12 Different Ways to Stuff Your Turkey (2024)

FAQs

What else can I stuff my turkey with? ›

Add halved onions, carrot chunks, celery and fresh herbs to the cavity of your turkey, inserting them loosely. These flavor builders are the base of stock and most soups. As your turkey cooks, they'll steam and infuse your bird with moisture and flavor.

Place the prepared stuffing in the whole turkey just before roasting. Stuffing the night before could cause food-borne illness. Stuff both the neck and body cavities of a completely thawed turkey, allowing ½ to ¾ cup of stuffing per pound. Don't pack stuffing too tightly, as it may cause uneven cooking.

Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Evenly place the potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Place the turkey on top of the potatoes.

When your turkey is 2/3 of the way done cooking, create an aluminum foil tent over it. The aluminum foil will help keep heat in and raise your stuffing to a safe temperature faster. Stuff your turkey right before it goes into the oven.

The center of the stuffing should also reach 165 ºF. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before removing the stuffing and carving the bird. USDA does not recommend refrigerating a whole, cooked turkey with stuffing inside.

Fill the neck cavity with your stuffing – homemade or shop-bought is fine, so use whatever you prefer – just be careful not to stuff it in too tightly. Pull the skin back over, and tuck it under the bird, then place the turkey on top of the vegetable/giblet trivet.

That means the stuffing needs to reach a safe temperature (165°) so it won't make you sick. The other important thing to consider with turkey stuffing is when it's stuffed.

The simple secret to a truly juicy roast turkey is to season the turkey with a rub a couple of days before roasting. This is called dry brining and it makes the flesh beautifully moist, and you can even do it while the turkey is still FROZEN!

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Should I put butter under the skin of my turkey? ›

There are four essential steps for a perfectly roasted Thanksgiving turkey: brining, stuffing with aromatics, rubbing with herb compound butter, and roasting to perfection. The herb butter does double duty. Part of it is rubbed under the skin and over the meat of the bird for a major boost in flavor.

Alliums: Add quartered onions, shallots, leeks, or garlic cloves for a delicious, earthy aroma. Fruits: Insert quarters of apple, lemon, orange, lime, or even grapefruit to add moisture and brightness to the turkey. You can even go with dried fruit, like cranberries, to double down on the autumn vibes.

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

"A hock lock secures the hind legs—or hock—of a chicken or turkey. It can be made of heat-resistant nylon or metal, and it's perfectly safe to leave it in the bird while it roasts.

Here's an important Thanksgiving food safety tip that will surprise many: USDA doesn't recommend stuffing a whole turkey. The practice increases the risk of cross-contamination and takes the turkey longer to cook. Cook stuffing separately instead.

Yes, the last thing in your oven should probably be the turkey (unless you're grilling or deep-frying). But any turkey should rest for at least 30 minutes before carving, so take full advantage. Your oven will be free to bake a batch of biscuits, or reheat any oven-baked side dishes that need to be warm before serving.

But I have a substitute for those bags that I use, that I usually have on hand and is quite a bit cheaper. Aluminum foil. From the Reynolds Kitchens, "the taste of tender, juicy turkey, quick roasted in your oven.