Let me start by saying that I have been juggling cooking Thanksgiving in my home, other people’s homes, vacation properties and even once on a boat. So, I am not afraid to McGyver my way through a turkey dinner! There are so many different ways to cook this massive meal. The secret is having a PLAN. Here is my way of getting a schedule locked down. So, the 1st thing is you have to figure out when is your meal to be served. So, for example: we always eat at 1 pm. This is my schedule. Keep in mind I have 4 burners and a single oven.
Now that we know what time we are serving let us figure out the turkey cooking time:
Approximate Turkey Cooking Times:
COOKING TEMP 325 DEGREES
Un-Stuffed Turkey
4 to 8 pounds………….1-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours
8 to 12 pounds…………….2-3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds……………3 to 3-3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds……………3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds……………4-1/4 to 4-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds……………4-1/2 to 5 hours
Stuffed Turkey
8 to 12 pounds…………….3 to 3-1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds……………3-1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds……………4 to 4-1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds……………4-1/4 to 4-3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds……………4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours
TURKEY DAY COOKING SCHEDULE:
7:00 AM TURKEY IN THE OVEN
8:00 AM MAKE A CUP OF COFFEE WARM UP CINNAMON ROLL & WATCH MACY’S DAY PARADE
11:00-11:30 AM TAKE TURKEY OUT AND ALLOW IT TO REST COVERED
11:30 AM PUT CASSEROLES IN THE OVEN AT APPROPRIATE TEMPERATURE
12:30 PM. TAKE CASSEROLES OUT OF THE OVEN, PLACE ROLLS IN THE OVEN, MASH POTATOES,
WARM GRAVY, FILL GLASSES WITH ICE.
1:00 PM SIT DOWN AND ENJOY THE COMPLIMENTS ON A JOB WELL DONE!