All Things Holistic Blog

Slow-Roast Method of Roasting Turkey

This recipe came from a church cookbook that my aunt gave me when I got married—not only have I found it a wonderful way to create a deliciously moist turkey, I’ve found it’s got the spirit of the holiday in it. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Here’s the recipe verbatim:

This isn’t something that originated with us; it’s as old as the hills and your (great?) grandmother probably used it in her coal stove. Here it is:

Remove packaged insides from turkey. (Turkey should be thawed.) Salt the turkey generously inside, then stuff. Fasten with skewers or twine or sew (this is what my gram did.) Smear about ½ stick butter all over the outside of the bird. Salt it thoroughly all over. Stand it on a trivet or rack in the bottom of a deep baking pan. Cover the bird with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and tuck it down around the side of the bird, not over the edges of the pan. Refrigerate him.

(Optional--stew the neck and giblets for about two hours in water to cover and a little salt. Add two stalks celery, minced, one large onion, chopped, and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning to the broth as it cooks. Strain and cool.)

Wednesday (or the night before) at bedtime, set the oven at 275F, no higher. Figure about 30 minutes time for each pound of turkey (before stuffing), up to 6 hours, which is about right for birds up to twelve or thirteen pounds. If he weighs more than this, figure 7 or 8 hours. Put the turkey in the oven, set your alarm clock and go to bed. When the alarm clock goes off, stumble into the kitchen, turn off the oven but leave the door shut, then go back to sleep. Just let him rest where he is.

Next morning, remove him from the oven and do whatever baking you want to do on this day—making pies, etc. Then about an hour before dinner, turn your attention to Mr. Turk. You’ll find that he tests done, but looks anemic. There will be some brown juice in the bottom of the pan and a lot of melted fat. Use a pastry brush to smear these drippings all over the bird. Heat the oven to 325F. Put him back in the oven and look every 10-15 minutes. In about 30 minutes, he will start to get brown. Repeat basting with the drippings. All of a sudden he will be very brown—watch him carefully. It will all take about an hour, which is the time it will take to heat him through once more.

You will find the white meat is as juicy as the dark, and the drumsticks as tender as butter.