I felt the same way a couple of years ago when I first started hosting holiday get togethers at my house. I was a double nervous nellie because I am normally a vegetarian so I have LIMITED experience cooking meat. That's actually when I first started posting here at CF, in fact. In my mind I had memories of dry turkey that my mom made, and also at some friends' homes. But I think the reason those turkeys were dry is because they left them on the heat too long. In one case, it was a long party and the turkey suffered for it, and in the other case, I believe it was because my aunt was always chronically late for Thanksgiving dinner--my poor long suffering mom!

As for the butter part, if I'm not mistaken that applies to turkeys that have not been injected with oils and broths. The commercial butterball ones, if I'm not mistaken, get injections with some kind of stuff to keep them from drying out. I have rubbed butter and herbs under the skin of roast chicken to good effect, but if you don't like herbs then this is probably not necessary. A lot depends on your variables--size of kitchen, size of bird, equipment, timing of the dinner, etc. I make small birds so I can't advise you on the 22 lb. one, but I don't think brining is necessary, although I'm sure it is a good method. I just don't have the space or the inclination to do it. I do a modified high heat--high heat for the first part and then turn down. But that's for a small bird. So I can't advise you on doing it for a large bird, but I do think timing and watching is obviously important if you go high heat. I think the best way to cook a turkey is one that suits your cooking style, your kitchen, your family, your schedule and your logistics. That's the best way to assure success. There is no one sure fire way that fits all. I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!! Some people want to be adventurous though. I'm all for that, but somehow I don't think Thanksgiving with all the relatives coming is a good time for that kind of thing! I think that's wherein problems arise, sometimes.

My advice is don't over think roasting your turkey. Roasting a turkey is no different than roasting a chicken, just takes longer. It is what I call my "no-brainer" meal, the easiest dinner to put together.

I use to brine, but since I found the pre-salt method which I think is superior to brining , and so much easier I now pre-salt. And I use the high heat method.

But egardless of whether you brine or presalt, slow roast or high heat roast, cover or roast uncovered, rub butter or herbs under the skin or Not, as long as you don't over cook the turkey it will be fine. And even if you do over cook it so what, it will still be good, especially if you have lots of rich turkey gravy.

Ann

I agree with Ann's advice. People have been cooking turkeys and celebrating Thankgiving long before Alton Brown was born.

Add my voice to Ann T's and Ruthanna's. Your turkey will be fine. If your turkey is fresh, brining is a nice idea, but it's not necessary, I didn't do it for years. If you have a commerical turkey with "flavor enhancers", don't brine it, it'll be to salty, it has that salt and water solution already.

Grandma used to baste her turkey, tent the breast meat, etc. She also way overcooked turkey, which is why she basted it so much, LOL. I've cooked turkey breast up, breast down, brined or not, in an electric roaster, in a cookin bag, starting at high heat, stuffed, unstuffed. It's all good and I didn't find that one method was vastly preferably to another.

My personal preference? Get a local farm raised turkey, fresh and not frozen. Brine it in an apple cider brine then stuff it and roast it. I know it's heresy but I peel off the turkey skin and feed it to the cat, I hate it, so I really like turkey in an electric roaster but it's not so pretty as an oven roasted bird, it doesn't get brown and crackly. Not that I care, I carve it in the kitchen and no one sees the whole bird anyway, just a plate of carved turkey!

Oh, and don't put stuffing under the skin. It's tedious and unnecessary when you're having a big group of people for dinner.

Annie

I saw a segment on "The View" where a chef said not to baste because all the lost heat every time you open the oven leads to longer cooking time, which leads to drying out the bird, which negates the point of basting in the first place. It seems to make sense, but goes against most of the other advice out there.

Last year we went through a long process with so many steps I can't remember them all. It was a Martha Stewart method where you end up with what looks like a "death mask" of the turkey in the end. Or at least that's what the layers of cheesecloth placed over the turkey that you continually basted with wine/herbs/butter looked like to me. The turkey wasn't bad, but for all the time and trouble, it wasn't any better than the ones my mom used to cook.

I want to try ann t's pre-salt method this year. I just don't know if I can sacrifice room in the fridge to do it.

I've cooked them various methods as well and agree that the presalt method described by Ann is the best, and my family agreed. It was by far the moistest turkey I had cooked. However, you are supposed to salt the bird two or three days before cooking it, and it looks like you won't have that much time. One day would probably be enough - I'm only going to have two days for mine, which is what I did the last time.

You can put butter under the skin of the breast to help it stay moist as well, but I wouldn't put stuffing or herbs. I do mix herbs, spices, and garlic with the butter when I'm roasting a chicken, but that's better for a small bird than a large one. You can get tired of the herb flavors if it affects a whole turkey, and I prefer the flavor of turkey without herbs. I did a turkey breast with herbed butter and it was not as good as with plain butter.

The high heat method is best also and you can get the turkey cooked in less time. One time I saw recently that I thought I would try this year is the turn the bird upside down to rest when it comes out of the oven. I think that was from the Barefoot Contessa. One year when I was cooking for a large group, I roasted a pork loin as well as a turkey, and I think I liked that better than the turkey. My sister thought it was a bad idea to have a pork loin (because she doesn't know how to cook it), but she ended up eating more of that than the turkey. However, you especially don't want to overcook pork loin, which is what my sister does. If you overcook turkey, the dark meat will still be fine, which is my favorite part anyway.

Lars

About 6 years ago I bought a roaster, because I needed it for that Thanksgiving -- I'd be doing TG dinner with only one oven that year. I figured it was throwing away $40, because I probably wouldn't use it much after that. Well, I don't, but it was a great investment! Yes, it frees up the oven for everything else, and that's nice, but the best thing about it is that it cooks the bird so much faster and keeps it really juicy. We've kept records on the box of what we do every year, and it takes all the worry out of preparing turkey. I'll probably use it once a year for the rest of my life, and then my kids will use it once a year!

Arlene

If you had great results last year why change? Since you have a meat thermometer and know when the turkey is done then brining is not necessary. Most birds have already been embalmed with a sodium and "flavor enhancer" solution and brining for any length of time will make the turkey too salty.
Cooking a turkey is not rocket science,just wash and dry the bird well,rub it with butter,sprinkle with salt and pepper,throw some aromatics in the cavity and roast at 325 until the temp. is 165 on the inner thigh. You can turn temp up toward the end if bird is not browned to your liking. Granted a turkey with a super crisp skin is nice but you are making a lot of unnecessary work for your self. Once you start carving on the breast all of that detail work is for nothing.

I'm with Ann, Ruthanna, Annie et al ....don't care if you use high heat, low heat, brine salt, stuff, don;t stuff, breast up , breast down, butter under the skin, oil on the skin.......

The only way to really screw up a turkey is to over or under cook it...overcook you can get a pass on with lots of gravy but not under cooked!

As long as the bird is totally thawed and you use a meat thermometer, I believe it's impossible to cook a turkey that the family will not absolutely love.

Gotta agree with Chase -- the only turkey I won't eat is undercooked. In fact, I really like everything else so much that I look at the turkey as an accompaniment.

If it makes you feel better, my first year of hosting Thanksgiving, my mother gave me the turkey. I thought she was so sweet to have put it in an oven bag and I popped it in the oven. After about 10 minutes, I kept sniffing and asking my husband "do you smell that?" as wisps of burnt plastic were wafting around in my kitchen:)

Good luck!

Cathy in SWPA

I know this goes against ALL turkey roasting convention, but I actually prefer using one of those Ziploc oven roasting bags! I've brined turkeys, salted, used special racks, fried, and have roasted the bird in so many ways I can hardly keep track. In my experience, the oven bags have consistently, brainlessly given me a moist, flavorful bird EVERY time.

Now I know it doesn't give you that crisp, perfect skin that traditional roasting does. So what! It still looks very yummy, and besides, I take the skin off and cut the bird up in the kitchen anyway! I also find that I get the BEST and largest amount drippings from an oven bag as the drippings don't cook off.

If you cut the bag open and peel it back about 30 minutes before it's done, the bird will brown up nicely.

I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to have a picture perfect, browned turkey that we forget the most important part is having it taste good!

"That is what I did last year and the results were great."

That said it all for me. Do it again and don't lose any sleep over it.If you want to experiment, do it later inthe year, on aturkey breast when you don 't have a house full of guest coming for dinner.

I really agree with Gardengirl completely.I use a cooking bag. I know all the objections to it but we have never had an overcooked or undercooked Turkey when I've used one. They are always moist and tasty. I get up and finish the stuffing and put in the bird and the bird in the bag and into the oven and don't think about until a half an hour before it comes out. I looks great and you haven't worried about while you got everything else together.

I do everything I can ahead of time but there is always a lot of last minute stuff and you need to be able to visit and catch up on family happenings while doing them. I love thanksgiving and I hope you all have a great holiday. Tache

I used a bag once about 20 years ago and it turned out great! I don't use them now... not that it matters. It's only hubby and me. Because of that I don't have the need to bring the perfect looking turkey to the table. For bag users or anyone who winds up with soggy skin: if you don't mind carving the turkey in the kitchen then peel the skin off, cut into strips and crisp it up in the oven. Those who love crispy skin can have a little skin 'chip' as a garnish. I do this all the time with chicken too.

If you didn't brine last year's bird and it was acceptable, why would this year's bird be horrible?

All that advice is for people who have been dissatisfied with their previous results. And many are because it's not easy to roast a large irregularly-shaped object consisting of radically-different types of meat in such a way that both white and dark meat eaters are pleased and it also looks beautiful before it's carved.

The odd thing is that they don't have much advice for what I consider the other spoiler: the challenge of carving a big turkey fast enough that everyone gets to eat while it's still hot. IMO, if the meat will have to be kept hot or reheated, it might as well be prepared and carved ahead, eliminating worries about whether it will be done on time. And if it's going to be cooked ahead, why roast it? I prefer it simmered for wonderfully juicy meat that holds well with much less risk of getting dry.

For a crowd I use two turkeys, preparing the first one ahead, and then roasting the other to fill the house with fragrance. As soon as it's out of the oven it is presented and dinner is served. The second bird then rests for hot second helpings. Or I skip the the Norman Rockwell moment and just roast parts according to their cooking needs and our diners preference (our family and friends almost all prefer dark meat).

My mil has made a simmered turkey for the past 40 years. For the 14 I've tasted it, it's delicious. Almost enough to make me give up crispy skin.

I've used a bag for more years than I can remember and I get the moistest turkey ever...plus the skin isn't soggy at all, it's always brown and crisp. I wouldn't change a thing since not having to check on it like Tache says until the last few minutes.