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How long to cook a 12 pound turkey? Amazing Recipe!

12 Pound turkey amazing recipe

This is our secret recipe we always use when baking a turkey, everyone loves it! Even the most picky eaters won’t resist. 
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Roast The Turkey 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 12 People

Equipment

  • Kitchen string
  • Heavy duty fool
  • Roasting pan (make sure it accommodates the turkey and isn’t oversized)
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 12 lb Turkey
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Flavored Butter:

  • 2 Sticks Unsalted softened butter
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil And a little more to drizzle
  • 4 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp Lemon zest
  • 3 Large garlic cloves pressed
  • 1/4 cup Shopped parsley
  • 1/2 tbsp Sea salt
  • 1/2 tbsp Black pepper

Stuffing:

  • 1 Large onion quartered
  • 4 Garlic cloves halved
  • 1/2 Bunch parsley
  • 1 Lemon quartered

Instructions
 

  • Season the inside of the turkey cavity with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
  • In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the flavored butter and mash them with a fork until well combined. Just make sure the lemon juice and butter are mixed, as it can take a few minutes for them to combine. Put to the side.
  • Preheat the oven to 430ºF.
  • With your fingers, start to separate the skin from the turkey breast from the front to the back of the turkey. Just make sure to be really careful so that the skin doesn’t tear.
  • Separate 2/3 of the butter mixture and spread it under the skin of the turkey by massaging over the top of the skin. 
  • Use the remain 1/3 of the flavored butter mixture to rub the outside os breast, legs and wings of the turkey.
  • Drizzle the olive oil on top of the turkey and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stuff the turkey with the onion, garlic, parsley and lemon.
  • With the kitchen string, tie the turkey base and legs together. You can cross its legs to close up the cavity so the stuffing won’t come out while baking.
  • Place the meat thermometer into the  turkey beneath the drum stick and put the turkey in the oven and let it roast ate 430ºF for about 20 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and baste with the butter melted from the bottom of the roasting pan by using a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon.

Turn the oven down to 325ºF and let it bake for about 3 hours.

  • To make sure it’s fully cooked the thermometer should register 170ºF and remove it from the oven.
  • Put the turkey onto a serving platter and cover it loosely with foil. Letting it rest for at least 1 hour. This step will make the meat tender and easier to carve.
  • You can use the drippings in the roasting pan for gravy.
  • Decorate around the turkey at your liking. We used kale, apple, oranges and lemons.

Video

Notes

This recipe serves about 12 people and it’s easy to make. You can use for any turkey between 11 to 15 lb, only the cooking time you vary.