I just ordered my Thanksgiving share and am looking for the best way to cook my Walden Farms pasture-raised turkey.
Thanks!
Excellent! You can find guidance on how to prepare your turkey on our turkey tips page!
The gist is that you preheat your oven to 450 degrees, once you put the turkey in, immediately drop the temp down to 300 or so (or as low as 250!). Start checking the temperature at the deepest part of the breast after the turkey has cooked for 10 minutes/lb (so for a 12 lb bird, check after 120 minutes), then continue to monitor until the internal temp has reached 155 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven and tent it with foil, the bird will continue to cook and the temperature should get up to 165 degrees. Then carve and enjoy! Let us know if we can answer anything further!
We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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Do I follow the same temperature directions if I’ve spatchcocked my bird?
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
@tinagonsalves Yes, for food safety and deliciousness, the temp you cook your bird to does not change no matter how you cook it. I’ve copied our suggestion from our Turkey Tips page below. A spatchcocked bird will hit this temp much, much faster than the traditional version.
"We recommend removing from the oven when you are between an internal temperature of 155 degrees F to ensure meat is not dry. The bird will naturally rise another 10 degrees or so from carryover cooking. We have experienced cook times as much as 1 hour less than traditional birds!
Note: This is lower than the USDA’s recommended temperature of 165 degrees F, so please do so at your own risk."