Perfectly Easy Thanksgiving Turkey

Step 1

Choose a roasting pan that just fits your bird. Do not use a giant pan, the larger the surface area of your pan, the more the turkey drippings spread out and evaporate. The smaller the pan, the more turkey juices you will have to make gravy. The more juices there are, the more it will help "steam" the bird, therefore you will not have to baste this bird.

Step 2

The night before you bake your bird, dry off your bird with a paper towel, I dry off the inside. Then lightly salt and pepper the inside and outside of your turkey. Place the bird in the fridge overnight uncovered. If you are weirded out by this, VERY loosely drape the bird with some plastic wrap. You want to make sure there is air flow around your turkey. This is so you get a very crispy skin, which also helps seal in the juices when its baking.

Step 3

The day of baking the bird, Take out your butter and cut each stick into slices. Season all the butter slices with the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, sage and poultry seasoning.

Step 4

Cut your onion and apple in half and season with all the same seasonings. Remember you salted the bird the night before so keep that in mind when you are using the salt.

Step 5

Add half the slices from one stick of butter to the inside of the turkey, then shove in the apple, onion and garlic.

Step 6

Loosen the skin all over the top and legs and put all the rest of the slices of seasoned butter under the skin, all over the bird. As the butter melts it will naturally spread and distribute the seasonings.

Step 7

Rub the bird all over with whatever oil you choose. I use about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. I season the top again with all the seasonings, keeping in mind the salt I already used.

Step 8

Now here’s the trick, when ready to cook, preheat the oven to 475° stick the bird in and leave it at that temperature for 15 minutes, at 15 minutes, DO NOT OPEN the door, turn it down to 350° and let it cook. Never open the door; this adds cook time . Factor about 13 minutes of cook time per pound from when you go down to 350°. Check the bird at about 3 hours for temp. When the thickest part of the bird is at 155° turn off the oven, crack the door and let the bird rest 30 minutes. It will continue to cook 20 degrees.

Step 9

After he bird has rested 30 minutes, you can carve it.