Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey

Karen Sokol

We used a cooking bag to cook a turkey, Christmas 1993. The meat was juicy, but I will never forget how it hurt my mother's feelings. She took me aside after dinner and told me "that she hoped I would never forget how we cook a turkey." My mother took it personally, and it made her sad that we had cooked it a different way. I think she was fearful that I was not going to carry on the traditional way she had always made it. The following is the recipe and method my mother and her mother and I prepare the bird for roasting on Thanksgiving and Christmas or any other time. The bacon strips placed on the breast and legs of the turkey are the key to moist, flavorful turkey. The turkey-roasted bacon is a family favorite to eat just as the fully roasted turkey comes out of the oven

1 large turkey, at least 23 pounds

Remove neck and giblet packet from the body and neck cavity. Wash the inside and outside of turkey in cold water until water draining out runs clear. Drain well and dry inside with paper towel. Stuff with dressing that has been made ahead of time and had time to chill. Lightly stuff neck and body cavity, secure. (I use a very large needle threaded with fine twine, sewing the bird with large stitches.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place turkey, breast side up in roasting pan on a rack. Cover with partially cooked bacon strips. (This makes the bacon less fat so gravy won't be as greasy later.) Make sure to use thick sliced bacon. Use a whole lb. of it so there is enough for everyone to have a taste that wants it.

Cover with roaster lid, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast about 20 minutes per lb. longer. (It usually cooks faster than the estimated 20 minutes per pound.) A stuffed turkey (20 to 24 pounds) takes 6 ½ to 7 ½ hours. Turkey is cooked when meat thermometer reaches 185 degrees. You can check for doneness by inserting a fork into thickest part of thigh. If juices run clear, the turkey is cooked.

Let turkey stand or rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

To store leftovers:

Unused turkey should be refrigerated or frozen after it is removed from oven. Stuffing and gravy should be stored within two hours of making. Keep leftover turkey in fridge up to 4 days, stuffing and gravy only 2. Turkey can be frozen and used within 4 months.