How to Cook Turkey {In an Oven Bag}

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

12 - 24 lb. turkey ((fresh or frozen and fully thawed))

1/4 cup butter, (softened)

3 garlic cloves, (minced (1 Tbsp))

1 tsp dried thyme, (or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh*)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

4 celery ribs, (chopped into 2-inch pieces)

1 large yellow onion, (peeled and chopped into chunks)

2 carrots, (peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces)

Directions

Move oven rack one level below center and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl stir together butter, garlic, thyme and season with a little salt and pepper.

Remove neck and giblets from turkey and remove any pin feathers left behind. Tuck wings under turkey. Season cavity of turkey with salt and pepper.

Using the back end of a wooden spoon separate turkey breast skin from breast. Rub butter underneath skin (again I just use the back end of the spoon), smooth over skin to spread butter out. Altnerately you can just rub butter over skin but I feel it seasons better when rubbed underneath.

Season all over turkey with a fair amount of salt and pepper.

Add 1 Tbsp flour to the Reynolds Kitchens Turkey Size Oven Bag and shake. Place oven bag in a roasting pan, add celery, onion and carrots to oven bag. Place turkey over vegetable layer in oven bag.

Close oven bag with the oven safe tie included. Cut 6 slits across top of the oven bag to allow steam to escape then tuck ends of oven bag into the pan.

Cook unstuffed turkey according to size (the breast should register 165 degrees in center of thickest portion in several places and the thigh 175 degrees on an instant read thermometer): 12 - 16 lb turkey: 2 - 2 1/4 hours16 - 20 lb turkey: 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hours20 - 24 lb turkey: 2 1/2 - 3 hours

Let turkey rest 20 minutes. Carefully cut top of oven bag open, transfer turkey to carving board and carve.