How to Cook a Turkey Faster: Get a Juicy Bird on the Table in 90 Minutes

Cooking a whole turkey can be an intimidating task, especially if you’re on a tight schedule. A typical roasted turkey needs 3-4 hours in the oven which doesn’t work if you want to eat at a reasonable hour. Luckily there are some simple tricks to significantly cut down the cooking time. With the right techniques, you can have a juicy, tender turkey on the table in as little as 90 minutes.

After researching multiple recipes and methods, I’ve found two key ways to speed up turkey cooking time high heat and wet cooking. Let’s look at how to implement these turkey cooking hacks.

Use High Heat

Cooking the turkey at a high temperature dramatically decreases cooking time While a standard roasted turkey cooks at 325°F, you can crank up the heat to 425°F or even 450°F At these high temperatures, the turkey will cook through in a fraction of the usual time.

However, high heat alone often leads to a dried-out bird. So it’s essential to combine high heat with a moist cooking method.

Choose a Wet Cooking Method

Wet cooking methods like braising or steaming prevent the turkey meat from drying out at high temperatures. Our favorite way to wet cook a turkey is in an oven cooking bag with some broth added.

The oven bag traps steam around the turkey as it cooks, effectively braising the meat. The broth provides extra moisture and flavor. This method only takes 90 minutes for a 13 lb turkey, while still resulting in a tender, juicy bird.

An oven bag set-up with broth is ideal for fast turkey cooking. But you can also use a roasting pan with a rack and add broth, wine or water to the bottom. Tenting foil over the turkey will help keep moisture in. Just be sure to baste frequently.

Target the Thighs

Since the thighs are the thickest part of the turkey, they take the longest to cook through. To speed things up, use a thermometer and cook until the thighs reach the safe minimum temperature of 165°F.

Let the breast meat come up to temperature more gently so it doesn’t overcook. The thigh test guarantees safely cooked dark meat and helps prevent dried-out breast meat.

Cook It Upside Down

Cooking the turkey upside down is an easy way to get the slow-cooking thighs heated faster. Place the bird breast side down in the oven bag or roasting pan. The thighs will cook directly under the heat source while the breast stays protected.

Flip it over for the last 30 minutes to brown and crisp up the breast skin.

Skip the Stuffing

While stuffing adds great flavor, it also severely increases turkey cooking time. Cook your stuffing separately to get your turkey done faster.

For added flavor, you can put aromatics like onions, apples and fresh herbs inside the turkey cavity.

Rest and Carve Properly

Be sure to let the turkey rest at least 10-15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute for tender, juicy meat.

Carve the turkey properly by cutting slices against the grain of the meat. This yields more tender cuts that won’t dry out as easily when reheated.

How to Cook a Juicy 90 Minute Turkey

This method from Simple and Seasonal combines high heat, wet braising and upside down cooking for turkey with crispy skin and juicy meat in just 90 minutes.

Ingredients:

13 lb turkey
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp parsley
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 liter chicken or turkey broth
Large oven cooking bag

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Remove giblets from turkey and pat dry with paper towels.
Place turkey breast side DOWN in oven bag. Add broth to bag.
In a small bowl, combine sea salt, parsley and olive oil. Rub mixture all over turkey.
Seal the oven bag with provided tie. Cut 6 small slits in top of bag.
Roast turkey for 60-90 minutes until thighs reach 165°F.
Carefully remove from oven, cut bag open and flip turkey breast side up.
Roast 15 more minutes to brown breast. Turkey should reach 165°F in thickest part of breast.
Let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.

This high-heat upside down method steams the turkey in the flavorful broth, resulting in tender, juicy meat in way less time. Getting your bird to the table in just 90 minutes means you can enjoy more time with guests this holiday season.

how do you cook a turkey faster

How To Make 2-hour turkey, really.

1 PREHEAT OVEN TO 475 degrees F (240-250 degrees C). This is what youll roast it at for the ENTIRE time. Since this employs the use of a VERY hot oven, make sure your oven is CLEAN before you start, AND put about 1 inch of water in the bottom of the roasting pan to reduce the risk of smoking your family out of the house. NOTE: Even WITH a pristine oven, I still smoked out my house last Thanksgiving… so a tip to cut down on the smoke issue is to add about an inch of water (or broth) to the roaster pan…and keep replenishing it as needed. By doing this, not only was the smoking problem eliminated, but I had terrific drippings for gravy! Place oven rack on LOWEST or SECOND-TO-LOWEST position in oven. The lowest position may be too hot in some ovens since its directly above the heating elements.
2 Remove all giblets, neck, pop-up thermometer (if there is one), and any trussing (like the plastic thing that holds the legs together). Rinse turkey THOROUGHLY, inside and out with cool water, letting all water drain out of neck and body cavities. Pat dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
3 Place on V or U-shaped wire rack in roasting pan, so that turkey doesnt rest on the bottom of the pan. The first time I made this I didnt have a rack, so I just slapped it in my grandmothers old-fashioned blue-enamel roaster pan and it turned out FINE. If you dont have a rack…take a long piece of aluminum foil and wad it up into a long rope, then coil it in the bottom of the pan and rest your turkey on that. NOTE: I STRONGLY RECOMMEND KEEPING 1-2 INCHES OF WATER IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR ROASTING PAN DURING COOKING. This will GREATLY reduce smoking (which can be brutal). The first year I made this, I didnt put water in the bottom of the pan…and I smoked out my house. The turkey was fabulous, but the house was SO smoky.
4 Rub the entire outside of dried-off turkey with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. I use Kosher salt because it has large, coarse grains.
5 Pull wing tips AWAY from the body, twist them and tuck them, backward, under the bird… up by its neck.
6 Using aluminum foil, form caps over the end of each drumstick. If any parts of the turkey extend beyond the pan rim, make a foil “collar” underneath to make sure drippings flow back into the pan. Do NOT tie legs together, do NOT add stuffing, do NOT close body cavity. Its probably okay to put a little seasoning in the cavity (herbs, lemon, onion) but dont fill up the cavity.
7 Pour 2 inches of water into the bottom of the pan.
8 Bake on the 2nd to lowest rack in the oven.
9 Halfway through cooking time, turn the roasting pan around 180 degrees to ensure even cooking. Do NOT flip the bird over.
10 Its done when the internal temp (in the thickest part of BOTH the THIGH and BREAST is 160 degrees. Make certain they are BOTH at temp. Sometimes the thighs take a bit longer. When done, remove from the oven. Approximate Cooking Timing: 10-13 lbs. = 50 minutes to 1 1/4 hrs. 13-16 lbs. = 1 1/4 hrs to 1 hour 50 minutes. 16-19 lbs. = 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs. 19-22 lbs. = 1 3/4 hrs to 2 1/4 hrs. 22-24 lbs. = 2 hrs to 2 1/2 hrs. 25+ lbs. = 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hrs…or a bit more depending on how humongous it is. Are you sure its not an ostrich youre roasting? If not, call the Guinness Book of Records.
11 Cover completely with foil and let rest 30-45 minutes before carving. The internal temp will continue to rise to the recommended 165 degrees. After resting, transfer to a platter for carving. NOTE: There will likely be a lot of juices in the cavity. Drain them before transferring the bird to a platter. Save the juices to make gravy or moisten dressing.
https://youtu.be/Thx8qtu4NMo
Last Step: Dont forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And dont forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!

Ingredients For 2-hour turkey, really.

1 thawed, whole turkey (from 10 – 24 pounds)
2 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
1 to 3 tsp coarsely ground salt (Kosher or sea)
freshly ground pepper

Fastest Roast Turkey | Thanksgiving Recipes | The New York Times

FAQ

Can I speed up turkey cooking time?

Want to ensure your bird is juicy and delicious yet speeds up the cooking time so everyone can watch the game? Foil wrapping is the answer! This technique helps speed the cooking process and locks in the turkey’s natural juices.

How do you help my turkey is cooking too fast?

If your turkey is done too early, things can get a little complicated, but it’s not the end of the world. If it’s done around an hour early, let it rest uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then cover your turkey with some foil and a thick towel or blanket to keep it warm.

Does cooking a turkey in a bag faster?

Yes. Larger turkeys sixteen pounds and up that are fully thawed and cooked in an oven bag can cook up to one hour faster than the turkey package directions. See the oven bag cooking chart for estimated times.

How can I Make my Turkey cook faster?

If you fall behind schedule on the big day, don’t panic (we’ve all been there) — here are five smart ways to help your turkey cook faster, so you can get it on the table in time. 1. Don’t stuff the bird. Skip cooking the stuffing in the bird.

What are the health benefits of ground turkey?

Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.

Can you cook a Turkey at high heat?

Cooking turkey at high heat can also help achieve crispy, savory skin. Don’t let our high-heat turkey recipe intimidate you; we walk you through every step to ensure that your end result is unmatched. Once you’ve let your turkey rest, now all that’s left to do is carve, serve and enjoy! Move oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 450°F.

How long do you cook a Turkey at 250?

A turkey needs to cook for about 30 minutes per pound at 250 F, and should reach a safe internal temperature of 165 F before serving. I recommend slow-roasting only small to medium birds. My turkey is done earlier than I expected.