together in a small bowl.

  2. Here's the secret to a juicy bird! Pinch up the skin attached to the breasts near the open cavity. Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut slits in the skin. Slide chunks of the butter beneath the skin in 2-4 different slits.

  3. If you like, you can cut slits on the other side of the turkey breast and add more butter there.

  4. Place your apple or pear halves, onion halves, and garlic cloves inside the turkey cavity.

  5. Sprinkle the rest of the seasonings over the top of the bird.

  6. Make a tinfoil tent over the bird.

  7. Bake your turkey at 325F for 15 minutes per pound. (That's 2 1/2 hours for a 10 lb bird.)

  8. Baste every 20-30 minutes.

  9. When there is just one hour left of bake time, remove the tinfoil for beautifully browned skin.