I've put turkey remains into a hot pile in the fall. We remove every scrap of meat and then boil everything with celery and onions to make turkey stock, so by the time it's ready to compost it doesn't have much fat and protein left. Anyway I always have a hot pile in fall, leaves and grass. I put it in the center. It's fun to see the steam wafting up on a crisp fall morning. Pile gets turned in early spring, again a couple months later, by late summer it's done. All I ever find is the breast bone and maybe a leg bone. :-] You do need a hot pile and a good varmint environment. The hot pile helps I think, no varmints in their right mind would dig into the steaming stuff.

" Posted by lindac --I big cold turkey in a pot of hot water is a good way to keep the meat at just the proper temperature for bacteria growth. Much better to put it directly into the oven. " This topic of cause can lead to an endless heated discussion. Still, let me give it a try. What first gave me the reasons to try to find a way that led me to use my method: 1. A frozen 20-lb turkey will take five to six days to thaw in the frig, and there is never room in a freezer to keep a turkey. We all know how much other stuff you have to get for the Thanksgiving dinner in the refrigerator. 2. A turkey from the frig directly to oven, takes too long to cook to reach safe temperature all the way deep inside, and by that time, the meat outside, thatÂs more than half of the turkey, is very overdone, tough and dry. Or worst, the inside meat is still bloody when you are serving to your friends and family. Please understand that I am not recommending to anyone to be unsafe. The many cities I have traveled to outside of this country, including Argentina (meat capital of the world) and recently to Paris, it is not unusual for meats to be sold without refrigeration for the whole day. Pathogens can grow in the refrigerator temperature as well. Generally, it is considered unsafe for temperature to be from 41 to 140 degrees (I think, please check for accuracy). The other important factor is time. Given it enough time, anything can go bad. That why it doesnÂt take long for meats to go bad in a frig. I hate to think what is going on in an uncooked turkey for more than six days in a frig. Here is what I have been doing for more than ten years. Reserve in advance a turkey from the supermarket. Pickup the frozen turkey on Thanksgiving day. Prepare hot water to about 120 degrees. Dump frozen turkey with its plastic bag in hot water, and keep water temperature at about 120 to 130 degrees. I donÂt know if this is absolute correct, I never timed it. Depending on how big and how frozen the turkey is, about an hour later, the whole turkey is completely warmed up ready for seasoning and stuffing. Because the turkey is hot (but not cooked) at this time, it does not take long in the oven for the temperature to reach 165 deep inside without overcooking the outside. Just simple law of thermal dynamics. The entire process gives very little time and opportunity for harmful pathogens to multiply. I advice you not to use my method. It is unorthodox. Go cold turkey. :-) dcarch

Nancy, I was very surprised by how moist and juicy it stayed, I was afraid it would be dry as I did not brine it, although I did rub the outside with olive oil before roasting. I haven't done a chicken, I don't know if smaller would be easier or more difficult, but it'll be my next "project". I do like Ann T's suggestion of roasting the stuffed rolled bird on the bones so that there are drippings available to make gravy, mine had nearly none. Oh dear, Colleen, I do hope everyone in your family recovers quickly and completely. If it helps to know, it took about 15 minutes to bone that turkey, I'm sure it'll take much less time the next time. It could easily be boned the day before and packed into a ziplock type bag for use the following day, or even tossed into a cooler and transported. After stuffing it took about 2 1/2 hours to cook through, another 10 minutes for resting time, so it's a lot faster than a traditional bird too and stuffing could be tailored to taste or dietary requirements. You could even stuff one half with one kind of stuffing and the other end with something else if stuffing is a problem. You and your family will be in my prayers. Annie

If it's your favorite part of a turkey dinner, I'd roast it just like you fix your Thanksgiving bird. I do that every once in a while too, and I also include turkey legs. I cut off excess fat & skin, rub with oil, & then season with herbs & spices. Sometimes I use the traditional poultry seasonings and other times I'll use barbecue or even Cajun seasonings. I line a pan with Reynold's Release foil,and then place the turkey parts on a rack in the pan. Depending on how much time I have before dinner, I may roast it at 325 degrees or 350 degrees. I'd allow at least two hours, but start checking after 90 minutes. I just stick a skewer in to see if the meat is finally tender. The skin is usually wonderfully crispy, but I suppose you could brush a glaze of some kind on it too and then broil it a few minutes to get it crunchier. I never worry about gravy, but you could certainly use the drippings & chicken broth to make a sauce. It's such an easy yet tasty meal. And when we're all gnawing away, holding our turkey legs in our hands, we feel transported back to the court of Henry VIII! I'm sure others will chime in with real recipes & techniques. I just wanted to encourage you. You made a good purchase!