Classic Roast Thanksgiving Turkey
The plain American centerpiece: a buttered, salted and peppered turkey roasted breast side down first, flipped, and finished breast side up until the thermometer reads 165°F. No basting, no fuss.
Here is what the record actually says. Plymouth's 1621 harvest celebration is known from two short accounts. Edward Winslow, in a letter of December 11, 1621, printed in "Mourt's Relation" (London, 1622), says that after the harvest the governor sent four men out fowling, who brought back enough birds to feed the colony for almost a week, and that Massasoit came with about ninety men, who stayed three days and went out and killed five deer for the settlers (Pilgrim Hall Museum:). William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" says that fall there was "great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many." Neither man calls the gathering a thanksgiving, and neither says turkey was served at it. There were no potatoes and no pies (Wikipedia:)).
The holiday came much later. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book, wrote a Thanksgiving column every November and lobbied presidents for a national day, and on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November (Wikipedia). Today about 40 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day (Wikipedia, for 2019). One more twist: the farm turkey on the table is not the Pilgrims' wild bird. It descends from the Mexican domestic turkey, which reached England through Spain and came back across the Atlantic; England sent domestic turkeys to Jamestown in 1608 (Wikipedia:).
🇺🇸 This one is American
The plain American centerpiece: a buttered, salted and peppered turkey roasted breast side down first, flipped, and finished breast side up until the thermometer reads 165°F. No basting, no fuss.
🇲🇽 The original
In Mexico, where the turkey was first domesticated, the classic is turkey pieces braised in mole poblano, a dark sauce of dried chiles, spices, nuts and a little chocolate. See the Mole Poblano with Turkey (Mole Poblano de Guajolote) recipe.
🗳️ Roast turkey or deep-fried turkey? Vote: Roast turkey vs Deep-fried turkey →
📖 Myth check: Is It Safe to Cook Stuffing Inside the Turkey? →
Why it works the kitchen science
Breast down first
For the first hour the delicate breast faces down, shielded by the bird's own bulk, while the back and thighs, which need more heat, face the oven. Flipping it then browns the breast for the finish.
No basting
ATK tested basting and found it did not moisten the breast, and every opening of the oven door costs heat. The melted butter at the start is enough for color.
Step by step
- Step 1
Move an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 400°F. Pat the turkey dry, tuck the legs into the skin pocket at the tail (or tie them with twine) and tuck the wingtips behind the back.
- Step 2
Line the V-rack with foil, poke several holes in it, set it in the roasting pan and spray it.
- Step 3
Brush the breast and legs with half the butter and season them with half the salt and pepper. Set the turkey breast side down on the rack, brush the back with the rest of the butter and season it.
- Step 4
Roast 1 hour.
- Step 5
Take the pan out of the oven and close the door to keep the heat in. Tip the juices from the cavity into the pan, then, holding the bird with folded towels, flip it breast side up.
- Step 6
Roast 1 to 1 1/2 hours more, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost wing, and 170°F to 175°F in the innermost thigh.
- Step 7
Move the turkey to a carving board and rest it, uncovered, 30 minutes. Carve, and make gravy from the drippings (our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe).
Classic Roast Thanksgiving Turkey
Serves 12 · one 12 to 14 lb turkey · 3 hr 20 min total
Turkey
- 1 turkey (12 to 14 lb), thawed, neck and giblets removed and saved for gravy (our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tsp kosher salt (leave it out for a kosher, self-basting or brined bird)
- 1 tsp black pepper
Method
- Move an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 400°F. Pat the turkey dry, tuck the legs into the skin pocket at the tail (or tie them with twine) and tuck the wingtips behind the back.
- Line the V-rack with foil, poke several holes in it, set it in the roasting pan and spray it.
- Brush the breast and legs with half the butter and season them with half the salt and pepper. Set the turkey breast side down on the rack, brush the back with the rest of the butter and season it.
- Roast 1 hour.
- Take the pan out of the oven and close the door to keep the heat in. Tip the juices from the cavity into the pan, then, holding the bird with folded towels, flip it breast side up.
- Roast 1 to 1 1/2 hours more, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost wing, and 170°F to 175°F in the innermost thigh.
- Move the turkey to a carving board and rest it, uncovered, 30 minutes. Carve, and make gravy from the drippings (our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe).
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's "Roasted Turkey" (February 6, 2013). ATK roasts a 12 to 18 lb bird at 400°F, 1 hour breast side down, then flips it and roasts 1 to 1 1/2 hours more to 160°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh. We follow the method but take the breast to USDA FSIS's 165°F. ATK lists "salt and pepper" without amounts; 2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp pepper are ours. (For an 18 to 22 lb bird ATK starts at 425°F and roasts at 325°F after the first hour without flipping; this recipe covers the smaller size.) America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Equipment: a V-rack, heavy-duty foil, nonstick spray, a large roasting pan, an instant-read thermometer and clean folded kitchen towels for flipping.
- Plan the thaw: a 13 lb turkey needs about 3 days in the refrigerator (see Food safety baseline).
- A pop-up timer is not a thermometer. Check the three spots anyway.
- Keep the neck and giblets for gravy (our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe), and turn the leftovers into tetrazzini (our Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini recipe) or a Hot Brown (our Kentucky Hot Brown recipe).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- The Pilgrims ate turkey at the first Thanksgiving. Disputed: Winslow's letter mentions fowl and five deer but no turkey; Bradford says wild turkeys were plentiful that fall (Pilgrim Hall). Turkey is possible, not documented.
- The 1621 meal was called Thanksgiving. Folklore: neither Winslow nor Bradford calls it that (Pilgrim Hall; Wikipedia).
- Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Documented: his proclamation of October 3, 1863, after Sarah Josepha Hale's campaign (Wikipedia).
- Breast meat is done at 160°F. Disputed: ATK pulls it at 160°F and lets carryover heat finish it; USDA FSIS's safe minimum is 165°F. We use 165°F.
Every other turkey
Mole Poblano with Turkey (Mole Poblano de Guajolote)
Poached turkey under Puebla's dark, glossy mole: three dried chiles, charred vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, spices and a little Mexican chocolate, simmered for two hours.
Yucatecan Turkey in Black Chile Broth (Pavo en Relleno Negro)
Yucatán's jet-black turkey stew: turkey simmered in a broth darkened with recado negro, a paste of chiles toasted until nearly burnt, served with slices of "but," a pork and beef roll with whole egg yolks in the middle.
British Christmas Roast Turkey with Pigs in Blankets
Britain's Christmas bird, the Delia Smith way: buttered, covered in streaky bacon, roasted inside a loose foil tent, then unwrapped for a hot finish, with chipolata sausages wrapped in more bacon on the side.
Portuguese Christmas Roast Turkey with Oven Rice (Peru Assado no Forno)
Maria de Lourdes Modesto's Christmas turkey: soaked overnight in salted water with lemon, stuffed with bread, eggs and cured ham, roasted without a drop of basting, and served with oven rice that soaks up the drippings.
Puerto Rican Pavochón (Turkey Seasoned Like Pernil)
A Thanksgiving turkey with the flavor of a Puerto Rican pork roast: garlic, oregano, olive oil and adobo spread under the skin, butter tucked in, two days in the fridge, then basted with dark beer.
Dry-Brined Turkey (the Judy Bird)
The Los Angeles Times' famous no-bucket brine: a few tablespoons of salt rubbed on three days ahead, the bird kept in a bag in the refrigerator, then dried uncovered so the skin roasts crisp.
Spatchcocked Roast Turkey
Cut out the backbone, press the bird flat and roast it hot: a 12 to 14 lb turkey is done in about 80 minutes, with crisp skin all over and breast and legs finishing together.
Cajun Deep-Fried Turkey
Louisiana's outdoor turkey: injected overnight with butter, onion and garlic juice, hot sauce and beer, then lowered into a big pot of peanut oil at 350°F and fried in about 3 to 4 minutes a pound. Outdoors only, with a fire extinguisher.
Smoked Turkey with Vinegar Pepper Mop (Rodney Scott Style)
A Carolina pitmaster's holiday bird: spatchcocked, rubbed with a sweet-hot barbecue seasoning, smoked low over wood on a kettle grill and mopped with tangy pepper vinegar.
Roast Turkey Breast with Lemon and Thyme
For a small table: a bone-in turkey breast with garlic, thyme and lemon butter spread under the skin, roasted hot and then gently, ready in about 1 1/2 hours.
Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy
Real gravy from the bird: a giblet broth made while the turkey roasts, a nutty brown roux, and the roasting pan deglazed with white wine so every browned bit ends up in the sauce.
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini (30 Minutes)
The day-after dinner named for an opera star: spaghetti tossed with leftover turkey, peas, browned mushrooms and a quick sherry, cream and Parmesan sauce, all on the stove in about 30 minutes.
Kentucky Hot Brown, Inspired by The Brown Hotel
Inspired by, not official: Louisville's open-faced roast turkey sandwich, smothered in Pecorino Romano Mornay sauce, broiled until bubbling and topped with crossed strips of bacon.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.