Ingredients

How to make it

  • First, de-thaw your turkey properly.
  • Rinse it off and take out all of the giblet bags.
  • Pat it dry with paper towels.
  • Second, place the turkey on a clean surface where you can flip it around. Now using your hands rub the turkey with butter all over.
  • Third, season it with any and all of your favorite turkey spices and herbs. Just sprinkle them all over it.
  • Fourth, slide your hand up inside the turkey.
  • Lift it up and slide it into the brown paper bag.
  • Roll up the open end to seal the turkey in.
  • Fifth, place the bag/turkey into the pan you had waiting for it.
  • Sixth, spray the bag, sides and top, with spray cooking oil.
  • If you do not have spary cooking oil rub cooking oil on the bag before you get started cleaning the turkey so its ready for you when you need it.
  • Seventh, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the pan.
  • Eighth, place turkey in preheated oven and cook to the specific time that the label tells you to cook for the size of turkey you have.
  • Ninth, Check to be sure the bag does not burn, spray with more oil if necessary.
  • Yeah, I know that they have come out with cooking bags, but why second guess a perfect turkey.
  • My turkeys come out moist and golden brown.
  • Its one of those things my kids come home for.
  • ========TUILELAITH'S NOTES===========================
  • A Recipe For Roasting Heritage Turkeys
  • Courtesy of Chef Laura Pensiero, Gigi Trattoria, Rhinebeck, NY.
  • Farm turkeys generally roast more quickly than the water filled agribusiness turkeys.
  • Before cooking, rinse the turkey and the giblets under cold running water. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. A hotter oven can dry out your turkey; a lower temperature risks prolonged time in the "danger zone," which is the temperature range in which bacteria multiply fastest. If you stuff the turkey, put the stuffing into the bird immediately before putting the turkey into the oven.
  • Preparing Your Turkey:
  • Truss the legs together and tuck the wing tips back under shoulders of the bird.
  • Be sure the turkey is completely thawed. Times are based on fresh or completely thawed frozen birds at a refrigerator temperature of about 40° degrees F or below.
  • Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the pan.
  • Once your bird has reached the desired golden brown, a tent of foil may be placed over the turkey. This prevents over-browning and drying.
  • For turkeys up to 20 pounds, roast for 15 minutes a pound -- an 18-pound bird should roast for about 4 1/2 hours. Roast larger birds for 12 minutes a pound. A stuffed turkey may require an extra buffer of 30 minutes. Take the temperature of the bird as well as the stuffing. Oven temperatures vary, as do farm fresh turkeys, so begin checking for doneness about 30 minutes before the turkey is expected to be done.
  • Testing For Doneness:
  • Temperature: Deep breast should be 160 to 165 degrees F. Concurrently, thigh temperature should register at 180 to 185 degrees F.
  • Knife test: Insert a paring knife into the breast and thigh. When the juices run clear – not at all pink – the turkey is cooked.
  • Leg separation: When the turkey is adequately cooked, with a light tug, the leg will easily separate from the bird.
  • When the turkey is done, cool it at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before carving. This lets the meat solidify a bit more and makes for easier and more attractive carving. Refrigerate leftovers no more than 2 hours after removing the turkey from the oven. Wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or freezer-grade plastic, the roasted meat can be frozen.
  • Storing: A farm fresh turkey can be stored in a very cold environment – 28 to 34 degrees F – up to 8 days in advance. Have thermometers on hand for refrigeration and for testing the final doneness of the Thanksgiving centerpiece.
  • How Many People Your Turkey Will Feed:
  • 6 pounds: 4-6 people
  • 8 pounds: 6-8 people
  • 12 pounds: 8-10 people
  • 15 pounds: 10-12 people
  • 18 pounds: 12-15 people
  • 22 pounds: 15+ people

Reviews & Comments 5

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    " It was excellent "
    tazoncaffeine ate it and said...
    Inventive! bookmarking this one.
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  • mkm114 16 years ago
    It was so refreshing seeing this method for cooking turkey! I have done it this way for years and refuse to cook it any other way! Always moist and delicious! Hooray for old-time, tried and true cooking methods!
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  • rosemaryblue 16 years ago
    I haven't cooked a turkey in a brown bag in years! The turkeys were always very moist and always a nice brown when removed from the sack! Apple pies can be cooked this way also. Thanks for reminding me how much fun it was to cook a turkey in a "brown sack"!
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  • jenniferbyrdez 16 years ago
    Honey, this sounds interesting. I would try it but I'm not cooking. Thnaks anyway.
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  • henrie 16 years ago
    This sounds great, I've always heard about roasting a turkey in a brown paper bag, think I will try your recipe this year. How often do you have to respray the bag to keep it from burning???
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag

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