How to Cook a Turkey and Keep it From Drying Out

With the holidays upon us, it is a good chance you will need to know how to cook a turkey. Have you ever had turkey that ended up dried out or tough? Here is what you need to do to avoid that problem.

How to Cook a Turkey

Every package has cooking instructions of how long to bake the bird and at what temperature. Read the label and calculate how much time you need based off the pounds. 

Go HERE for my turkey recipe.

How to Keep a Turkey From Drying Out

There are a few main things you need to do to make certain a turkey does not dry out while it is cooking. Follow these steps and you can be sure that it will keep your bird from tasting dry. 

Thaw it completely 

When it isn't completely thawed, it will have to cook longer to get the center up to temperature. This can cause parts of the bird to dry out. 

Rub down with oil

The entire outside needs to be rubbed down with oil. My preference is olive oil. This keeps the bird tender and helps to make the skin get crispy. 

Fill the pan with water

Put two-three inches of water in the bottom of the pan you are baking the turkey in. This will create steam in the oven as the bird bakes. You might even notice that it takes a little less time to cook with this method. 

During the cooking time, the water might evaporate. When this occurs, add more water to get it back to the level it was when you started baking. 

Baste the turkey

Basting means you take a bit of water from the bottom of the pan and pour it over the top of the bird. You can use a spoon, cup or basting bulb to do this. About once an hour, open the oven and pour some of the liquid from the pan on top of the bird.