It doesn't get hotter in there when the sun's out, or below freezing at night?

I know they said about 24 hrs per 4 lbs in the fridge, not sure how long it would take in your solarium but I'd worry about fluctuating temps. You can thaw it in the cooler by putting it in cool water, since you're brining it anyway. Just leave it in the wrapper, don't salt the water, and change the water every half hour if you can (Butterball says this will take about 10 hours for 20lb bird, so actually I suggest having your mom if she is home and can manage it drain the cooler and refill it on Wednesday to thaw and then you can take it out of the wrapper, take out giblets to refrigerate, brine it as usual overnight).

Here is a link that might be useful: How to thaw a turkey

I'd probably go the cooler route, too. Could put it in garage, ig ya have one. Or even outside... if you don't have BEARS in your area who would probably find and eat in no time?!? I'm thinking a turkey that size could easily sit in a fridge for 3-4 days before being completely thawed... IN original packaging.

Regarding what AJmama siad about fluctating temps,100% agree and regardless what the room temp is,sun must not fall on cooler. 35-40F is idea if the room never stray's below or above. Crumpled news paper in voids between bird and cooler walls/top will buffer temps. I do not like using water for defrosting unless it's an emergency requiring defrost within 48 hours. I would transfer bird from freezer to cooler Friday night/Saturday morning. One week is a long period. For educational purpouse, quickly reach inside cavity to touch gibblt pak starting on day 3,don't remove pak, just before 100% of frost is gone from gibblit pak is idea point to season and cook.
You will be fine,don't see how it could turn out otherwise with mom and sis both at your side.

I don't find a week is too long at all, to defrost a turkey. I had mine in the crisper of my frig for a week for our Canadian Thanksgiving, and it still had ice in the cavity and the legs were still frosty/frozen

20 lbs/4 = 5 days to defrost in fridge (or cooler in a place where temps will stay below 40). And then a couple of days beyond that is fine.

I've got a fresh (but it was almost frozen - very cold and firm) 18 lb bird bought yesterday in a cooler in my garage, it's just above freezing in the cooler b/c it was in the 20's last night. My mom is picking it up today to put in her fridge - which I would think is warmer, but it's going to hit 60 here Monday so I can't keep it in the cooler all that time. Sell-by date is Nov 28 and butcher told me it would keep fine til TG AM in the fridge. I'm a teeny bit nervous since I don't know what my mom's fridge temp is (I can give her thermometer). Should I stick this in the freezer, or put in ice water, to super-chill it before I give it to her? I don't want to freeze it for 2 days and then start thawing it out b/c I don't know how long it will take to thaw then (no way of telling how frozen it would be). Or do you figure it takes as long to freeze as to thaw so freezing 2 days and then putting in fridge Sat AM would be better? My dad is coming home from hospital Sat so could be a bit hectic.

On holidays when I'm preparing a turkey, I often have the fridge pretty full.

Caveat - Coolers vary a lot so it is hard to give general advice on using them. We have a good Coleman ice chest - the kind where you can put a block of ice in it and there is still some of the ice left after a few days (their website says 4.75 - but I don't know what temp they have outside the cooler for that), not one of the wimpy ones that will keep your food cold for the picnic in the afternoon but not the next day.

We put the turkey in that a few days before time to cook and it will still be cold all through when the time comes.

I tend to question the one day per 4 pound defrost time because even when I've defrosted in the fridge, it hasn't taken near 5 days for a >20 pound turkey. If you're going to brine the turkey anyway, it can do a bit of final defrosting in the brine. Meat defrosts much more quickly when submerged because water conducts heat better than air.

The other thing you can do with a good cooler if the turkey is defrosting to fast is buy a 10 pound block of ice to put in with the turkey to keep the cooler temp around freezing. Or freeze a block of ice in a large baking pan and put that in the cooler instead of buying a block.

One faster safe method:

1. Measure your refrigerator temperature, and make sure it is not over 40F.

2. Get a small cooling fan such as a computer "muffin fan" ($10.00?), which is very small, quiet and use very little power to circulate air around the turkey in the refrigerator.

You turkey should be safely thawed in about 1/3 the time.

dcarch