FWIW - I think most people cook it upside down and I never understood that. Chickens, turkeys, all those birds, people put on their backs breast side up and then stick them in the oven. The back is always the juiciest and best part, but there's almost no meat there at all. Cook it breast down for heaven's sake. And don't overcook. If you have a pop-up timer stuck into it, take it out and throw it away. Don't forget - the meat will still cook for a few minutes when it's out of the oven. Who cares what it looks like coming out of the oven??? Do you want it to look like a Norman Rockwell painting AND taste like one? That picture with Grandma taking the bird out of the oven with everyone looking on and imagining the dried out and tasteless dinner that awaits them - I think he was taking artistic license because a turkey butt side up just doesn't look as nice. But it tastes better.

I am making two 9 lb breasts this year. I have them thawing now and will brine them just over night so I'll need them completely thawed by Wed. I have a cell phone pic of my ahem breasts if anyone wants to see LOL!!! No seriously I am taking lots of pics this year to make a scrapbook to pass along to DD. Shhhh!!! Its a secret. I plan to document the entire meal all the prep, tips, serving ect... Cheers! Susie

Thanks everyone. Yes, I used an oven thermometer. It's an old one (the standard metal frame) and I have no reason to think it's off, since setting the oven 25 degrees lower seems to work almost all the time.... and NOT setting it lower tends to burn/brown the food too much (though I haven't tried that for a long while....). In addition, I always put the rack in the middle of the oven (unless the recipe says to do otherwise), then put the thermometer in the middle of the rack on which I'll put the pan, and wait until it registers at (or very close to) the temp I want. And, yes, the breast was cold when it went into the oven -- I made the herb paste in the morning, spread it on, covered with foil, and put it in the fridge. I wanted to go for a bike ride and didn't want to cut that short to come back and prepare the turkey; all I'd need to do is stick it in the oven. No doubt, letting it sit at room temp for about an hour would have made a difference in cooking time. I bought it fresh, not frozen, and kept it in the fridge until cooking time. (I removed the foil except for the last 30 minutes.) So, next time I'll let it sit for about an hour at room temp before cooking, then let it reach 165 degrees before removing it from the oven. This was Ina's recipe and tried and true so I'm going on the assumption I did something differently. It wasn't overly dry.... a little on the dry side. The flavor is great and I would definitely make it again, but not for company until I get this right! I also made the dill potatoes (posted here before), and brussel sprouts blanched then tossed w/ EVOO and drizzled with finely chopped walnuts then roasted in the oven. Hubby (who does most of the cooking since he's retired and I am still working) said "This is really good, Hon." .... then, after dinner, "Good job!" All's well that ends well! :-) Thank you all so much!! What a great forum.

Okay. My sealer behaved. The bag was generously wide, though a little tight around the waist. I was working on my poultry board but only had my two hands, not wanting to wait, and cross contaminated everything, so the turkey breast is vacuum sealed in cooking grade, in a carry out bag, in a handle tie tall kitchen bag, in the fridge. :) Since it's skin and bones on, I didn't bother with oil or anything. I had to make "poultry seasoning" for the stuffing, so made the whole recipe and rubbed most of it on the turkey, and put in twigs of purple sage which had dried on the counter when I didn't make what I cut it for. 151 degrees F. for 2 hr. + and I don't have to worry about the danged stuffing! Though I do need to go make the stuffing casserole and chicken stock gravy. And clean the potatoes. It's only 6:00!