Roasting a Turkey, 101

This guide walks beginners through roasting a whole Greenacres pasture-raised turkey with simple ingredients and basic tools. The process involves preparing a vegetable bed in the roasting pan, coating the turkey with an herb-garlic butter, and roasting at 325°F until the thigh reaches 160°F. The turkey is covered for most of the cook time and uncovered at the end for browning. After roasting, it rests for 30 minutes before carving, and the pan drippings can be used for gravy. The piece also highlights how Greenacres turkeys are raised—on rotated pasture, a diverse diet, and Certified Humane practices—contributing to their quality and flavor. Cooking times range from about 3 to 5 hours depending on the bird’s weight.

Ingredients

Greenacres Pasture Raised Turkey

Chicken or Turkey Broth, or Water
2 Large Onions
1 Large Carrot
3-4 Stalks Celery
1 Bay Leaf

For the Herb Butter Mixture:

2 Sticks Butter room temperature
4 tsp Minced Fresh Rosemary
4 tsp Minced Fresh Sage
1 tbsp Minced Fresh Thyme
3 Fresh Garlic Cloves minced
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity and set them aside. “The giblets” refer to the liver, gizzard, & heart of the turkey. You can use these in your gravy or stuffing (consult some online recipes for ideas), cook and feed them to your pets, or discard them.
Do not rinse your turkey. Instead, just pat it dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Raw poultry juice can make you sick. Diligently wash your hands and any surfaces or tools that come in contact with raw turkey with hot water and soap.
Prepare herb butter. When applied to the skin of the turkey, fat will protect the meat from the heat of the oven and help keep it moist. We’re adding garlic and herbs to make it tasty, but you could use plain butter, or swap the butter for lard or oil. Mince the herbs and garlic. Combine all herb butter ingredients in a bowl. Gently loosen the skin on the breast and thighs with your hands the best you can, and rub the mixture all over the turkey, under and over the skin.
If you have time, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors in the butter to marinate the turkey. If you don’t have time, it will still be delicious!
Remove turkey from refrigerator at least 30-60 minutes before cooking, to allow it to warm up a bit. This will help keep the turkey tender.
Prepare the vegetables: Set aside one onion. Roughly chop the remaining vegetables and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan with the bay leaf and enough broth or water to mostly submerge the vegetables.
Preheat oven to 325ºF. If you didn’t apply the herb butter in advance, do it now. Set the rack over the vegetables in the roasting pan, and place the turkey on the rack, breast side up. Halve the remaining onion, and place it inside the cavity with a handful of herbs, if you have some remaining.
Cover pan with aluminum foil, or the lid if your pan has one. Place pan in the oven, cook according to the time chart on the other side of this card. Remove the foil or lid for the last 30-60 minutes to brown the skin.
Remove from the oven once the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 160ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Avoid bones when you are testing the temperature - keep the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh meat. Begin checking the temperature about 30 minutes before you expect it to be done.
Cover and allow the turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving, to avoid moisture loss. Consult YouTube for great tutorials on carving a turkey. Strain the liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan, and use it to make your gravy.

Notes

You can do this!

Roasting a whole turkey can seem intimidating. But with a little preparation, you’ll find the process is easier than you think. You don’t need to stuff it, truss it, baste it, or do any kind of fancy brining with exotic ingredients to serve a beautiful, delicious turkey to your holiday guests.

You will need:

A roasting pan (about 9"x12" or larger) with a rack that fits comfortably inside
the pan - if the turkey sits directly on the bottom of the pan, it can burn.
Aluminum foil, or the lid to your roasting pan, if it has one
A meat thermometer If you aren’t sure if your thermometer is accurate, test it in a pot of boiling water - the thermometer should read 212ºF.
An oven!

Approx. Cooking Time by Weight at 325º

12 - 14lb ....... 3 - 3¾ hours

14 - 18lb ....... 3¾ - 4¼ hours

18 - 20lb ....... 4¼ - 4½ hours

20 - 24lb ....... 4½ - 5 hours

The safe internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh must register 160ºF

Pasture Raised Turkeys

From August to November, our livestock crew cares for hundreds of turkeys that arrive as day-old poults. Once they are large enough, they are released to large fenced paddocks where they are frequently rotated through the pasture.

Birds are omnivores - in addition to the insects, grasses, clover, etc. they forage, we also provide a locally produced, non-GMO turkey feed. This well-rounded diet, in addition to all the exercise they get, results in a more delicious turkey.

All livestock handling and housing arrangements on our farm meet or exceed Certified Humane guidelines. Our efforts result in healthier birds who live happier lives, better working conditions for our staff, improved soils, and a healthier, more delicious turkey to grace your holiday table.

A note about feathers…The turkey you typically buy at the grocery store has been bred to have white feathers, a genetic trait selected so feathers aren’t as visible, at the expense of overall turkey health and flavor. Our turkeys have bronze feathers, which may occasionally be visible on the turkey you bring home – simply remove before cooking.