Since Thanksgiving is just a few days away (seriously, I can’t believe it!) I wanted to re-share one of my most popular Thanksgiving posts from a few years ago. If you’re in charge of the big meal this year and are wondering how to roast a juicy turkey, I’m here to help!
By following the 3 super simple tips in today’s post, I can almost guarantee your turkey meat will be SO tender and juicy, you won’t ever roast a turkey any other way again!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
.
1. Roast Your Turkey in an Oven Bag
I always roast my turkeys in Oven Bags — in fact, I can’t even remember the last time I roasted a turkey (or a chicken) without using a roasting bag.
The bags are very inexpensive, they are available at most grocery stores (or online), they save your oven from boatloads of grease splatters, and they will almost guarantee that your meat will turn out extremely moist and juicy.
.
2. Roast Your Turkey with the Breast Side DOWN!
Another slightly unconventional tip I’ve used for years is to roast my turkey with the breast side DOWN.
This allows all the juices to flow down through the white meat and keeps it nice and juicy! (The dark meat is still very juicy too)
As you can see by the photo below, roasting the turkey with the breast down is not nearly as pretty as when it is roasted breast up.
But since I almost always carve the meat off the bones before I bring it to the table, it really doesn’t matter much what the bird LOOKS like coming out of the oven.
Which brings me to my third tip…
3. Roast your turkey ahead of time and cut the meat off the bone before guests arrive.
Whenever I’m cooking for a crowd, I roast the turkey (or whatever meat we’ll eat) a day or more in advance, pull all the meat off the bone, put the meat (and juices) in a large slow cooker, and simply warm it up before guests arrive.
This tip saves SOOOOOO much time, mess, hassle, and stress.
Plus, the meat is SO tender and juicy because it’s cooking in a nice slow cooker meat-juice bath!
Not only do I know the meat is fully cooked on time, but I also can taste test it, add more seasonings if necessary, use some of the juices to make the stuffing and gravy in advance, AND clean up the huge turkey mess!
On Thanksgiving morning, I simply put the turkey in the slow cooker, the gravy in another slow cooker, the stuffing, potatoes, squash, corn, etc. in the oven, and the fruit, applesauce, salad, dessert, and rolls in the fridge or on the counter.
The only “last minute” thing I need to do is the veggies… talk about less stress for the cook!!
I’m sure Gordon Ramsey and Martha Stewart would not approve — but my dinner guests have never once complained, and it’s so much easier for me to host when I can have things prepped ahead of time!
.
Tips for leftover turkey meat.
The extra juicy meat freezes wonderfully to use later in soups, stews, casseroles, and more!
- Read how I make the most out of a whole turkey in this post.
- Here’s another great post with more than 50 ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.
- These are a few of our family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes
While I would never consider myself a “master chef”, I do enjoy trying new recipes and ideas. I also like finding simple solutions to improve the taste of my food and reduce the amount of time I spend in the kitchen.
If simplifying and streamlining your time in the kitchen while preparing a deliciously juicy turkey sounds like a win-win for you this Thanksgiving, then today’s tips are just what you need!
I’ve roasted many turkeys in my life and every single time, the meat has been fall-off-the-bone delicious, thanks to these 3 tips!
Do you use Oven Bags to roast turkey?
Have you ever roasted a turkey breast down?
Do you make your turkey ahead of time?
Calliope says
Hi Andrea!
Do you season the bird before you put it in the roasting bag? If yes, what do you use?
I will do the same with a big rooster (we don’t like turkey).
Do you think it takes the same time roasting with the bag as it takes the conventional way?
thank you!
Andrea says
I usually put salt and pepper — sometimes garlic, but that’s about it.
The packages that the bags come in tell you a roasting time based on pounds of meat — I think it’s pretty similar to without a bag, but I always just do whatever the bag says.
Debbie Ditto says
I have always done my turkeys using steps 1 & 2 but I’m excited to add step 3!
About how long does it take to reheat the turkey in the crockpot? I don’t want to over do it on the reheat!
Andrea says
Hi Debbie, sometimes I just put the turkey + broth straight into the slow cooker (like the night before) and just let it sit on warm for hours. If it’s all cold when you put it in, it will take a couple of hours to get warm again… just keep it on low and keep plenty of liquid in the slow cooker and it won’t overcook.
Linda says
I used all of your tips for today and it was a very smooth day!
I cooked up everything just like you suggested. I was taking all of my food to my parents, 1 1/2 hours away. I placed everything straight from the over to my cooler on wheels. Crockpot insert went into a cooler also. Everything was still hot when we sat down to eat almost two hours later. Thanks for all of your simplified instructions. I will also be using an oven bag from now now.
Andrea says
oh wow, that’s so great to hear! what a nice daughter to not only make all the food, but then transport it all that way! I’m sure your parents appreciated your efforts — and I’m thrilled a few of my ideas helped you simplify the day 🙂
Lisa says
Hi Andrea,
So cool that you use the breast-down trick as well!
We raise our own free-run turkeys, so I had to learn how to cook them as they are quite different than store bought turkeys.
I brine my turkey in water with a bit of brown sugar and lots of kosher salt the day before I cook it. That helps keep it juicy.
I don’t use oven bags but I do always make sure I cook the turkey breast side down.
Thanks for the other cooking tips!
Andrea says
Yes, the breast down works super well! I haven’t tried doing a brine, but I’ve read that’s great way to keep them juicy!
Shannon says
Hi Andrea, do you take the meat off the bone on the day you cook the turkey? Or do you leave it whole and take it off on the day you put it in the slow cooker?
Andrea says
Hi Shannon,
I let the turkey cool a bit, then remove all the meat and then reheat whenever I want to serve it. That way, there are no bones to pick around on the day you are serving it.
BJ says
How long do you reheat your turkey for? Also, since I won’t have a Crock Pot to put the turkey in, what temperature should the oven setting be for reheating? Thanks Andrea!
Andrea says
hmm…. I’ve honestly never reheated it in the oven. Make sure it has lots of broth AND that it’s tightly sealed with foil to prevent it from drying out. I’d try a lower temperature (250ºF) for a couple of hours — and make sure to check on it often!
Julie says
Do you cook the turkey a day ahead and put in fridge and then heat up in slow cooker ?
Andrea says
yes. I often cook it a couple days in advance and put it in the fridge to cool. Then I reheat the next day in the slow cooker (on low).
Jeanine says
I tried clicking on “50 ways to use leftover Thanksgiving food” and got the “oops” page not available message. Can you check it out or is it my computer?
Andrea says
I just fixed the link — thanks for letting me know!
Katie says
Brine that bird! I’ve been using Alton Brown’s recipe for several years now and the turkey always turns out so tasty and juicy. However, because there is a lot of salt absorbed by the bird during the brining process, the drippings are very salty and don’t make the best gravy.
Andrea says
I’m hyper-sensitive to saltiness, so I guess I’ve always stayed away from brining for that reason. I don’t like overly-salty meat, gravy, broth, etc.
However, I’m sure it’s nice and juicy!
JJ says
Last year our oven died on Thanksgiving! My husband’s uncle ordered a turkey roaster for me just incase for this year. Haha! Thankfully it was just a part that my husband had to order from Amazon and replace. But it was a bummer! This year I’ll try the oven bag in the roaster. I love the idea of roasting it the day before. I need to do that. Perfect timing for this post!!!
Andrea says
oh my –that’s unfortunate! I guess that’s one of the other bonuses to cooking the meat ahead of time! 🙂
stacie says
I host Thanksgiving for about 15-17 ppl every year and it was always hectic trying to make sure all the food was ready at the table . I took up your tips last year by doing mostly everything ahead of time and my Thanksgiving was so much easier, and less hectic! I’ll definitely use them again this year thank you !!!
Andrea says
YUP! I host A LOT of meals at our house, and motto is ALWAYS to make as much of the food as I possibly can ahead of time. It’s much more enjoyable for me and it’s easier for cleanup too!
Annette Silveira says
Since I have taken over hosting Thanksgiving dinner I have used The Lazy Genius’s recipe for “The Only Thanksgiving Turkey You’ll Ever Need”. I was nervous about being responsible for the main dish of the main family gathering of the year, and Kendra (The Lazy Genius) had my back.
Andrea says
glad your turkey turned out! I’ll have to google that recipe 🙂
Tonya says
I always use oven bags! I love them for Turkey, chicken and even pot roast. I host Thanksgiving and I have never had a dry turkey.
Lauren D says
You encouraged me to thaw my turkey (on super sale from last year) and cook it up this weekend! What temperature do you cook it at? I’m cooking it breast side down too for the first time! I will report back on its deliciousness!
Andrea says
Yay for turkey! The cooking time depends on the weight of the turkey and if you are going to stuff it or not (I never stuff mine) so just follow the instructions on the cooking bag (or on the turkey) and you should be all set!
Lauren D says
The turkey I made last weekend breast side down and in a bag was AMAZING!! It was the most moist white meat! It does cook faster in the bag as well. Just follow the instructions in the box and good to go! My 16lb turkey took 3 hours. Yummm! I also softened 1.5 sticks of butter and mixed into the butter some dried oregano, basil and sage. About 1 TBSP of each and rubbed the top and bottom of it while in the bag! Thanks for making our turkeys tastier, Andrea!
Andrea says
glad to help 🙂
Annette Robinson says
Hi Andrea. I have a question regarding your turkey-cooked-in-a-bag. Are you able to save the drippings to make the gravy from the bag?
Andrea says
Yup, you will need to cut open the bag to get the turkey out, so all the juices just run into the pan and are ready to go to make gravy.
Katie P. says
Yes! I don’t make a lot of turkeys but I make whole chickens all throughout the year and always roast breast side down! Much better white meat this way — I totally agree! (Usually do mine in the crock pot).
Carrie says
Does cooking the turkey in the bag change the cooking time at all? Does it cook faster or slower? Are there any other changes to the normal cooking process by cooking it in the bag?
Andrea says
I’m not sure, I’ve only ever used a bag so I don’t have experience roasting a turkey without one. However, the bag comes with instructions so just follow those and you should be all set!
Karynz says
Normally, I don’t used a cooking bag, but I do roast my turkey “Breast Down”. If it is a smaller turkey (12-14lbs), I turn it over to “Breast Up” about halfway through the cooking process and it browns the skin nicely for presentation or some crunchy “Skin Snacking”.
Julie says
I do the same thing, both with turkeys and with whole chickens. Works wonderfully!
Jen says
Absolutely! The browning is a VERY important factor! That’s why I would never use a slow cooker! I’ve never used a cooking bag- does that allow it to brown?
Andrea says
YES! surprisingly, the turkey browns nicely in the bag. The skin even gets crispy!
Sandra says
My grandparents always made turkeys this way, too! Delicious!
Jen T says
I’ve never roasted a turkey, period. We go out each year, thankfully, b/c I hate turkey and can order filet mignon 🙂
Trina says
This response made me laugh! Celebrate your way!
Sarah says
Hey there! Silly first timer question…how much broth do you use in the crock pot with the Turkey (do you fill it up to the brim or just halfway with broth?)? I want to make sure it’s nice and juicy. I wasn’t sure if you take any out before hand for gravy.
Thanks so much! Happy thanksgiving.
Andrea says
Not a silly question at all!
I do usually take some broth out to make gravy (or you can take the broth out right before you eat and make the gravy then).
That said, I do cover the turkey with broth — you can always add some storebought broth or top it off with water to cover the meat.
Sarah says
Thank you! I can’t wait for everyone to try it tomorrow!!
Andrea says
Hope the turkey turned out well!!
JoAnn C. says
I’ve been doing this for years. In fact lately, over the last five years, I cook my turkey breast side down in the slow cooker/crock pot. The oven bags as well as the slow cooker bags keep mess to a minimum and help keep the bird juicy.