The very general rule of thumb for bird size is 1/2 pound cooked meat per person, remembering that the larger the bird is, the more meat there is per pound. My reality is that I've never figured out the weight difference between raw bird and cooked, so I just figure on 1 pound [raw] per person and then double that, since our family's tradition sends each person home with at least one full plate of leftovers. Last T-day, SIL roasted a 22-lb bird for 12 adults, and it worked out almost perfectly for the dinner plus a plate with a generous serving for each to take home. Over the years, we've learned that our family prefers the stuffing baked separately which is nice because an un-stuffed bird roasts much faster and more evenly-- also, he makes 3 *very* different stuffings (does that tell you of the different cultural heritages?) so that everyone has the perferred type (sausage, sage and onion; eggnog, fruit and nuts; and -don't laugh- StoveTop's chicken dressing). You can roast without a rack (although I attached a link so that you could see the choices), but DO get a meat thermometer! I have several and like the convenience of the one that puts the sensor in the meat and has a wire leading to the digital gauge on the counter; but I most often use the tiny instant-read - just poke it in the meatiest part of the breast, count to ten and see the temperature. It almost always takes longer than you expect to roast a big bird, but that is balanced by the fact that not only do you want the bird to set for 20 minutes between oven and carving knife, but a *big* bird will hold its temperature for longer. A 20-lb bird [unstuffed] will take about 5 hours to cook to 170F; new guidelines say that 165F is safe, but I've found there is a good chance of not-quite-cooked portions when using the lower temperature. One of the secrets to fixing large meals is to do the prep-work in advance - sometimes wa-a-ay ahead. Prepare and measure the ingredients for each recipe, cover tightly and label so that you reach for the jar (bowl, whatever) and not for the measuring spoon when actually assembling the food. Refrigerate each container until used. Dry bread crumbs can be made a week in advance; chopped onions keep nicely for 3 days; diced celery keeps for 3 days if you rinse it just before closing the container; potatoes can be peeled and covered with slightly salty water for 24-36 hours in advance; scraped carrots keep for a week if covered with water. Dry ingredients should be measured and mixed into small labeled containers, so that you reach for the bowl with already measured and mixed salt, pepper, sage, sugar etc. instead of getting each item and having to measure just before mixing. I also pre-measure the butter, the milk, and even the water (yeah, I have LOTS of small containers) so that when it comes time I get the mixing bowl and line up the already-measured ingredients, scrape the ingredients into the bowl in the required order (dump the used bowls into hot sudsy water) and assemble. If something usually takes you a 1/2 hour to make, it's probable that 25 minutes is spent cleaning/peeling, dicing, and measuring --- do all that prepping in advance so that on the big day you only have to do the five minutes of dumping into the bowl and stirring. Here is a link that might be useful: roaster racks

Your difficulties could stem from how you're positioning the probe. The point of the probe should be in the meatiest part of the thigh, as far from bone as possible. Bones conduct heat, so temperatures will be slightly higher near a bone. People have been successfully cooking turkeys since long before the advent of temperature probes. Some old tests to determine if the turkey was fully cooked include jiggling a drumstick, If it feels loose in the socket, the turkey is done. Another old test is to pierce the thigh. If the juices run clear, the turkey is done. Consult your mother or grandmother. Chances are, they'll have other methods. Barring that, use the probe set to a slightly lower temperature than is recommended. When the probe tells you that temperature has been reached, begin checking with an instant read thermometer in 2 or 3 places to ensure that temperature is consistent. Finally, let the turkey rest for at least 45 minutes after removing it from the oven. Just tent it with foil and set it in a draft-free spot. It will still be plenty hot after the rest. Resting allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat, so that they don't run all over your cutting board when you begin carving. In my experience, most dry turkeys are the result of carving without a sufficient resting.

I have not used a convection oven. But, my best advice would be, as it always is when considering the use of some new gadget or method for a special occasion dinner is to try it first!!! You may not want a turkey before Thanksgiving, but you could roast a good sized chicken and at least the result would give you an idea.

I didn't! That was the best part. My mom makes it religiously and was rather insistent. She made me save the drippings for it (I made gravy ahead so it was available). She claims she doesn't need the carcass. But when she got ready to make the soup, there wasn't enough meat left to bother. I guess she needed that carcass after all. /happydance. It's not like there was room to store it and I really didn't want any cooking projects going on right after thanksgiving dinner...ahhh it feels good to have my kitchen back. Turkey and family free (except the ones I'm stuck with of course)!!