How Long Should You Let a Turkey Sit Before Carving?

After spending hours preparing and roasting the perfect turkey it’s tempting to want to dive right in and start carving as soon as it comes out of the oven. However letting your turkey rest before carving is an important step you don’t want to skip. Resting allows juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat for a juicier end result. So how long should you let your turkey sit before carving?

Why Letting a Turkey Rest is Crucial

Letting your turkey rest after roasting gives the proteins time to reabsorb any juices that have leaked out during the cooking process. As the turkey sits, the juices redistribute through the meat. If you were to skip this resting period and immediately carve your hot turkey, the juices would simply run out onto your cutting board, resulting in drier meat.

Allowing the turkey to rest also allows carryover cooking to finish. The inner temperature continues rising 5-10°F after the turkey is removed from the oven. Letting it rest prevents overcooking.

Finally, a rest allows the turkey time to firm up slightly, which makes clean, even slicing much easier and more attractive Rushing to slice a hot, under-rested turkey can lead to ragged, shredded pieces rather than perfect slices

How Long to Let a Turkey Rest

So exactly how long should you allow your golden brown turkey to rest before carving it? There are a few guidelines to follow:

• Minimum of 20 minutes – Allow at least 20 minutes of resting time for carryover cooking to complete and juices to settle.

• 30-45 minutes for a large turkey – A good rule of thumb is 30 minutes rest time for a 15-20 lb turkey. Go up to 45 minutes for a very large 20+ lb turkey.

• Monitor temperature – Ideally, the deepest breast meat should reach about 165°F after resting.

• Loosely tent after 20 minutes – After 20 minutes, loosely tent foil over the turkey to keep it warm for up to 1 hour.

• Don’t exceed 2 hours total – For food safety, don’t let the turkey sit out for more than 2 total hours after cooking.

The most foolproof method is to use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the thickest part of the breast after resting. Once it hits 160-165°F, you know carryover cooking is complete and the turkey is ready to carve.

Step-by-Step Guide to Resting Your Turkey

Follow these simple steps for perfectly rested, ready-to-carve turkey:

1. Remove turkey from oven – When the breast temp reaches 155°F, transfer the roasting pan to a heat-safe surface.

2. Allow to rest – Leave uncovered for 20 minutes minimum. For a large bird, allow 30-45 minutes.

3. Loosely tent foil – After 20 minutes, loosely cover with a tent of foil to keep warm for up to 1 hour.

4. Check internal temperature – Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. It should read 160-165°F when ready to carve.

5. Carve and serve! – Once it reaches the ideal temp, use a sharp carving knife and fork to slice and serve your perfectly cooked, rested turkey.

Resting Tips

• Letting your turkey rest for a shorter time is better than not resting at all. Even 10-15 minutes is beneficial.

• You can rest the turkey right in the roasting pan. The rack allows air circulation.

• Keep the turkey in a warm, draft-free area as it rests to prevent cooling too quickly.

• For easier handling, you can transfer the turkey to a cutting board to rest before moving it back to the roasting pan for carving.

• If resting longer than 1 hour, carved turkey should be refrigerated within 2 hours total time at room temp.

What if You Need to Keep the Turkey Waiting?

For optimal quality, it’s best to carve the turkey soon after the recommended resting time. But if your dinner timing requires holding the cooked turkey longer, you have a few options:

• Carve then refrigerate – Carve the turkey after it has rested sufficiently, then refrigerate the sliced or pulled meat in shallow containers to cool quickly.

• Hold for up to 1 hour – After 20 minutes resting, tent foil over the whole intact turkey to keep warm for up to 1 hour before carving.

• Reheat if holding over 1 hour – Cooked whole turkeys held longer than 1 hour can be reheated to 165°F. Slice the turkey and reheat portions in broth or au jus just until warmed through.

The takeaway? Be sure to allow your roasted turkey ample time to rest for the juiciest results. With the right resting and holding techniques, you can relax and enjoy perfect turkey any time.