Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you the king of the American Holiday table, the centerpiece of nearly every family gathering in the United States for the months of November and December, the prince of poultry, the roast turkey.
The turkey is either the most awaited or most dreaded addition to a holiday meal. Most awaited if the bird is moist, succulent and juicy, and most maligned when dry, overcooked and in desperate need of a slathering of gravy just to make the remains of the once proud bird edible. The latter almost never happens to me, and I’m going to give forth the secret of the perfect roast turkey, which I assure you, this was, and is.
There are thousands of roast turkey, Christmas turkey and Thanksgiving turkey recipes out there, and the methods for achieving the “perfect” bird vary wildly from one recipe to another.
Most call for basting the bird constantly throughout the cooking process. To make the truly prefect roast turkey you must keep the mantra of poultry perfection on your lips.
As Thanksgiving approaches, many home cooks have the same question – do Butterball turkeys need additional seasoning before cooking? With their reputation for moist, flavorful meat, Butterball turkeys are a popular centerpiece for holiday meals However, some cooks still like to add their own special blend of herbs, spices and rubs In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore whether seasoning is necessary for Butterball turkeys, the benefits and drawbacks, and tips for seasoning them to perfection.
The Natural Flavor of Butterball Turkeys
Butterball turkeys earn their popularity due to their inherently moist and tender meat. Through their proprietary methods, Butterball infuses their fresh and frozen turkeys with a solution of water, fats, natural flavors, and salts This keeps the meat deliciously juicy and gives Butterball turkeys a mild, pleasant flavor even when roasted plain
Many cooks find Butterball turkeys to be perfectly flavored without any extra seasoning. Their mild taste allows the natural flavor of the turkey to shine through. For cooks who prefer a more pronounced flavor, seasoning can provide an easy flavor boost. However, it’s not strictly necessary to achieve a delicious Butterball turkey.
The Case for Seasoning Butterball Turkeys
While Butterball turkeys have a great natural flavor, many cooks still opt to season them before roasting. Here are some of the benefits of adding herbs, spices, rubs or marinades:
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Enhanced flavor – Seasonings like garlic, rosemary, thyme and sage can provide a flavor boost and create a more complex, aromatic turkey.
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Crispier skin – Salt, pepper and dried herbs applied under the skin can help crispen the skin.
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Tender meat – A salt and herb rub can help break down turkey proteins, resulting in more tender meat.
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Moist meat – Marinades and broth injections can further moisten and flavor the meat from the inside out.
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Custom flavors – Cooks can use seasonings to put a unique spin on their turkey with Cajun, Italian or other cultural flavors.
Potential Drawbacks of Seasoning
While seasoning Butterball turkeys can provide added flavor, there are a few potential drawbacks cooks should keep in mind:
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Masking natural flavors – Heavy handed seasoning or marinades can overpower the subtle, delicate flavor of the turkey.
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Inconsistent results – Getting seasoning evenly distributed can be tricky, leading to inconsistent flavors through the meat.
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Drying out the turkey – Some herb rubs and salt treatments can draw moisture out of the meat, making it drier.
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Unpleasant combinations – Not all seasoning flavors complement turkey well, leading to unbalanced or unpleasant tastes.
Tips for Seasoning Butterball Turkeys
If you opt to season your Butterball turkey, here are some tips for success:
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Dry brine – Rubbing the turkey all over with salt and letting it rest overnight tenderizes the meat.
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Flavor injections – Injecting broth, marinades or melted butter deep into the meat adds moisture and flavor.
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Herb rub – Blend fresh or dried thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic and black pepper and apply under the skin.
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Infused fats – Rub spiced, herbed or citrus-infused butter or oil under and atop the skin for added moisture and flavor.
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Aromatic cavity – Stuff the cavity with onion, apple, herbs and garlic for flavorful steam throughout the meat.
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Marinade – Soak the turkey in a marinade up to 2 days for bold flavor, then roast.
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Light hand – Use a delicate hand with seasonings to complement, not mask, the natural turkey flavor.
Achieving the Perfect Balance
When seasoning a Butterball turkey, it’s all about balance. The goal is to enhance the bird’s inherent flavors, not overwhelm them. Start with a simple dry brine or herb butter rubbed under the skin. Cook aromatics like onions and apples in the cavity. Use a marinade, broth injection or baste to gently infuse additional flavor. With a light, judicious hand, you can bring out the very best flavors of your Butterball turkey.
The Ultimate Roast Turkey RecipePrep Time:
The absolute best roast turkey recipe for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Perfect every time with no basting and no checking. Just rub it, cook it, and enjoy.
- 1 turkey of appropriate size for your gathering or leftover preferences, with giblets and neck. (The turkey pictured weighed 21 pounds.) Not a Butterball or other treated bird!
- 1 medium onion, halved and quartered
- 1 head garlic, cut in half across the cloves
- 1 lemon, halved and quartered
- 1 orange, halved and quartered
- 1 part curry powder
- 2 parts powdered dry sage
- 4 parts Kosher salt
- 1 part black pepper, freshly ground if possible
- Preheat oven to 400°F. (210°C)
- Combine curry powder, sage, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Rinse turkey well and pat dry. Reserve neck, giblets and tail (If like mine, it was cut most of the way off in processing.) Turn wingtips under body of bird and place in roasting pan, breast side up.
- Rub spice mixture over entire surface of bird and in cavities. Place onions, oranges, lemons and garlic in body cavities. Truss legs if desired, arrange any loose skin so that it is tucked under the body of the bird.
- Insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the turkey, where the breast and thigh meet. Be certain probe is not touching bone.
- Place turkey in oven and cook for one hour. Cover loosely with foil and reduce heat to 350°F (180°C). Cook until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 160°F (71°C), remove foil tent and cook 20 minutes longer.
- Remove from oven, transfer to platter or board, reserving all pan drippings, cover with foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
If using a Butterball or other turkey that has had the skin pierced, add a Tbsp of flour to a Tbsp. of honey and be sure to seal all the punctures in the skin, or the turkey will be dry!
I firmly believe that a roast turkey should be presented whole at the table. Anything less just seems to take something away from the bird and the work that you’ve put in to it. Place it on a bed of greens (I used curly leafed lettuce) and garnish with fresh fruits or veggies. It’s all the presentation you need.
*Note. the bird may sit at rest indefinitely, even until cooled, without losing any of its juiciness as long as the skin is never pierced. to reheat, simply place in a 225°F (107°C) oven for 30-45 minutes.
Do not stuff the bird. (With stuffing, at least.)
Stuffing the bird increases cooking times while robbing you of the perfect opportunity to add flavor to the bird.
I adore turkey flavored dressing, but if you’ve got a good bird you’ll have ample drippings. I use them to make not only a wonderful dressing, but a good amount of gravy as well.
Of course, flavorings are fine. We use a mix of citrus fruits, onion, and garlic.
Every time you open the oven door, you’re dropping the temperature by at least 50 degrees or so. It takes even the best oven a little while to recover from this. For you this means your turkey takes longer to cook, giving a higher chance of a dried out bird.
Trust your probe thermometer to tell you when the turkey is at the right temperature. Leave the oven closed and let it do what it’s supposed to do.
Wait? You don’t own a probe thermometer? We need to fix that! Either tell Alexa to order you a probe thermometer on Amazon, Or jump over to Amazon to get yourself a good thermometer right now!
The only time the oven door should open is when you’re adding the foil tent from to the bird. And that’s just to get beautiful, crisp, golden-brown skin.
This method is simplicity in itself, a rub, a trip into the oven and just one adjustment that you need to take in the middle, a little patience at the end and viola, a perfect roast turkey every single time! You’ll thank me for this, I promise.
Do I need to season a Butterball turkey?
FAQ
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