Here you will find all the tips and tricks you need for roasting a tasty turkey. I promise it’s not the daunting task you may think it is.
Yes, you are asking yourself, “How do I cook this thing?” as you look at the whole turkey. If this is your first turkey, let’s take the mystery out of the turkey roasting process for you. You don’t want any more stress before Thanksgiving dinner!.
Cooking the perfect turkey can be a challenge. One question that often comes up is – should you place the turkey on the bottom oven rack to roast? While it may seem counterintuitive, there are good reasons why the bottom rack is ideal for turkeys and large roasts.
Why Use the Bottom Rack?
Cooking experts generally recommend placing a turkey or other large roast on the lowest rack especially for
- Even cooking
- Preventing burning
- Optimizing crisping
Here’s why the bottom rack helps achieve those goals
Promotes Even Cooking
When roasting meat, you want the inside to cook through without the outside burning. Placing a turkey or roast on the bottom brings the bird closer to the main heat source at the bottom of the oven. This allows for more even cooking, with less risk of over-browning the top and shoulders before the thighs and legs are finished.
Prevents Burning
Similarly, having the turkey closer to the bottom keeps the skin and breast meat further away from the top heating element. The top of the oven gets hottest, so this prevents burning or over-crisping of those more exposed areas.
Optimizes Crisping
While preventing burn on top, the bottom rack takes advantage of the intense bottom heat to crisp the underside and create a gorgeous, browned skin. The reflected heat from the lower oven walls helps with all-over crisping as well.
Should You Put Turkey Right on the Bottom?
Some recipes call for placing the roasting pan directly on the oven floor rather than on a rack. This takes advantage of conductive heat for maximum crisping on the bottom. However, there are a few issues with this method:
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Not all oven floors are designed to hold roasting pans. Electric ovens could have exposed heating elements.
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The pan may block air flow to the burners.
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Opening the oven door can scrape the pan on the floor.
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The pan may not sit level if the oven floor is uneven.
For these reasons, it’s generally better to place the turkey on the lowest rack an inch or two above the oven floor. You still get great conductive heat, and avoid potential problems.
Should You Cook Other Foods Above?
When roasting a turkey or large joint of meat, it’s best not to cook other items on racks above it. Here’s why:
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The turkey is tall enough to block heat and air flow to the upper racks. Items above it will cook slower while the turkey burns below.
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Opening the oven door frequently causes heat loss. It’s hard to regulate temps on upper racks.
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Grease drippings can splatter onto dishes placed above the turkey.
For optimal results, the turkey should be the sole occupant of the oven. Cook stuffing, casseroles and sides either before or after.
Turkey Rack Position by Oven Type
Where exactly to place the roasting pan depends slightly on your style of oven:
Gas Oven – Place turkey on lowest rack, about 2 inches above the bottom.
Electric Oven – Set turkey on lowest rack without covering heat element.
Small Oven – Use lowest rack possible, tent foil if turkey touches.
Convection Oven – Use lowest rack, reduce temp 25°F from recipe.
Alternate Cook Methods
While oven roasting on a low rack is traditional, you can also cook turkey using these alternate methods:
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Grill over indirect heat using a 2-zone fire.
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Smoke at 225-250°F using charcoal or wood chunks in a smoker.
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Deep fry outside in a propane turkey fryer pot.
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Cook breast-side down for moist, flavorful meat.
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Spatchcock to flatten and roast faster.
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Roast at very high temp (450°F+) for crispy skin.
No matter your preferred turkey cooking method, the bottom oven rack creates the ideal environment for evenly cooked, beautifully browned and crisped holiday birds. For optimal results, let your turkey rule the roost on the lowest rack this holiday season.
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Turkey Cooking Basics: Tips and Tricks
- You can thaw a frozen turkey in two different ways. The first way is to put it in the fridge for two to three days. You can put the turkey in a sink full of cold water while it’s still in its plastic wrap if you need it to defrost faster. The turkey will be defrosted in a few hours with this cold water method.
- When you roast the turkey, make sure the breast side is facing up. Tuck the wings under and use kitchen twine to make the legs stand up straight. Putting the turkey breast side up and tucking the wings in to let the most air flow will give it beautiful golden skin.
- Trussing the legs helps the turkey to cook evenly.
- A tent made of aluminum foil is the best place for the turkey to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. The juices will soak into the meat, making sure the turkey stays moist.
- While the turkey rests, you can bake any sides that need it.
- Don’t worry if you don’t finish your sides in that 20 to 30 minute break. It will stay warm as long as you keep the aluminum foil over the turkey.
Convection versus Conventional Oven
A convection oven has a fan and exhaust system that circulates hot air within the oven itself. This is helpful if you cook on more than one rack at a time because it keeps the oven from having hot and cold spots, which makes the cooking more even.
Since most conventional ovens have their heating elements on the bottom, foods on the bottom rack cook faster than those on the top rack.
For this reason, you don’t need to heat a convection oven as high as you would any other oven. When I use a convection oven, I like to cook turkey at 325 degrees. When I use a regular oven, I like to cook turkey at 350 degrees.
It doesn’t matter what kind of oven you use as long as the turkey is the only thing in there while it roasts. For this turkey recipe, I used a conventional oven. For my Rosemary Orange Roast Turkey recipe, I used a convection oven. Both turned out fantastic!.
For people who have never cooked a turkey before, I get a lot of questions about how long to cook it. What if your turkey isn’t 10 to 12 pounds like the one in this recipe? That can also be hard to understand.
A good rule of thumb for a cook time is around 15 minutes per pound. This might be a little different if your turkey is very small or very big, but for the most part, it works well.
How do you know when the turkey is done? First of all, a meat thermometer is a must.
An old-school meat thermometer that has a dial works well. It just takes some time to register the temperature.
These days, you can find an instant-read thermometer that takes just a second or two to measure. The instant-read thermometer is all I use anymore.
When 165 degrees are read in the thickest part of the breast and 175 degrees are read in the thickest part of the thigh, your turkey is done. Some people will take the turkey out about 5 degrees below these temperatures.
For some reason, they think the bird will be more juicy in the end because it will cook about 5 degrees more while it rests. I would start with the temperatures I suggested, but as you get better at roasting turkey, you can try different things to see what works best for you.
Still not the perfect turkey after taking it out of the oven! You need to let the juices settle back into the turkey to make sure the meat stays moist.
I typically tent with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. I’ve let it sit longer while I finish all the side dishes, and it still turns out juicy and flavorful.
Once the time has passed, you are ready to slice your turkey. There are lots of great videos on YouTube that show you both simple and fancy ways to carve and serve your fresh turkey.
And now it’s time to dig into the fruits of your labor!
A Beginner’s Guide to an Easy Roast Turkey | Food Wishes
FAQ
Should I put the turkey on the bottom rack in the oven?
Is it better to cook turkey on rack or pan?
Should I cook on top or bottom rack?
Should I put anything in the bottom of my roasting pan?
Which rack should a Turkey be cooked on?
A turkey should be cooked on the lowest rack in the oven that you will place it in. You should put the turkey on the bottom rack of your oven because the top of the turkey should be around the middle of the oven. This will ensure that the entire turkey can cook evenly (Source).
Can you cook a Turkey on a top oven rack?
If you can avoid it, do not cook your turkey on the top oven rack, even if it is a very small turkey. Your turkey will likely not fit into the oven if you do try to cook it on the top oven rack, but even if you do manage to fit it in, the top of the turkey will likely burn because it is too close to the coils and the fan.
Where should a Turkey be placed in the oven?
You should put the turkey on the bottom rack of your oven because the top of the turkey should be around the middle of the oven. This will ensure that the entire turkey can cook evenly (Source). Where you place the lowest oven rack will vary depending on the size of the turkey you are going to cook.
What happens if you put a Turkey on a top rack?
This will also cause the meat underneath the burned part to be drier than the rest of the turkey. If you put the turkey on the top oven rack, the middle of the turkey will not cook as quickly as it would if the turkey was placed on the middle or lower oven rack, so you will have to keep the turkey in the oven for a longer period than you expect.
Should a Turkey rack be moved to the bottom?
Since a turkey is much taller than a casserole dish, in order for the bird to be the center of attention, the rack may need to be moved to the bottom. Additionally, Simply Recipes notes that if the turkey is too close to the top of the oven, you can end up with a burnt bird.
What happens if you cook a Turkey on an oven rack?
If you cook the turkey on an oven rack that is close to the heat coils and does not protect the turkey from the direct heat in some way, then the top will likely burn. This will also cause the meat underneath the burned part to be drier than the rest of the turkey.