Cooking up a 25 pound turkey for your holiday feast? If starting with a frozen bird, proper thawing and roasting times are key to turning out a tender, juicy turkey Follow this guide for tips on safely thawing, prep, roast times, and determining doneness when cooking a large 25 lb frozen turkey.
Thawing a Large Frozen Turkey
For food safety and even cooking, you must fully thaw your frozen turkey before roasting. Here are the recommended methods
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Refrigerator thawing Allow 24 hours for every 4-5 lbs of turkey So a 25 lb turkey will need 5-6 days in the fridge Place on a tray to catch drips,
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Cold water thawing: Submerge wrapped turkey in a sink of cold water, changing water every 30 minutes. About 30 minutes per pound of turkey. A 25 lb turkey will need 12-13 hours.
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Do not thaw at room temperature or in hot water. This allows bacteria to grow. Thaw in the fridge or cold water only.
Prepping the Turkey for the Oven
Once thawed, prepare your 25 lb turkey for roasting:
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Remove bag and giblets from the inner cavities. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat dry.
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Rub the skin with oil or melted butter. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper.
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Stuff the cavity loosely if desired. Cook stuffing in oven-safe dish for safety.
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Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Tuck wing tips under body.
Calculating Roasting Time
The total roasting time for a 25 lb frozen turkey will be about 7 to 8 hours. Use these time estimates as a guide:
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20-24 lb turkey: Roast at 300°F for 7 to 7.5 hours.
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For a stuffed turkey, add 30-45 minutes to the roast time.
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Check temperature after 6 hours. Continue roasting until internal temp reaches 165°F in thigh and stuffing.
Ensuring Proper Doneness
Relying on cook times alone isn’t foolproof. Use these methods to confirm your turkey is fully cooked:
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Insert thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh without touching bone. It should read 165°F.
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Insert thermometer into center of the stuffing. Stuffing should reach 165°F also.
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Check that the turkey juices run clear when pierced with a fork or knife tip.
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The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets.
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Cut into the thickest part of the breast. No pink meat should show.
Letting Turkey Rest Before Carving
Once your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165°F, remove it from the oven. Cover loosely with foil and let rest 30-40 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to absorb back into the meat. The internal temperature will continue rising about 10°F as it rests.
Carving and Serving the Turkey
After ample resting time, use a sharp carving knife to slice turkey. Cut thin slices against the grain of the breast meat. Arrange slices on a platter with stuffing and gravy. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate within 2 hours.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Properly stored, leftover turkey will last 3-4 days refrigerated. Carve all meat from the bones and store in shallow airtight containers. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave until hot, 165°F. Frozen turkey keeps 3-4 months.
Roasting a Delicious 25 lb Bird
Preparing a large 25 pound holiday turkey is easier than you think. Allow plenty of thawing time for your frozen turkey, then roast low and slow until the temperature reads 165°F. Resting before slicing is also key for juicy meat. Follow these guidelines for a perfect turkey feast the whole family will love.
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Is It Safe to Cook a Frozen Turkey?
The good news is, you CAN cook a turkey thats still frozen. In fact, a study by an MIT-educated food safety consultant describes how it can be done in accordance with the FDA Food Code.
Indeed, from a certain standpoint, its a safer method, since a frozen turkey wont drip salmonella-laden juices all over your sink and countertop.
Moreover, the breast, which is the most prone to overcooking and drying out, cooks more slowly when it starts off frozen, so your white meat may turn out juicier than usual.
On the other hand, you wont be able to brine the turkey, or season it with your famous spice rub. Stuffing it will also be problematic.
Remember though, and this is important: At this point, you are looking to salvage your Thanksgiving. Whatever hopes and dreams you nurtured for the accolades this turkey would earn (So flavorful! Juiciest one ever!) must now give way to cold, hard reality.
Youll have a turkey, and itll be fully cooked. It will probably not win turkey of the year. But when you pull this off (and you will), you will have reason to be proud.
After all, anyone can cook a turkey when nothing goes wrong. Its overcoming adversity that makes what youre about to accomplish so special. Ready? Lets go.
Don’t Forget the Bag of Giblets!
Obviously, with the turkey frozen solid, you wont be able to pull the bag of giblets out of the cavity. Dont worry about it right now. Set the turkey on the rack and put it in the oven. Do not open the door of the oven for two hours.
After two hours, you should be able to work your meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh. What works best is the digital kind that you can set to alert you when your meat or poultry reaches its target temperature. Ideally the thigh will make it to 175 to 180 F, but for now, itll probably read 90 to 95 F.
Once you have the probe into the thigh, brush the skin with melted butter, season with salt and pepper and return it to the oven for another hour. By then you should be able to get the bag of giblets out. Fortunately these days it seems like they come wrapped in paper rather than plastic, but either way, you definitely dont want to leave it in there.
At the three-hour mark, the thigh reading should be around 140 F, but it depends on whether you got the thermometer all the way in or not. It can be tricky when its frozen, and you may not realize if youve hit bone.
Under normal circumstances, making multiple holes in a turkey with thermometers would not be recommended. But these are not normal circumstances.
Therefore, ideally, in addition to your probe thermometer, you will also have an instant-read thermometer. That way you can leave the probe thermometer in the thigh while using the instant-read thermometer to take temperature readings elsewhere, like the breast, and within the body cavity.
How to Cook a Frozen Turkey
FAQ
Can you cook a frozen turkey without thawing?
When should I start thawing a 25 pound turkey?
How long does it take to cook a 25 lb butterball?
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Weight
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Cook Time (Unstuffed)
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Cook Time (Stuffed)
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10-18 lbs.
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3-3½ hrs.
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3¾-4½ hrs.
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18-22 lbs.
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3½-4 hrs.
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4½-5 hrs.
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22-24 lbs.
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4-4½ hrs.
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5-5½ hrs.
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24-30 lbs.
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4½-5 hrs.
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5½-6¼ hrs.
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