News flash: Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! Which means….TURKEY! Oh, how I love me some turkey. I’ve scoured the internet and found 12 Mouth-Watering Ways to Cook A Turkey. Seriously, my mouth was watering the entire time I was writing this post.
12 MOUTH-WATERING WAYS TO COOK A TURKEY
Whichever method you choose, be sure to cook extra. Leftover turkey never goes to waste in our home!
1 | ROAST IT
BTW, I am totally using this recipe for my Thanksgiving turkey this year! It’s a super-simple {and you know, I am all about simple}, flavorful way to cook a moist turkey in the oven without needing to stuff, marinate, or brine it. Plus, the skin turns out nice and crispy which is good because everyone in my house fights over the turkey skin!
2 | DEEP-FRY IT
YES, I am from the South! And YES, I’ve deep-fried a turkey! Let me tell you, it is so good! However, deep-frying a turkey can be a little tricky. First, you’ve got to get yourself {or yerself} one of these fryer doodads. Then you will need to get {or git} a boat-load of cooking oil. Finally, you need a safe spot where you can fry that bad bird without setting anything on fire!
* WARNING: once you taste the awesome goodness of a fried turkey, you may just get the urge to see what else you can fry. Twinkies, Snickers bars, okra, pickles, mac & cheese, Oreos…
3 | SLOW COOK IT
One of the best ways to cook a turkey if juicy, tender meat is what you’re after. Bonus: there’s no need to brine the turkey before cooking. This method is obviously not for the entire turkey {unless you have a really big slow cooker}!
4 | BRINE IT
Personally, I’ve never had the patience for brining a turkey. I prefer to get it in the oven as fast as possible. That said, I have eaten a brined turkey and I must say, It was really tender and juicy.
5 | COOK IT IN AN INSTANT POT
This year, an Instant Pot is number one on my Christmas wish list. One of the main reasons is that I can make this yummy Instant Pot Turkey Breast {plus gravy} with just 5 minutes of prep-time, 1 hour of hands-off cooking time, and one pot to clean up! Whoo Hoo!
6 | STUFF IT
Okay, so this is more of a stuffing recipe. But…you can stuff the turkey with it too!
7 | DRY RUB IT
Basically, a way to brine your turkey without having to soak it. Hint: the salt is key to this recipe.
8 | GRILL IT
A perfect way to cook a turkey when you live in a warm climate or if you just need to free up space in your oven. The key is to filet the turkey before putting it on the grill. Yum!
9 | SMOKE IT
Ahhh. The smell of a smoker on a crisp, fall day. That alone is reason enough to smoke a turkey. The fact that it’s done in just 4 hours doesn’t hurt either.
10 | MARINATE IT
Did you know that you can do just about anything with turkey that you can with chicken? It’s true! Including marinating it in a yummy soy/brown sugar blend and cooking it on the grill.
11 | MAKE IT FRUITY
Like a little fruity flavor to your turkey? How about a Brandy and Tangerine glazed turkey this Thanksgiving? I can practically smell it already!
12 | TURDUCKEN IT
What in the heck is a turducken, you ask? Put simply, it’s a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is then stuffed inside a turkey. No, I am not kidding! And it takes roughly 13 hours to prepare! {I’m not kidding about that either}.
If you’re not up for that kind of poultry labor, you can just watch this hilarious turducken-inspired prank. Enjoy!
What are some of your favorite ways to cook a turkey? Let me know in the comments below.
Hello,
I am first American born the rest of my family is English. I might as well be English since I did not know anything else. One thing I wanted to share I guess you would say; our family would cook the turkey. I cannot say if this is English, or my Mom’s crazy “Two-For” cooking (that is what we call it.
She would get the turkey ready to stuff it. Then on top of it put Sausages all over it, so you could NO longer see any part of the turkey (She even wrap the legs). Now here comes the part I cannot remember so you would be on your own. Before going to bed the night before she was going to sever the turkey the next day, she would place it in the oven (all I remember it was a low temperature, I can’t remember if she cover it)? Anyhow, it would slowly cook all night with the Sausages then baste the turkey. The next morning we get up take the sausages off increase the temperature. In addition, have half the breakfast and the turkey was half done (not to mention the smells in the house).
Sorry, I could not give you times and setting. Mom never wrote things down and I was very young, I sure do miss the next morning. I like my turkey on the dry side. Doing this way makes them moist.
Tina [email protected]
Tina,
Thank you for sharing! I can almost smell the deliciousness of the sausages in the morning! 🙂