This Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey Recipe may sound a little different, but I think you will be surprised at the delicious results. Time and time again this turkey recipe and method has proved to be a real winner and has become the easiest part of a meal during the holiday season.
Over the years, we’ve cooked turkey every which of way: roasted and basted, and basted, and basted with all kinds of combinations of ingredients, roasted in a bag, fried (of course, we’re Southerners), we’ve brined and have gone brine-less. Honestly, I think less is best in my book. Less messing. Less stuff. Less fretting. Less time waiting.
When it comes to cooking turkey, this recipe for a Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey definitely calls for less. Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey is pretty straightforward. And no, it doesn’t taste like mayonnaise. I promise. This is just one of the methods we use to cook turkey, but after great results each time, moist turkey, that tastes like turkey, hands-down, it’s our preferred way so far.
#Make Your Thanksgiving Turkey Extra Juicy and Flavorful with This Mayo-Roasted Technique
Thanksgiving is right around the corner which means it’s time to start planning that big turkey dinner. If you want your holiday bird to be extra juicy and delicious this year, then you need to try this mayo-roasted turkey recipe.
I know what you’re thinking – rubbing mayonnaise all over a raw turkey sounds a bit strange. But trust me it’s a game-changing technique that results in the most tender flavorful and golden brown turkey you’ve ever tasted!
##Why Use Mayo for Roasting Turkey?
Using mayonnaise as the base for the turkey rub serves multiple purposes:
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Browning – The mayo helps the turkey skin get super crispy and beautifully browned. The eggs and oils in the mayo help facilitate browning through the Maillard reaction.
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Flavor – Mixing aromatics like herbs and citrus zest into the mayo infuses the turkey with lots of extra flavor.
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Moisture – The mayo seals in juice and prevents the turkey meat from drying out.
So the mayonnaise helps achieve the triple threat of delicious turkey – browned, flavored and moist!
##How to Mayo Roast Your Turkey
Roasting a turkey with mayo is simple and involves just a few extra steps:
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Dry Brine – Salt the turkey all over and let it rest in the fridge overnight. This draws out moisture and allows the salt to deeply season the bird.
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Loosen Skin – Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin over the breast and thigh meat. This creates pockets for rubbing the mayo mixture under the skin.
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Make Herb Mayo – Mix mayonnaise with lots of fresh herbs, citrus, garlic, etc. I like a blend of parsley, sage, rosemary and lemon. Get creative with your own spice mix!
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Rub Mayo Under and Over Skin – Slather the flavored mayo all over the turkey, especially rubbing it under the skin.
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Roast – Roast the turkey in a high heat oven until browned and cooked through. For extra moisture, I love spatchcocking the turkey.
The mayo helps the turkey roast up so moist and full of flavor. It’s an absolute game changer!
![Mayo turkey roasting in the oven][]
##Tips for the Best Mayo Roasted Turkey
Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned while developing this mayo turkey recipe:
- Use high quality mayo – Duke’s, Hellman’s, homemade, etc. The better the mayo, the better the flavor.
- Flavor your mayo – Get creative with the herb and spice blend mixed into the mayo. Try different citrus, garlic, chili flakes, etc.
- Dry brine – Letting the salted turkey rest unwrapped in the fridge is crucial for moisture and flavor.
- Spatchcock – Removing the backbone and flattening the bird speeds up cooking. Extra moisture!
- Roast the turkey at a high temp, around 425°F to get the skin ultra crispy.
- Monitor the temperature and tent with foil if the skin browns too quickly.
- Let the turkey rest before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat.
##Make an Herb Gravy with the Drippings
Don’t discard those flavorful turkey drippings from the roasting pan! Use them to make a simple yet delicious gravy:
- Cook aromatics like onion and carrot in the drippings.
- Whisk in some flour to form a roux.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.
- Simmer until thickened then season with herbs.
The gravy takes these already amazing turkey flavors over the top. Absolute holiday perfection!
##Give Mayo Roasted Turkey a Try for Your Next Holiday Meal
If you’re looking for a surefire way to make this Thanksgiving’s turkey the best ever, then you need to give this mayo roasting technique a try. The mayonnaise helps achieve the trifecta of juicy, well-browned and super flavorful turkey every time. Paired with a rich homemade gravy, it’s the star of the holiday table.
How to Cook Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey
Okay, now for the Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey. I know, it sounds weird, but like I said before, it does deliver a moist and tasty bird. And, it’s simple. Let me show you. Mix herbs (fresh or dried) with mayonnaise. We used herbs we had on hand from the garden. Feel free to experiment with different herb and seasoning combinations. And of course, dried herbs may be substituted. Use the 1/3 dried versus fresh rule. Dried herbs are more potent.
Chopped celery, and onion, salt, pepper, and a stick of butter for good measure, round out the ingredients needed, other than the bird.
Prep the turkey in a roasting pan. Make sure it’s thawed y’all, I’ve made that mistake before. Rub the mayo/herb mixture all over and inside of the turkey. Season with salt and pepper, add the celery, onion, inside and out, and tuck the butter in the cavity.
Roast in a 450-degree F oven for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350-degrees F, and insert the meat thermometer at this point in the thickest part of the thigh. Be careful to not touch bone. Some say insert it into the thickest part of the breast, we’ve done that too, but now use the thigh as the measure and then check the breast to make sure it reads the proper temperature as well before removing from oven.
Continue roasting, uncovered, until internal thermometer reaches 165-degrees F. If you’re concerned with the legs getting dried out, cover them partway through cooking with foil. Sometimes I do, this time I didn’t. Keep an eye on it during cooking to see if it’s needed.
Let it rest and carve.
Now enjoy with your favorite side dishes and of course gravy!
Speaking of gravy, save those drippings in the roasting pan. You’ll need those for the gravy. Turkey needs a friend. This Turkey Gravy Recipe will show you how easy it is to make your own gravy.
Tips for Cooking Turkey:
- Bigger isn’t always better. A large turkey doesn’t equal large taste. So if you have a big group to feed, I’d recommend getting two smaller turkeys. Smaller turkeys (I’d say 12-13 lbs) are harder to come by, but look for them. Hunt them down.
- No additional “stuff.” You may need to call around to find a turkey without all the junkity-junk, but it’s worth it. You may pay more per pound, but you won’t be paying for all that extra plumping or whatever it is. A good rule of thumb someone once told me is no more than 4 ingredients on the packaging. Remember, less is best.
- Use a meat thermometer and cook for proper time. Turkey doesn’t need to take 4 hours to cook. I promise. Make sure you have a good meat thermometer that stays in the turkey and can be monitored from outside the oven. We like to insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone) for monitoring while cooking, but you’ll also want to check the thickest part of the breast before removing from oven, so an externally monitored internal meat thermometer is handy. Whatever meat thermometer(s) you use, just be sure to test them ahead of the big day for accuracy.
- Cook temperature and time for roasting a turkey is basic and simple. Roast high for a short time, then turn down until the internal temperature reaches 165-degrees F. See recipe below for temperatures, etcetera. You’ll be surprised how quickly it reaches the proper internal temperature, depending on size, 2 hours or less!
- Let it rest. That turkey has been working and it’s hot, man. Let it rest, covered, for at least 20-30 minutes (depending on size) before carving. It will help retain the juices and all the goodness. The internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests as well.
- To brine or not to brine? If you like to brine and you’ve got the time, brine away… brine until you dine, in the sunshine, it’ll be fine. We’ve brined and we’ve gone brine-less. Honestly, I tend to be bad at planning, so I usually forget until it’s past the prime time to brine. Plus, I think when you invest in a good turkey, as mentioned before, with no additives or plumped up with extras, not too large, and roasted correctly, you might find that brining may not be all that necessary.
- And finally, practice. Cook turkey more than just during the holidays. Try out different techniques. Brine, don’t brine. Test different basting combos. Feeling confident about cooking your turkey will help make the day of celebrating more enjoyable for you. And tasty too!