Fastest Roast Turkey
- Total Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 112- to 18-pound turkey, thawed, with giblets and neck removed
- 1medium onion, peeled and quartered
- 2stalks celery, cleaned and roughly chopped
- Fresh herbs to taste - thyme, sage, and rosemary all work well (optional)
- 3tablespoons kosher salt
- 1½tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pats
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
640 calories; 29 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 87 grams protein; 1388 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the turkey on a cutting board with its breast side down, and using a very sharp knife or cleaver, cut out the bird's backbone.
- Step 2
Turn the turkey over and use your knife or cleaver to remove the legs and thighs. Press down on the turkey breasts to flatten the carcass.
- Step 3
Place the turkey parts in one large roasting pan. Tuck between them onion, celery pieces, and, if using, herbs, and shower with salt and pepper. Dot turkey pieces with pats of butter.
- Step 4
Place pan in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and baste with accumulated juices.
- Step 5
Start to check the temperature of the breast and the thigh meat roughly 15 minutes later, and remove them from the oven when they have reached 165 degrees. As with a whole bird, you should tent the meat with foil and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Private Notes
Comments
Great success, thanks! Two issues 1) Skin was perfectly crisp until I let the bird rest by "tenting" with foil. But, the steam created by the foil tent made the skin less crispy. Why tent? And, 2) When breaking down the bird, tell people the back-bone has two knobs of meat that should definitely NOT go into the stock pot, rather saved... for the cook. Scoop out and reserve for the next day (when everybody is gone), poach in some clarified butter and open up that good bottle of wine.
19lbs in 1hr 15min + resting. I cook the bird breast down. 425* for 30 min, 350* for 30 min, turn it breast up for 15 min. Internal temp 165* in the thigh. Let it rest at least 30 min (more is better) while anything else cooks. Nearly no juice on the carving board (it's all in the meat) Brown all over. I just salt & pepper & rosemary or thyme. No basting. No pre-butchering. Easy to carve. A Norman Rockwell looking turkey.
This is a fabulous way to make a turkey, We cooked two 13-pounders instead of one 25-pounder. They were moist and cooked through in an hour and a half.
This is definitely not the "Fastest Roast Turkey." If you, like Bittmann in his Roast Spatchcock Turkey recipe, lower the temperature to 400 F instead, it will be faster. It will also make the skin more crisp. That is what I do.
I’ll never roast a whole turkey again. Four thighs and two drumsticks fit perfectly in my roasting pan; total cooking time was 60 mins. Seasoned liberally with just olive oil, lots of salt and pepper and some dried thyme. Raves from everyone.
Excellent method. Works well, but be aware that the breast often takes up to 20-30 minutes longer than the dark meat to come up to 160 and plan accordingly.
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