Roast turkey is one of the most iconic foods for the holiday season in America, and as it should be! It’s wonderful, delicious, and heart warming all at the same time as we enjoy the amazing flavor, and the nostalgia of past holidays, with every bite.
It makes sense that you would want your turkey to come out perfectly, whether or not you are hosting a large gathering or just feeding your immediate family, and this method delivers every time.
Roast Your Best Turkey in a Roasting Bag
“Well, isn’t that cheating?” you say.
“Yes. It is.” I say. “But who cares if it gets the job done?”
And that’s the way it is. A roasting bag has been the answer to a no fuss, unstressful, holiday turkey for years at Stone Family Farmstead.
As a matter of fact, every time I haven’t used a roasting bag, I have found myself in this loop:
- Remove turkey from oven
- Check temperature deep into the thigh (hoping that I am checking the right place)
- Realize the turkey is not at the right temperature all the way through
- Repeat
- Again and again
It takes a lot of fun out of the holidays when you are afraid you are going to feed your family raw turkey and make them sick!
There’s No Shame in a Roasting Bag
Honest, there isn’t. Try not to be hard on yourself if you have trouble cooking a turkey and need the aid of a roasting bag.
Heck, I’ve been cooking turkey for probably 30 years, and still find the roasting bag to be the best option for a well-cooked turkey.
I have honestly tried to roast my turkeys in a roasting pan, an electric roaster, and the oven sans-bag, but nothing works as well as when I use a roasting bag.
No-Fuss Roast Turkey
In addition to a no-shame, no-stress turkey, you get a no-fuss one as well. No opening up the oven and breaking into a sweat to baste every 20 minutes!
That’s right — no basting. Basically, this turkey is all prep and then roast, with no need to mess with it until it’s done!
It really is kind of miraculous when you think of all the time you will recover to spend time with your family, or just enjoy the holiday.
Equipment You Will Need to Get Before Using This Recipe
- Oven roasting bag large enough to accommodate the size turkey you are roasting
- Roasting pan
- Reynolds turkey bag oven guide (download here)
The Recipe
Roast Turkey (Oven Bag Method)
Ingredients
- 1 whole Turkey
- 1 stick Butter
- Herbs to taste salt, pepper, sage, thyme
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Place a turkey roasting bag into a large roasting pan that is at least two inches deep. Sprinkle one tablespoon of flour into the bag, and shake to distribute. Add sliced vegetables to the bag if you would like. Fold back the ends of the bag several times to help hold it open while you place the turkey inside (later step).
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey. Then rinse, and pat dry. If you like to stuff your turkey, place stuffing into cavity. Be careful not to overstuff.
- Brush the turkey with oil or melted butter, and rub seasonings on it according to your taste. Place turkey in the roasting bag, atop sliced vegetables if you added them.
- Close the bag with the tie that is found within the roasting bag envelope.
- Make 6 half-inch slits in the top of the bag, to allow steam to escape as the turkey cooks. Tuck corners of the bag in the pan and trim or fold down the end of the bag, to make sure it doesn’t touch the oven or heating elements when it’s cooking.
- Place the turkey on the lowest rack of your oven to roast. No need to baste or attend the turkey. Look at the cooking chart you downloaded before for the estimated time for cooking a turkey in an oven bag. To know when the turkey is done cooking, measure the temperature through one of the cut slits in the top of the bag. Place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey thigh.
- Let turkey stand in the bag for 15 minutes after removing from the oven. Then cut the bag open with cooking shears or a paring knife.
- To remove the turkey from the bag, insert serving forks in the neck and chest cavity of the turkey. Then simply lift your turkey and transfer to a serving dish for dinner. Use the juices to make flavorful gravy to pair with the moist turkey.
Notes
PIN FOR LATER
I DO NOT slit the bag but leave the end open about the size of a quarter. Cook BREAST DOWN for 1/2 the time then flip over to BREAST UP. I do my best to pull the bag away from the skin. When I remove the Turkey from the bag, I remove all the skin and return to the oven on parchment paper till CRISPY! The Turkey is cut up and served on a platter and ALL the skin is munched on as an appetizer. The BREAST down method was from a Finnish friend and the bag makes it super easy to flip!
Ooohhhh, I’ll have to try those ideas, Suzanne! Thank you for sharing!