How to cook a butterball turkey in an electric roaster

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My juicy Roaster Oven Turkey will be your new holiday favorite. It’s so simple and delicious, but the best part is that cooks faster and frees up oven space for the yummy side dishes.

Roaster Oven Turkey

I’m all about a delicious, moist turkey for Thanksgiving. I also like trying different techniques each year too…from my Southwest Smoked Turkey to my deep fried turkey. And now my roaster oven turkey is my new favorite. It turns out so moist and juicy in the roaster oven.

The turkey cooks faster in the roaster oven and frees up oven space for all the yummy Thanksgiving side dishes. I’m all about freeing up oven space for the thousand side dishes I always want to make. I can’t be the only one that wants to make all the side dishes I see on Pinterest.

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• whole turkey (up to 20lbs)
• oil
• seasoning salt
• poultry seasoning
• pepper

How long to cook a turkey in a roaster?

Cooking a turkey in a roaster oven is so simple. It’s practically set it and forget it. The cooking time is based on the size of the bird. A 12lb bird should take around 3 – 3 1/2 hours, a 16lb bird should take about 3 – 3 1/2 hours, and a 20lb bird should take around 3 1/2 – 4 hours. These are just estimates, it’s good to use a wired thermometer to monitor the turkey to make sure it’s cooked to perfections.

Do you put water in a roaster oven when cooking a turkey?

No, you do not need to add any water to the roaster oven when cooking a turkey. As long as the lid is on properly, it will self baste and create all of its own juices.

What is the best temperature to cook a turkey?

The best temperature to cook a turkey in a roaster oven is 325F. I start my turkey at the highest possible temperature for about 30 minutes to brown and start to crisp the skin, then turn it down to 325F for the remainder of the cooking time.

Should I cover the turkey while roasting?

Absolutely, keep the turkey covered while it’s cooking in the roaster oven. This helps it baste itself. Use a wired thermometer so the lid can stay on as much as possible.

One tip to get that crispy skin, no matter how you decide to make your turkey is to pat it dry and then use a high quality oil or butter. Using butter will help brown the skin as well. If the skin doesn’t get as crispy as you’d like in the roaster oven, stick the turkey under the broiler for a couple minutes to finish it off.

Roaster Oven Turkey

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Resting Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

My juicy Roaster Oven Turkey will be your new holiday favorite. It's so simple and delicious, but the best part is that cooks faster and frees up oven space for the yummy side dishes.

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey (up to 20lbs)
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 tsps seasoning salt
• 2 1/2 tsps poultry seasoning
• 3/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Spray roaster oven with non-stick cooking spray or line pan with foil.
2. Remove the bag of organs and anything that is in the cavity of the turkey. DO NOT rinse, but pat turkey completely dry with paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, combine poultry seasoning, seasoning salt, and pepper.
4. Rub turkey with oil or butter and liberally sprinkle seasoning over the outside of the bird and pour some inside the cavity and rub around.
5. Place turkey in the roaster (I prefer breast side up). Insert digital thermometer and place lid on top. Set thermometer based on where you inserted the probe. 180F for thigh or 165F for breast. Juices should run clear and not be pink.
6. The Butterball website has a great calculator to get an estimate on how long your turkey will take to cook. Check your turkey early since it's easy to over cook and dry out a turkey.
7. When done, remove the turkey from the roaster, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. If you want to crisp the skin more, then put under the boiler for a couple minutes just before serving. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

Notes

Crispy skin tips:

To get that crispy skin, no matter how you decide to make your turkey is to pat it dry and then use a high quality oil or butter. Using butter will help brown the skin as well. If the skin doesn't get as crispy as you'd like in the roaster oven, stick the turkey under the broiler for a couple minutes to finish it off.

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Pin this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board:

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