Thanksgiving is all about the turkey, and we've developed dozens of foolproof recipes over the years in the test kitchen. But if you're curious about trying something new this year, here's a quick breakdown of 3 popular turkey preparations.
Roast Crisped-Skin Turkey
For a great roast turkey recipe with a superbly crisp skin, we let the bird air-dry in the refrigerator after brining, which allowed the residual moisture in the skin from brining to evaporate. As a result, the skin became crisp in the oven instead of steaming from excess moisture. Get the Recipe
Pros: It’s the classic choice.
Serves: 10 to 12 (more if you buy a large bird)
Timeline Considerations: This recipe requires a few hours of oven time before eating, although the oven will be free for roughly 40 minutes right before dinner. This recipe requires brining and air-drying the roast a day in advance. You can brine the turkey before work and then simply get it out of the brine and onto a rack for air-drying in the fridge when you get home.
Grill-Roasted Turkey
Besides freeing up your oven for other dishes, roasting your turkey out on the grill also means that you needn’t worry about constantly monitoring the bird to ensure a perfectly juicy, tender turkey. We divide our coals into two piles on either side of the grill so that the turkey thighs receive the highest heat. A combination of lit coals and unlit briquettes yield a longer-burning fire, making replenishing coals unnecessary. The addition of a pan of water stabilizes the temperature inside the grill for even cooking and a quick salt rub before grilling yields seasoned meat and crispy skin. Get the Recipe
Pros: With the turkey on the grill, the oven is free to bake stuffing, casseroles, and pies. A great choice if you have a helper in the kitchen to watch the grill.
Serves: 10 to 12
Timeline Considerations: This recipe starts by salting the bird—a process that requires just 10 minutes of hands-on work. However, for salting to work, you must start 1 to 2 days before you plan on cooking the bird. This recipe will work on either charcoal or gas, but a gas grill will be a bit easier to manage if the weather is expected to be cold or windy.
Roast Turkey Breast
Our challenge in developing the best easy roast turkey breast recipe was to get moist, juicy meat and crisp skin. To do so, we had to determine the best roasting technique, with a high temperature to crisp the skin and a low temperature for moist meat. The optimal combination for our turkey breast recipe was to start the turkey breast in a 425-degree oven for the first half-hour of cooking and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees for the remaining hour. Get the Recipe
Pros: It's much easier (and faster) to cook a breast than a whole bird. Perfect for the novice cook or the cook who doesn't have time for any advance prep.
Serves: 8 to 12
Timeline Considerations: You can start this recipe less than 3 hours before serving time. The oven will be free for about 30 minutes (while the turkey breast rests and is carved), but otherwise look for dishes that can bake at 325 degrees or be prepared on the stovetop.
