How Long Do I Cook My 16 Lb Turkey For And At What Temperature?

Spend about $2-$3 and get a product over by gladwrap and aluminum foil called Reynolds Oven Wrap.
This is plastic wrap for your turkey of any size.

You wash your turkey under running water, pull off any extra skin you can grab. Better to cook with a turkey thawed completely, overnight at least a day in the fridge. But if you haven't got time you can cook them frozen, they just don't come out as nice. So i recommend thawing it in fridge in a pan.

Another $3-$4 unless you have pans you can wash, aluminum roaster pan you just throw away after the mess is done. You can tell i like to eat but i don't like to fuss with all the prep work.

TO COOK: Heat the oven to whatever they say usually 375 degrees.
They tell you how long to cook it, by pounds.
First you open the oven bag. You put a big spoon of flour in there. You shake the bag, which coats the inside of the bag with dust.
Then you grease the turkey. You have just washed it,you pull out the neck and gizzard and don't bake those ( someone knows how, but you gotta get the cavity open if you stuff it).
You rub any cooking oil or olive oil over the turkey, this crispens and browns it in the bag.
There are more complicated ways to do it but why bother.
If you feel ambitious, you can add rosemary to the bag, or sage, or both, while you shake up the flour.
Happy dining! I am still eating my leftovers: I work thanksgiving weekend.
The leftovers make great sandwiches.

This is the fourth time today (03/01/09) that I have addressed the issue of cooking time for various foods.  I want to thank everyone who asked, because I never get tired of telling the following story.

I worked for many years in many different restaurants and commercial
kitchens.  Early in my career I would ask how long something should
cook, and the answer would invariably be "Until it is done" usually accompanied by an impatient and withering look from the chef or fellow cook whom I had asked.  I soon
stopped asking the question.  I also stopped asking for measuring cups and - for this I got the most annoyed look in my cooking career - asking for measuring spoons.  And I asked the question about the spoons just that one time.

Seriously, though...I think the better question is "How do I know when a turkey is done?"  There are two main
ways of telling when any poultry is done.  If you pierce it with a fork, and the juices run
clear...the bird is done.  I don't like to do that.  If it is not close
enough to being done when you pierce the meat, too much of the juice
runs out and you are left with a dry bird and a Mother-in-Law who will never let you forget it.  :-)

A better way is to
use an accurate cooking thermometer, but don't insert it just yet.  Also, you should not put any kind of dry bird into the oven sitting in a dry pan. You are just begging for disaster.  I follow the process you are about to read with chicken, game birds, duck, even some beef and pork roasts.  What I do is put some aromatic vegetables - onion, carrot, celery, garlic, some mushrooms, and maybe a little red and green bell pepper if I'm feeling extravagant - right into the pan arranged around the turkey.  You can add whatever you like or whatever you have in the fridge.  Don't put potatoes in the pan just yet.  If you want to roast potatoes in the pan, wait until about the last half-hour of cooking.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and whatever other spices and herbs you like.  A good hint that I learned just this year is to gently lift the skin of the breast of the bird and stick a few pats of butter between the skin and the breast meat.  Just push your hand *gently* under the skin.  The skin will detach itself from the breast without coming all the way off.  In all my years in kitchens all over the country I had never seen this done.  But it makes for a *Fabulously* moist breast.  And that moistness carries right through the rest of the bird.  See?? You *can* teach an old dog - or bird - like me a new trick now and then.  Add as much butter, vegetable oil, or even olive oil if you are feeling extravagant, as you like depending on the size of the bird.  Don't worry...you can't overdo it.  The bird will handle as much of this as you can throw at it.  

Add to the pan whatever liquid you want.  I would use equal parts water and a dry white wine.  Don't use red because obviously it will dye the bird a really icky color.  You can get away with a blush or a white zinfandel if that is what you like.  (And sometimes if I don't have any wine laying around, I'll use beer...one 12-ounce can is plenty.)  Remember, you cook with a wine you would drink, and with a wine that Mom-in-Law won't make faces at if *she* drinks it.  (If there is such a thing.)  ;-)

Again, don't overdo it with the liquid.  Too much, and the turkey will turn mushy, it will fall apart, mix with the vegetables and liquid, and you will have nothing but a roasting pan full of turkey vegetable soup when you are done.  

Let the bird sit in the pan on the counter for a little while so it can warm up a bit.  You shouldn't put any meat directly into the oven right from the fridge.  The shock of the temperature change causes trouble.  I'm not 100% sure what all the consequences are...I just know you aren't supposed to do it.

Ok...to continue.  The turkey will release enough of its own juices while it is roasting to keep the level of liquid in the pan relatively constant.  So you probably won't need to add more liquid as you go along.  But if you feel like you should...go ahead.

An editorial comment about brining:  It sounds good on paper (thanks to my brother Richard for that non sequitur) and makes great television on cooking shows.  I think it is an affectation and quite unnecessary.  If you follow the prep instructions - rinse thoroughly, salt the bird inside and out, "shmear" it all over with a good olive oil or vegetable oil, stick the butter under the skin of the breast, put the vegetables and herbs in the pan, then let the bird sit in the pan on the counter until it warms up a bit, you don't have to go through the trouble of brining overnight.  End of editorial comment.

Another editorial comment: This one is about the V-shaped roasting rack that kitchen equipment manufacturers "recommend" that you use.  I don't use it.  I think it's just a way for kitchen equipment manufacturers to sell kitchen accessories and gadgets.  Again, if you follow the prep directions you will be OK.  Yes, the bottom of the turkey might stick to the pan a little.  That's not the end of the world.  Actually, that bit of stuck-on skin and fat will make a very rich addition to the pan gravy you will make.  But that's another answer to another question for another day.  End of editorial comment #2.

One last editorial comment:  There is a "trial and error" part of learning
to cook that we all must endure.  All the chefs and cooks in the world can give you a million
tips and hints.  You have to actually take yourself into the kitchen and "get your hands
dirty" in order to learn.  I myself have made every mistake that I have
written about here.  So you are not exempt.  You have to suffer the
inevitable failures before you finally find the perfect combination of
flavors and process that makes you and your family - including
Mom-in-Law - happy.  It is best to do this in private, yes.  But you can't help it.  Someone has to taste the failures in order for you to get to the "promised land" of success in the kitchen.

Ok...that's the last editorial comment....I promise. ;-)


I cook just about everything I put in the oven at 350F unless there are package directions that say otherwise.  It is a high enough temp to cook without taking all day, but allows for a "low and slow" process that makes for better flavor in the finished bird.  So...put the 16-pounder in the oven in a covered roasting pan at 350F, and roast for about 45 minutes.  Resist the temptation to check it these first 45 mins.  Leave the cover on and just let it do its thing.  After the first 45 mins, take the bird out of the oven and remove the cover.  Baste the whole bird thoroughly with the pan juices; there should be plenty.  Put the turkey back in the oven, *uncovered* and take it out to baste every 15-20 minutes or so.

By the way, you can't over-baste the bird, but keep in mind that every time you open the oven door you are losing heat and increasing the cooking time.  And for every extra minute you have to cook the bird, the more chance there is of coming up with a dry bird and the reputation of not being able to make a decent turkey.  And that reputation will run like wildfire through the family and haunt you for the rest of your life.  ;-)

The most important reason for roasting the bird uncovered is to allow the skin to darken and to crisp up a bit.  That won't happen with the cover on the roasting pan.  Basting allows the skin of the bird to turn that beautiful medium dark brown you are looking for without becoming too dry and crackly.  So keep basting every 15-20 minutes until the breast, wings, legs, and thighs all achieve that beautiful medium dark brown color.  When that happens, your bird is getting close to done.  You might notice parts of the skin getting a little crackly.  This is OK...it just means that your bird is indeed getting close to done.  Another indication is if you start to see bone at the end of the drumsticks where there used to be meat.  This pulling away is also normal, and another good sign that the bird is almost ready.  Get out your meat thermometer, and stick it into the thickest part of the turkey between the thigh and the breast.  You are looking for an internal temperature of about 150F.  If it is 150F or above, take it out of the oven *now*!!  If it isn't, leave the thermometer in the bird so that the juices don't all run out,
and keep roasting and basting  until the temp shows
that special 150F.  No, the oven temperature will not affect the operation of the thermometer.  The pointy end, not the gauge, is the business end of the deal.  When the gauge end says 150F cover the bird - still in the pan - with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for 15
minutes *with the thermometer still inside it.* Don't give the juices a chance to run out.  You are also watching for the temperature to continue to rise.  The resting lets the juices in the bird re-distribute and allows the
heat still there to finish the cooking process.  A hard and fast unbreakable rule is: *Don't carve any
meat right out of the oven.*  The juices will all run out.  If you ignore this rule for whatever reason, there will be good news and bad news.  The good
news is you will have enough stock to make about a gallon of
gravy.  The bad news is you will be bringing a very dry turkey to the
table.  Never forget that "She" is watching.  ;-)

You are looking for a final temperature of between 155F and 160F.  Any higher and no matter what you have done so far, your turkey is going to be overdone and dry.  If you take the bird out of the oven at 150F it will be at the 155-160F in about 10 minutes.  Let it rest for another 5 or 10 minutes just to make sure the juices are safely deep inside the bird.  Then you can remove the thermometer and start carving.  Another thing not to worry about:  The turkey is not going to get cold in 10 or even 20 minutes.  It has been sitting in the oven at 350F for almost 4 hours.  As my dad would say:  "Do you want to put your rear end in there and then see how long it would take to cool off?"  :-)

OK, now for the carving part.  I'm not a butcher, so I'm sorry I can't give you any good carving tips.  My birds come out of the oven beautiful, but by the time I'm done with the knife...well, it's not pretty.  Again, this is the practice and experience part of the learning process...and I'm still learning even at my advanced age.  Anyway, I'm sure there are others on this site who can help you with carving tips.  What I can offer is this:  Remove the leg and thigh parts first and in one piece.  You can separate them just before serving.  Then cut off the wings.  Again, a "real" butcher will be able to tell you where you can find the joints to cut to get these pieces off without doing a lot of hacking.  Now you can tackle the breast.  I take the whole breast off first, lay it on my carving board, and slice it.  As with any meat, cut across the grain.  And again, refer to someone who is better at carving and  butchering than I am.  Carving a 16-pound turkey is a tough enough job.  To try to do it with the meat still on the bone while you are standing at the head of the table is asking a little too much.  You can bring the bird to the table for the "Oooh-Ahhh" moment and the blessing, but then take it back into the kitchen where you can do your job and make whatever mistakes or mess you might make, without the whole family waiting for you to do it in front of them.

I hope these tips and hints prove useful.

Bernie

I think 375 degrees and they say how long you cook it.