Do You Have to Cook a Turkey in a Bag? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Faced with a turkey that needs roasting, many home cooks turn to a not-so-secret weapon: an oven-safe cooking bag. Using one yields a moist, juicy bird — and not to mention, cuts down on cleanup.

But cooking turkey in an oven bag is not without its drawbacks. For instance, you wont get the show-stopping brown skin. And getting a raw turkey in an oven bag, and later, removing a cooked one, can get unwieldy.

Another option to the oven bag: braising the turkey — in other words, roasting in a steamy, enclosed environment. Braising is a good option when cooking a large, potentially tough turkey.

The big benefit of the oven bag method is that the turkey can cook in its own liquids in a moist environment — this helps combat the dreaded result of dried-out meat.

But an oven bag isnt the only way to achieve this moist, contained environment. Here are two alternatives:

Cooking the star of your Thanksgiving meal – the turkey – can be a daunting task Many home cooks opt to use an oven roasting bag to help keep the turkey moist and make gravy prep easier. But is cooking your turkey in a bag absolutely necessary? What are the pros and cons of oven bags, and what are some alternative roasting methods?

The Benefits of Cooking a Turkey in an Oven Bag

There are several potential advantages to cooking your Thanksgiving turkey in an oven roasting bag:

Juicier Meat – The bag seals in moisture and juices as the turkey cooks, keeping the meat very moist and tender. The bag essentially steams the turkey from the inside out.
Easy Gravy – The juices collect in the bottom of the bag, making gravy prep simple. Just pour the flavorful liquid out after roasting.
Minimal Cleanup – Turkey juices and splatters are completely contained in the bag so there are no drips or spills to clean up in the oven.
Faster Cooking Time – A bag can decrease total roasting time by up to 30 minutes since it holds in heat efficiently.
Consistent Doneness – The steamy environment promotes even cooking so you are less likely to end up with overdone portions.

For novice cooks or busy hosts looking to keep Thanksgiving prep easy, oven bags offer convenience and reliability.

Potential Drawbacks of Oven Bags

However, oven roasting bags do have some downsides to consider:

Lack of Crispy Skin – Steaming the turkey prevents the skin from crisping up. If you want that crackling brown exterior, you’ll need to use another roasting method.
Can’t Stuff the Turkey – Stuffing baked inside the turkey may not heat to a safe temperature in the shorter cook time. Cook stuffing in a casserole dish instead.
Chemical Concerns – Some types of oven bags may contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), contaminants that can migrate into food during roasting. Look for unlined, PFAS-free bags.
Single-Use Waste – Most oven bags are not reusable, generating more waste. Reusable silicone turkey bags are available as an alternative.
Removes Turkey Flavor – Some claim that oven bags dilute the turkey’s roasted flavor.

So if you want crispy skin, classic stuffed turkey, or are concerned about chemicals from the bag leaching into your food, oven roasting bags may not be the best choice.

How to Cook a Turkey Without a Bag

You don’t actually need an oven bag to roast a turkey – people have been roasting turkeys for generations before oven bags were invented! Here are some alternative roasting methods:

Roast Turkey on a Rack

For traditional crispy skin and rich roasted flavor, cook your turkey right on a roasting rack in a heavy roasting pan. Use a v-rack to lift the turkey up so air can circulate all around for even browning and place a pan with vegetables underneath to catch drippings for gravy. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes with pan juices.

Butterfly the Turkey

Removing the backbone and flattening the turkey allows it to roast more quickly and evenly. Covering it with a salt and herb rub gives fantastic crispy skin.

Grill the Turkey

Foroptimal crispy skin and smoke flavor, grill your turkeyon a charcoal or gas grill with indirect heat. Use wood chips or chunks in a smoker boxfor extra smoky taste. Baste with melted butter or oil to prevent drying out.

Deep Fry the Turkey

Deep frying yields incredibly moist, tender meatwith an ultra crispy skin in the shortest cook time. Lower the turkey slowly into a peanut oil bath heated to 350-375°Fusing a fryer basket. Fry 3-4 minutes per pound.

Try Other Vessels

Use a large stockpot, dutch oven, or roasting pan tightly covered in foil to steam the turkey. Or place turkey parts in a slow cooker with brothand root vegetables for tender shredded meat.

Go Bagless Partially

Compromise by searing turkey pieces in a hot pan skin-side down first for crisping, then finishing in an oven bag with some broth for steam.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Oven Bags

Cooking your Thanksgiving turkey in an oven roasting bag definitely has some time-saving, mess-preventing advantages. However, you lose out on crispy skin and the classic roasted turkey flavor. Ultimately, whether you use a bag or go bagless depends on your priorities – convenience or tradition? Moist meat or crunchy skin? Gravy head start or pure turkey essence?

If you try an alternative roasting technique this year, like spatchcocking or deep-frying your bird, you may never go back to oven bags again. But there’s also no shame in the reliable oven bag method if it takes some pressure off on hectic Thanksgiving morning. Regardless of the roasting vessel, brining, basting, and properly resting your turkey will ensure you end up with a delicious centerpiece for your holiday feast.

do you have to cook a turkey in a bag

How to Braise Turkey Using Aluminum Foil

This method results in less steam than using an oven bag, Devan Cameron, a sous chef and owner of Braised & Deglazed, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

“[That] means the turkey can brown a lot easier than when cooking in a bag,” he adds. For Cameron, using aluminum foil is easier to control than using a pan.

Turkey, thawed, with the giblets removed
Vegetable oil or butter
Stuffing (optional)
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Shallow roasting pan
Food thermometer

‌Step 1:‌ Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

‌Step 2:‌ Brush the outside of the turkey with oil or butter.

‌Step 3:‌ If you wish, loosely stuff the turkey. Generally, experts recommend against stuffing turkeys as it increases the cook time of the bird. But, it is safe to stuff a turkey when youre using this cooking method, per the USDA.

‌Step 4:‌ Rip off a sheet of aluminum foil thats around three times longer than the turkey, per the University of Illinois Extension.

‌Step 5:‌ Place the turkey in the center of this foil, with its breast up. Turn up the ends of the foil, so that they overlap. Turn up the short sides of the foil to help contain the turkeys juices. Do not make an airtight package — there should be some gaps.

‌Step 6:‌ Place the foil-wrapped turkey in a roasting pan.

‌Step 7:‌ Roast the bird. Because youre using a high heat, the turkey will cook faster. Use this chart from the USDA to estimate the cooking time of your bird based on its size.

Turkey Weight	Cook Time (Unstuffed)	Cooking Time (Stuffed)
8-12 pounds	1 hr. 30 mins. – 2 hrs. 15 mins.	2 – 2 hrs. 45 mins.
12-16 pounds	2 hrs. 15 mins. – 2 hrs. 45 mins.	2 hrs. 45 mins. – 3 hrs. 15 mins.
16-20 pounds	2 hrs. 45 mins. – 3 hrs. 15 mins.	3 hrs 15 mins. – 3 hrs. 45 mins.
20-24 pounds	3 hrs. 15 mins. – 3 hrs. 45 mins.	3 hrs. 45 mins. – 4 hrs. 15 mins.

It will be done when the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast, thickest part of the wing and the innermost thigh are 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If the turkey has stuffing inside, make sure the stuffing reaches that same temperature.

‌Step 8 (optional):‌ If youd like the skin to brown, uncrimp the foil covering the top of the bird around 30 minutes before its fully cooked.

‌Step 9:‌ Once the turkey is done — that means it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit — remove it from the oven. Let it rest at least 15 minutes before carving and serving.

How to Braise a Turkey in a Roasting Pan

Hold onto the liquid at the bottom of the pan once your turkey is completely cooked — it can be used to create a flavorful gravy.

do you have to cook a turkey in a bag

Turkey, thawed, with the giblets removed
Medium onion
4 ribs of celery
4 carrots
Garlic (optional)
Bacon (optional)
Herbs (optional)
3/4 stick butter
Frying pan
Large roasting pan with a tight lid
Stuffing (optional)
1 qt. chicken or turkey broth
Cooking spoon or baster
Food thermometer

‌Step 1:‌ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

‌Step 2:‌ Chop the vegetables (onion, celery and carrot) coarsely.

‌Step 3:‌ Melt the butter in a frying pan, and then add the vegetables.

‌Step 4:‌ Sauté the vegetables until they begin to brown. Add seasoning to taste. You can sauté the vegetables with garlic, bacon or herbs, for instance.

‌Step 5:‌ Put the vegetables and butter in the bottom of the roasting pan.

‌Step 6:‌ Place the turkey on top of the vegetables.

‌Step 7:‌ Stuff the turkey if youd like to do so.

‌Step 8:‌ Add broth — it should not be higher than halfway up the turkey so adjust the amount as needed.

‌Step 9:‌ Cover the pan with the lid and put it in the oven.

If your turkey doesnt fit inside the roaster with the lid closed, dont leave the lid ajar. Instead, cut the turkey into pieces so it fits better, or split the turkey pieces and the other ingredients between two covered roasting pans.

‌Step 10:‌ After your turkey has been in the oven for 2 hours, check in on it every 30 minutes. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh and thickest part of the breast to see its internal temperature.

After you check the temperature each time, use a cooking spoon or baster to transfer broth from the bottom of the pan over the top of the turkey.

‌Step 11:‌ Remove the lid of the roasting pan for the last 30 minutes of cooking if you like brown, crispy skin. Before removing the turkey from the oven check the temperature of the thigh, the breast and the thickest part of the wing. They should all be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, per the USDA. If you added stuffing, its temperature must hit 165 degrees Fahrenheit as well.

Use the chart below to get a sense of how long it will take the turkey to cook.

‌Step 12:‌ Remove the turkey from the pan to rest on a cooling rack at least 20 minutes before carving.

Turkey Weight	Cooking Time (Unstuffed)	Cooking Time (Stuffed)
8-12 pounds	2 hrs. 45 mins. – 3 hrs.	3 – 3 hrs. 30 mins.
12-14 pounds	3 – 3 hrs. 45 mins.	3 hrs. 30 mins – 4 hrs.
14-18 pounds	3 hrs. 45 mins. – 4 hrs. 15 mins.	4 – 4 hrs. 15 mins.
18-20 pounds	4 hrs. 15 mins – 4 hrs. 30 mins.	4 hrs. 15 mins. – 4 hrs. 45 mins.
20-24 pounds	4 hrs. 30 mins – 5 hrs.	4 hrs. 45 mins – 5 hrs. 15 mins.

Cooking a turkey takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes to a bit over 5 hours. Time varies based on your oven (along with how often you open the oven door) and the size of the turkey — a larger bird will take longer to cook.

How To Cook A Turkey EASY | OVEN BAG Turkey Recipe | Simply Mamá Cooks

FAQ

Is it better to cook a turkey in a bag or not?

In addition, oven bags help food stay tender by trapping in most of the moisture; condensation collects in the bag and drips onto the bird automatically basting it for you. That means juicy, flavorful meat – but crispy skin fans will have to look elsewhere.

Can you cook a turkey without a roasting bag?

There are two ways to cook turkeys using aluminum foil: aluminum foil turkey tents and aluminum foil-wrapped turkeys. Both methods effectively trap steam and moisture, which helps prevent the turkey from drying out without frequent basting.

Can you cook a turkey uncovered in the oven?

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

How do you cook a Turkey in a oven bag?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place a Turkey Oven Bag into a large roasting pan that is at least two inches deep. Sprinkle one tablespoon of flour into the bag, and shake to distribute. Then add sliced vegetables depending on the recipe. Turn down the ends of the bag several times to help hold it open while you place the turkey inside.

How do you know when a Turkey is done cooking?

Test the bird with your thermometer when the recommended cooking time approaches. Insert the thermometer deep into the thickest part of the thigh. If it registers 180 degrees, the turkey is done. Measure the temperature in the middle of the stuffing if the turkey is stuffed.

How long do you let a Turkey rest before cooking?

Once the turkey is finally done remove from the roaster, tent with tin foil, and let rest 15 to 20 minutes prior to serving as this locks the juices into the meat. Always rub the inside of the turkey with salt and other seasonings for a more flavorful turkey.