How Long Does It Take to Cook a 20 Pound Turkey? A Complete Guide

To some, turkey is a succulent holiday centerpiece. To others, it’s a vehicle for gravy. But turkey can be great (delicious even) if you know how to cook a turkey properly so that it hits the ideal internal temperature without going over. Whether you’re a longtime Thanksgiving pro feeling bogged down by the year’s newest trend (Is it spatchcocked or dry-brined turkey this year? Turkey breast only? Or maybe confit? We can’t keep up!) or a holiday-hosting newbie who’s preparing a whole turkey for the first time, you can rely on this foolproof guiding principle: You don’t need a special recipe if you just stick to the basics. Ahead you’ll find everything you need to know, including step-by-step instructions, to make the perfect turkey.

In a hurry? Scroll down to get right to our table of turkey cook times. Or scroll even further for our guide to cooking a turkey that’s still frozen solid.

The Simplest Way to Cook a Turkey Thaw your turkey.

The ideal place to thaw a frozen turkey is in the fridge, which can take up to a week, depending on the size of the bird. Here’s how long it takes a typical turkey to thaw in the fridge:

• 4–12 pounds: 1 to 3 days
• 12–16 pounds: 3 to 4 days
• 16–20 pounds: 4 to 5 days
• 20–24 pounds: 5 to 6 days

If you’re short on time, there are other, faster ways to thaw a turkey, but thawing it in the refrigerator is your best bet when it comes to safe kitchen practices. For tips on preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving, click on our guide:

When the time arrives to cook your bird, take the now-thawed turkey out of the fridge and set it on a rack at room temperature for an hour to take the chill off and dry out the skin. (This can be the same rack you plan to use to roast your turkey; there’s no need to dirty another dish.) Your roasting rack should allow the bottom of the turkey to sit at or just below the top of the pan. No roasting rack? A heavy-duty cooling rack set inside a half-sheet pan works too.3. Prep your oven.

Position your oven rack on the lowest rung and set the oven to 350°F. Some recipes have you start roasting the turkey at a high oven temperature for a brief period before lowering the heat for the duration. The belief is that the high heat “sears” the bird and the low heat gently roasts, yielding a bird that’s more moist and succulent, but we haven’t found that this makes a huge difference. Plus, the skin gets browned very quickly (often too quickly). Steady heat means not having to check the oven so frequently, leaving you free to do other things, like prep your mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving side dishes.4. Butter your turkey.

Set your turkey breast side up on the roasting rack and rub room-temperature salted butter—or your favorite flavored compound butter—all over it. (For a 12- to 14-pound turkey, you’ll need about ½ cup [1 stick] of butter.) Slowly work your fingers under the skin, starting at the neck, being careful not to tear the skin or separate it completely at the large cavity. Rub most of the butter under the skin, a little inside the large cavity, and the rest over the skin.5. Season your turkey (if necessary).

If you’ve chosen to brine your bird (via a wet or dry brine) you can skip this final seasoning. For kosher turkeys, which are already salted, there’s no need to salt the cavity, but you will want to salt the skin. Here’s how to do it: For a 12- to 14-pound bird, sprinkle 1½ teaspoons each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper in the large cavity and another 1½ teaspoons each over the skin.

Sounds random, we know. But stuffing the neck cavity (not the large cavity) with a halved apple—placing the cut side against the turkey’s flesh with the rounded side facing out—helps buffer the breast against heat and protects it from overcooking. But don’t fill the main cavity with stuffing—it’ll only slow down your cooking time. Instead, prep your stuffing recipe in a casserole dish and bake it on the side.7. Add some aromatics.

Not stuffing your turkey means there’s room in the cavity for aromatics, which will add flavor and aroma to the bird and add complexity to the pan drippings used to make gravy. Try placing onion quarters, celery stalks, parsley, thyme, and other fresh herbs inside the turkey before roasting.

You can also place some aromatics right in the roasting pan, under the rack. These will caramelize in the more direct heat, perfuming the meat and further flavoring the drippings. Add a few halved shallots, sliced carrots, and some celery. Whether you choose to add aromatics or not, pour 2 cups of water into your roasting pan to prevent those drippings from burning.8. Cover (and then uncover) the turkey.

Loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil, shiny side out (to deflect heat) at the very beginning of roasting. Tenting with foil keeps the skin from getting too dark too soon. Remove the foil about halfway through cooking to let the skin brown.9. Skip the basting.

Some traditional recipes call for basting the turkey, ostensibly to moisten and flavor the bird. We’ve found that opening the oven door too often lets too much heat escape, lengthening the cooking time. Additionally, squirting or brushing broth onto the skin will prevent it from browning evenly and can cause it to lose any crispness it might achieve. The better way to ensure a moist bird is to dry-brine it before cooking.10. Calculate turkey cooking time and temperature.

The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (that’s about 3 hours for a 12- to 14-lb. turkey), or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey. Check the temperature about three quarters of the way through that time, and then again every 10 minutes, and roast until the temperature reads 165°F (or 150°F as the case may be; more on that below) when checked at the thickest part of the thigh meat and the thickest part of the breast meat.

If, however, you prefer to roast your turkey at a higher or lower temperature, follow these guidelines. (The following cook times are for unstuffed birds. Our rule of thumb is to avoid stuffed turkeys and instead to bake the stuffing alongside so that it can easily reach a safe temperature.)How long to cook a turkey per pound:

• For an 8- to 12-pound turkey:
• 325°F for 2¾ to 3 hours
• For a 12- to 14-pound turkey:
• 425°F for 2¼ to 2½ hours
• 400°F for 2½ to 2¾ hours
• 350°F for 2¾ to 3 hours
• 325°F for 3 to 3¾ hours
• For a 15- to 16-pound turkey:
• 425°F for 3 to 3¼ hours
• 400°F for 3¼ to 3½ hours
• 350°F for 3½ to 3¾ hours
• 325°F for 3¾ to 4 hours
• For an 18- to 20-pound turkey:
• 425°F for 3½ to 3¾ hours
• 400°F for 3¾ to 4 hours
• 350°F for 4 to 4¼ hours
• 325°F for 4¼ to 4½ hours
• For a 21- to 24-pound turkey:
• 425°F for 4 to 4¼ hours
• 400°F for 4¼ to 4½ hours
• 350°F for 4½ to 4¾ hours
• 325°F for 4¾ to 5 hours
• For a turkey that weighs 24 pounds or more:
• 425°F for 4¼ to 4½ hours
• 400°F for 4½ to 4¾ hours
• 350°F for 4¾ to 5 hours
• 325°F for 5 to 5¼ hours

According to the USDA, a turkey must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F to kill harmful bacteria. For the juiciest meat, you’ll want to remove your bird from the oven when the temperature reaches 150°F. The temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests and should reach 165°F within 30 minutes of being removed from the oven. Some cooks, including Epi’s food director Chris Morocco, prefer dark meat when it’s cooked to an internal temperature of 190°F, which will allow more of the collagen and connective tissues to break down, rendering more tender meat. This higher temp would dry out white meat though, so it’s best to only aim for it when cooking turkey in parts.

Whichever turkey roasting temperature you choose, be sure to use an accurate meat thermometer to confirm the final temperature. In the past, home cooks used to look at the color of the meat as an indication of doneness: The turkey was pierced with a knife and if the juices were clear instead of pink it was considered done. But this is not a reliable method for several reasons. First, pinkness can disappear before a safe temperature is reached. And on the flip side, some turkeys (especially organic and heritage birds) may never lose their pink color, even if they’re cooked to well above 165°F.

To check the temperature of the turkey, you can use either an instant-read thermometer or a remote food thermometer (the type that has a probe you insert before cooking, which connects to a digital display that sits on your counter). Either way, insert the thermometer so that its point reaches the thickest part of the turkey’s breast. Be careful not to touch the bone (which will skew the reading). You should also check the thigh to ensure the turkey is cooking evenly all the way through.

If you find the skin is getting too dark and the desired internal temperature hasn’t been reached, loosely tent the browned parts with a double-thick layer of buttered aluminum foil to protect them from the heat.

When the roast turkey has reached the right temperature, it’s essential to let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. This gives the juices time to settle into the bird and be reabsorbed; carving it up too soon will just allow the moisture to run out, leaving you with dried-out meat on top of a puddle on your cutting board. It is not necessary to cover the turkey with aluminum foil while it rests, and doing so will only cause the skin to go limp. The turkey can rest for up to 90 minutes and still be hot come carving time. Which means you’ve got plenty of time to make gravy.

How to Cook a Heritage Turkey

With longer thighs and drumsticks, a leaner breast, and a more diminutive size compared to a standard supermarket turkey, heritage birds look, taste, and cook differently than your average Thanksgiving fowl. Heritage birds generally top out at 14 to 16 pounds, so if you plan on serving a larger crowd, you might want to roast two side by side. An added bonus is that smaller birds cook more quickly than their fleshy cousins, so you don’t need to rise at dawn if you like to eat Thanksgiving dinner at noon.

Because they tend to have a more active lifestyle, heritage turkeys must be roasted differently in order to avoid toughness. Roasting the bird slowly, at a lower temperature is the best way to achieve tender meat. You should still prep the bird with butter, salt, and pepper, as described above (or dry-brine it). To cook, set your oven to 325°F and roast for 3½ to 4 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird. Most important, pay attention to the internal temperature. It’s important to note that the nature of some heritage breeds yield flesh and bone that may still have a pinkish hue, even when fully cooked. But, as long at the temperature has reached 165°F on a reliable meat thermometer, you needn’t worry.

How long does it take for a 20 pound turkey to cook in the oven?

FAQ

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