Perfecting Thanksgiving Dinner: How to Cook Turkey
In this Article
Classic Roast Turkey Recipes
© Frances Janisch
Roast Turkey with Fried Sage and Pecans
Grace Parisi blends garlic and sage into a butter that she rubs all over the turkey.
Classic Roasted Turkey
This recipe is foolproof as long as you start with a good antibiotic-free bird that hasn't been plumped up with a water solution, like many inexpensive supermarket turkeys.
Roast Turkey with Shallot Butter and Thyme Gravy
Shallots and thyme in both the turkey and the gravy provide double the flavor for this simple roasted bird.
Glazed Turkey Recipes
Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy
Michael Symon salts his bird well and refrigerates it overnight to season it. Before roasting, he covers the breast and legs with cheesecloth that's been soaked in a cider-infused butter. For his beer-spiked gravy, Symon recommends the German-style Dortmunder Gold, made by Great Lakes Brewing Company.
Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey
Chef Joanne Chang marinates and bastes the bird with soy, sesame, honey and ginger, giving it superb flavor and a beautiful mahogany color.
Brined Turkey Recipes
Roasted Salt-Brined Turkey
Soaking a turkey overnight in salted water produces an especially moist and well-flavored bird. Careful attention to basting, especially during the last hour of roasting, is also essential.
Pimentón-Brined Turkey
Chef Jose Garces's smoked turkey recipe starts with an herb, spice and citrus-infused brine.
Alsatian-Brined Turkey with Riesling Gravy
Juniper berries, mustard seeds and caraway seeds flavor the brine for this Alsatian-inspired roast turkey. Riesling adds depth and complexity to the accompanying gravy.
Spice-Rubbed Turkey Recipes
© Gentl & Hyers
Spice-Rubbed Turkey
This simple, salt-based sage, pepper and paprika turkey rub produces a bird with crisp, golden-brown skin and incredibly moist and tender breast meat.
Pancetta-Wrapped Roasted Turkey
After rubbing the bird with a bold and delicious mix of chile powder, cumin, sugar and herbs, Texas chef Tim Love blankets it with slices of salty, fatty pancetta, resulting in a supermoist and savory roast turkey.
Mole-Spiced Roasted Turkey
This Mexican-inspired wet rub, made from traditional mole spices including cinnamon, cocoa and chile-powder, flavors the turkey and produces a wonderful aroma as the bird roasts.
Deep-Fried Turkey Recipes
Deep Fried Turkey Brined in Cayenne and Brown Sugar
Deep-frying a turkey isn't as hard as it sounds (though it does require caution). And there's a great payoff: an exquisitely moist, crispy bird.
Plus: How to Deep Fry a Turkey
Here, Food & Wine's deep fried turkey tips for a glistening bird with golden-brown skin.
