Who fails to serve Turkey during Thanksgiving? Of course no one. For most Americans, turkey is the center of all thanksgiving dishes, and during Christmas as well. It might look easy for most but preparing a big bird for thanksgiving dinner is a big work. The size of the turkey itself is intimidating. It’s not just heavy but a single mistake can ruin your dish, or maybe the entire thanksgiving dinner.

But of course, in every difficulty, there’s always an easy work-around as long as you know how to do it. Hopefully this guide on how to cook a turkey will help you cook your holiday centerpiece they perfect way you want it to be.

Basics

Cooking a stuffed turkey takes time. For a 16 pound turkey, roasting may take around 20 minutes when roasted at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking the turkey at a higher temperature may result to over-roasting or imperfect cooking of the turkey’s insides. Make sure to maintain breast meat temperature at 165 degrees F and the dark meat should be at 185 degrees F.

Roasting may be done in less than an hour but brining is not something which you can do in an instant. The most important part in preparing your turkey is the preparation of the turkey’s brine. The brine holds the flavors of your turkey. This part also ensures that your turkey will be juicy and tender when served.

After the brine, next is roasting. The turkey can be roasted at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. But before doing so, make sure that you pre-heat your oven at this temperature for around 30 minutes prior to the start of the turkey’s roasting. You can add herbs, onions, potatoes, and additional flavors before you place the turkey into the oven. Make sure to use your thermometer as it will become handy during roasting.

The next step is the stuffing of the turkey. This part also makes or breaks the turkey dish. Stuffed turkeys’ stuffing depends on how you want your turkey to taste. You can choose whichever stuffing you want to place inside your turkey. Make sure you’re not wearing any accessories in your hands while you stuff your turkey. Else, you’ll end up like Mr. Bean.