Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays, for three big reasons:
1. It involves my favorite meal of the year (…Top 5 at least).
2. It heralds the start of nonstop Christmas music on the radio. Because I’m a weirdo who never gets tired of Perry Como and Nat King Cole singing about chestnuts on open fires/the only person on earth who still listens to the radio.
3. Pie. Thanksgiving is by far, the biggest of the pie holidays.
The big day is in just a week and a half, and it’s time to start thinking about cooking your bird. I’ve always been a bit puzzled by people making such a huge deal out of their Thanksgiving turkeys. I mean…turkey help hotlines? Brine recipes? Electric meat saws?
It’s all a little too much.
Why We Make THIS Recipe Every Year
For as long as I can remember, this has been the Thanksgiving turkey recipe prepared in our house every Thanksgiving without fail. My grandfather, a chef by trade, would use this method to roast chickens at the restaurant he worked in, and for turkey every holiday season. He passed the recipe down to my parents, and they let my sister and me in on the secret of how to cook a turkey perfectly.
This Thanksgiving turkey recipe requires no large plastic tubs, surgical gloves, brining spices, or deep fat fryers. You don’t even need many ingredients.
There’s no complex preparation in advance, beyond whipping up a quick marinade in the food processor (the recipe works just as well with a regular knife and cutting board too), and it’s always awesome. The main flavor agents are garlic and salt, but you really don’t get a strong garlicky flavor after it’s cooking. It’s super mellow, really juicy and hands down, the best roast turkey we have had.
Ok, I’ve talked quite enough. Just as a heads up, we have a few Thanksgiving sides in the pipeline for the coming days, so look out for those and check out our collection of Holiday season and Thanksgiving recipes. Onward!
Grandpa’s Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey: Recipe Instructions
4-5 days before roasting (depending on the size of your turkey), start thawing your turkey in the refrigerator. Budget about 1 day of thawing time for every 5 pounds, so a 15 pound turkey would take around 3 days.
(If your turkey isn’t completely thawed the night before roasting, you can finish the thawing process in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Be sure to return it to the refrigerator right after marinating.)
On the day before you plan to roast it, make the marinade by combining the garlic, salt, black pepper, olive oil, and butter in the food processor. Pulse until you have a very fine paste.
Put your carrots, celery, and onions on the bottom of your roasting pan. This will be the roasting “rack” that your turkey will sit on.
Remove the turkey from the package. Remove the neck and the giblets from the turkey cavity and give the bird a good rinse with cold water. Pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels, and lay it breast side up in the pan.
Ok, so before I go any further, you may have noticed that we didn’t say anything about removing the turkey tail. This KILLS me as I veg out on the couch watching Food Network Thanksgiving specials. The turkey tail is always mysteriously missing. Is this a regular thing? People wantonly chopping off the turkey tail for aesthetic reasons? It’s malarkey!
My nose-to-tail philosophy and general Asian street cred compel me to say: do. not. throw. away. the. tail.
Just trust me on this.
Ok, so spread half of your marinade all over the top side of the turkey, making sure you cover every surface and crevice, including the cavity. Flip the bird over so it’s laying breast side down, and spread the other half of the marinade over this side of the turkey. Cover the roasting pan tightly with plastic and allow to marinate overnight. You can also spread some marinade over the neck and the giblets and add them to the roasting pan as well.
On the morning of the big day, take the turkey out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter (so you’re not putting a cold turkey directly into the oven, which can prevent it from cooking evenly). About 3 hours before you’re ready to eat, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and arrange the oven rack so it’s in the lower third of the oven. Take the plastic off your roasting pan and lift up the turkey to empty any liquid that might have accumulated in the cavity as it sat out on the counter. Make sure the wings are tucked in, and roast at 425 degrees for 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through.
Remove the turkey from the oven and lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Using clean kitchen towels or a sturdy wooden spoon, flip the turkey breast-side up. Roast the turkey at the lower temperature for another hour (for a 12 pound turkey) to an hour and a half (for a 14 pound turkey), until the thigh registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear (i.e. not pink). Rotate the pan halfway through the second roasting process as well.
Roasting Times & Tips for Different Sized Turkeys
We think a 14-15 pound turkey is the perfect size—it cooks quickly and evenly, and you have a good chance of both the thighs and breast finishing at the same time for juicy dark AND white meat.
If, however, you have a larger or smaller turkey, here are approximate roasting times.
| Turkey Weight | Roasting Time Breast-Side Down at 425°F/215°C | Roasting Time Breast-Side Up at 325°F/160°C | Total Roasting Time |
| 12 to 14 pounds (5.4-6.4 kg) | 1 hour | 1 to 1.5 hours | 2 to 2.5 hours |
| 15 to 17 pounds (6.8-7.7 kg) | 1 hour | 1.5 to 2 hours | 2.5 to 3 hours |
| 18 to 22 pounds (8.1-10kg) | 1 hour | 2 to 2.5 hours | 3 to 3.5 hours |
For instance, for an 18-pound turkey, you would roast for 1 hour breast-side-down at 425°F/215°C and then flip the turkey breast-side-up and roast at 325°F/160°C for 2 hours, for a total of 3 hours.
Important Notes:
- Be sure to increase or decrease marinade ingredients proportionally to any changes in turkey size. Click on the serving # in the recipe card below to scale the recipe up or down according to the weight of your turkey.
- Remember to rotate the roasting pan 180° halfway through the first hour of cooking, and then again halfway through the cooking time at 325°F/160°C. This will help ensure even cooking.
- If you’re cooking a larger turkey, tent the breast lightly with foil after it has turned golden brown, so it stays moist even with the extended cooking time.
- Towards the end of your estimated cooking time, it’s a good idea to test your turkey temperature with an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, to prevent even slight overcooking!
Remove your Thanksgiving turkey from the oven, transfer to a carving board or serving plate, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Now, we know everyone has their own method for gravy, but here’s ours: tip all the drippings from the roasting pan into a gravy separator. You want about 10 tablespoons of fat and 6 cups of the juices. If you don’t have enough of either, you can add butter (if you need more fat) and chicken stock (if you don’t have enough juice).
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the turkey fat and/or butter. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a roux, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the roux turns a dark brown color, about 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in the turkey juices and/or broth. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer until thickened (when it coats the back of a spoon, it’s perfect). If it’s too thick, add more broth or water. And that’s it!
This is the Thanksgiving turkey recipe that we always make, and it turns out perfectly every time. Plus, that turkey tail? Kaitlin and my dad fight over it every year. Every. Year. And then they just end up cutting it in half, and all is well with the world.
Happy almost Thanksgiving everyone!
Behind-the-scenes note: we made this Thanksgiving turkey in September to prepare for this very post. #doublethanksgiving #foodbloggerperks #AWESOME.
Oh, and one last point about your turkey. Keep the turkey carcass for the next day to make our Leftover Turkey Congee or a satisfying Leftover Turkey Ramen!
Grandpa’s Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- 4-5 days before roasting (depending on the size of your turkey), start thawing your turkey in the refrigerator. Budget about 1 day of thawing time for every 5 pounds. On the day before you plan to roast it, make the marinade by combining the garlic, salt, black pepper, olive oil, and butter in the food processor. Pulse until you have a very fine paste.
- Put your carrots, celery, and onions on the bottom of your roasting pan. This will be the roasting “rack” that your turkey will sit on.
- Remove the turkey from the package. Remove the neck and the giblets from the turkey cavity and give the bird a good rinse with cold water. Pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels, and lay it breast side up in the pan.
- Spread half of your marinade all over the top side of the turkey, making sure you cover every surface and crevice, including the cavity. Flip the bird over so it’s laying breast side down, and spread the other half of the marinade over this side of the turkey. Cover the roasting pan tightly with plastic and allow to marinate overnight. You can also spread some marinade over the neck and the giblets and add them to the roasting pan as well.
- On the morning of the big day, take the turkey out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter (so you’re not putting a cold turkey directly into the oven, which can prevent it from cooking evenly). About 3 hours before you’re ready to eat, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and arrange the oven rack so it’s in the lower third of the oven. Take the plastic off your roasting pan and lift up the turkey to empty any liquid that might have accumulated in the cavity as it sat out on the counter. Make sure the wings are tucked in, and roast at 425 degrees for 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Using clean kitchen towels or a sturdy wooden spoon, flip the turkey breast-side up. Roast the turkey at the lower temperature for another hour (for a 12 pound turkey) to an hour and a half (for a 14 pound turkey), until the thigh registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear (i.e. not pink). Rotate the pan halfway through the second roasting process as well.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to a carving board or serving plate, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
- Now, we know everyone has their own method for gravy, but here’s ours: tip all the drippings from the roasting pan into a gravy separator. You want about 10 tablespoons of fat and 6 cups of the juices. If you don’t have enough of either, you can add butter (if you need more fat) and chicken stock (if you don’t have enough juice). In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the turkey fat and/or butter. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a roux, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the roux turns a dark brown color, about 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in the turkey juices and/or broth. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer until thickened (when it coats the back of a spoon, it’s perfect). If it’s too thick, add more broth or water. That’s it!
This looks so good! How can I adjust cooking time for a 20 lb Turkey?
Hi Josephine, increase the marinade ingredients proportionally by using the sliding scale on the recipe card to match the weight of the turkey you have. As far as the roasting times. use the same intervals – roasting the turkey breast side down first while increasing the time slightly (10 to 15 mins). The turkey should have a faint unevenly browned color before you flip it/but increase the times. After flipping the turkey, you’ll probably need around 2 hours of roasting time. Here, your instant read meat thermometer is your friend, so get one. Otherwise, you can pierce the turkey hitting the thigh bone and if the juices run clear, the turkey should be done. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Do you put some of the marinade inside the cavity of the turkey?
Hi Elwood, definitely use the marinade inside the turkey cavity. Marinating the turkey cavity is a key step to ensuring you have a tasty turkey :)
Thanks so much! I wasn’t sure because the directions say to spread the marinade over the front and back but no mention of the cavity so was wondering. Also, would that be enough marinade if I put some in the cavity in addition to the front and back? Should I make a little extra? Would doubling it make the turkey too salty? Thanks again!
Hi Elwood, you should have enough marinade for the turkey, but it depends how tasty you like it. Judy always prefers more salt (also less if you use table salt…more if using kosher salt), so while I would not recommend doubling it, 1.5x the marinade, if you have a larger turkey, would be fine. If this is the first time using my dad’s recipe, you’ll love it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks again, Bill! And thanks for sharing your dad’s recipe! I look forward to trying it for the first time. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times because it’s so good! My question is how to adjust the roasting time for a smaller turkey breast, ie 8 pounds? Thanks!
We have a turkey breast recipe here, Tammy: https://thewoksoflife.com/roasted-turkey-breast-stovetop-stuffing/
You can use that as a guideline for roasting temp/time!
Hi, I’m wondering how you get so much liquid from the turkey. Does it come from the vegetables? And, do you baste at all? Thanks so much.
Hi Kyle, some of the liquid does come from the vegetables, but the turkey also contains lots of moisture!
Hi Kyle, yes the liquid comes from the juices of the turkey as well as from the moisture in the vegetables in the pan. We generally do not baste the turkey at all, though you can if you like.
This was our first time making turkey ourselves and the recipe was perfect — juicy, flavorful, and easy to follow! Thank you so much for sharing your family recipes. They’re all so delicious!
You’re welcome, Mimmie! :)
one more comment. I had bought an injected turkey. I really wanted to try the garlic/salt marinade, but I was terribly worried that the turkey would be impossibly salty. Not to worry! I did it as directed anyway, and the bird was delicious! Not too salty at all.
Thanks for letting us know that, Jean! We haven’t tried this with an injected turkey, so it’s good to know for other readers who may have that same question. :)
This turkey was a hit! Easy and delicious!
Yay! Thanks so much, Jean. We had this for Thanksgiving too, and roasted 2 birds with it!
My husband is making the 20# turkey tomorrow. He wants to know should he use regular table salt or kosher salt and how much? Thank you and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
I was just trying to find that answer in the reviews. It does make quite a difference and don’t want to use too much or too little! Hope we hear back soon….
Hi Pat, so sorry I missed your comment! We use fine sea salt for all our recipes, which is a bit coarser than table salt, but definitely less coarse than Kosher. You can probably get away with using the table salt, but maybe keep the amount at 2 tablespoons, rather than the higher end of the range (2 1/2 tablespoons). Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, and hope the turkey came out great!
Hi Sarah! LOVE your site and recipes. I’ve made MANY of them and they are fantastic – especially the Shanghai sesame noodles! For this turkey recipe, I’m a bit confused. When you first put the turkey in the oven, you put in it breast side DOWN and then flip it breast side up? Is this correct? If so, this is very interesting – never seen anyone else ever suggest this. So that’s why I want to make sure this is what you mean. Thank you!!
Yes, you put it in breast side down for the first hour. Then you flip it and cook it breast side up for the rest of the time! We’ll be doing this recipe with two turkeys tomorrow!
HUGE fan of your blog (I’ve told every friend I have about it) and you guys are my go-to for Thanksgiving too, so wondering if you have any advice–This year I find myself with a (local, organic) 24-pound turkey–much larger than I’m used to. Is there anything I should keep in mind, regarding–say–how to make sure the outer meat doesn’t dry out while the interior meat is still undercooked–I’m a bit concerned the larger bird’s gonna throw me off my game. Any tips are welcome, and thanks again for Woks of Life!
Hi Glen! Thank you so much for your kind words. A turkey that big is definitely much more challenging to cook! (We have two 14-pounders this year, since the smaller turkeys are easier to cook evenly). That said, a big ol’ local organic turkey sounds wonderful, and I think you’ll be fine with a few quick tips!
Make sure to take your turkey out of the refrigerator several hours before you plan to roast it (I would do about 3 hours for a turkey your size), so it doesn’t go into the oven cold and roasts evenly.
Follow the directions in this recipe to roast the turkey for 1 hour at 425°F. Then, for the larger bird, roast it at 325°F for 2 1/2 hours or so, until the thigh registers 165°F and the juices run clear. Make sure that the rack in your oven is in the lower third, so that the breast isn’t too close to the heating element at the top of your oven (which may dry it out). Also follow the other instructions in the recipe as written (rotating the pan, flipping the turkey, etc.).
During the last hour or so of cooking (or after the skin on the breast has gotten nice color), lightly tent the breast so that it doesn’t dry out while the turkey continues to cook.
It may also help to truss your turkey (tying the legs together) for more even cooking. We don’t normally do this (we just tuck the wings underneath the turkey and that’s it), but we might try it this year!
Hope that helps, and that you have a fantastic meal!