Perfect Turkey in an Electric Roaster Oven

I was very nervous about cooking a turkey in an electric roaster. However, the turkey turned out better than expected. I was told best turkey ever! The only thing I would have done differently because my roasting lid was a little warped (lid didn't fit properly )I should have used a little foil to close some of the gaps. I cooked a 20.5 lb butterball turkey. put butter under the skin. Some garlic,onion and an apple in the cavity. I used olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper on top of the skin. Most people in my family dislike sage, an ingredient in poultry seasoning. in 4 hrs 15min the turkey was done to perfection. I let it rest for 20min. so juicy. Still too hot to cut ( the breat was shredding.so we had to let it cool a little longer.( My mother in law said that when turkey is too hot it will tend to shred instead of slice.) After cooling a bit longer it sliced perfectly. I had tons and tons of gravy! best gravy ever! I even bought back up gravy. never had to touch it. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I had room in my oven for everything else.

This was my first time using a Roaster Oven to cook our turkey. I was worried about it so I went looking for tips on the net. So glad I found your recipe!!! I followed it exactly, stuffed the inside of the turkey with onions, fresh rosemary and sage and rubbed the outside with olive oil and butter, salt and pepper. I resisited the urge to lift the lid and check on it. (That was hard to do!! lol) At 4 hours (had an almost 18 pounder) I checked and the thermometer had popped and it was done! The meat fell off the bones! Everyone loved it. The skin was nice and brown and crisp. I will never cook another turkey in the oven again. Now I just have to find a place to store this huge roaster oven! ;o) Thanks for a GREAT recipe!

Oh Em Gee - I will not cook another turkey in the big oven - from now on it's going in the roaster oven! I've cooked many a turkey in my 59 years and I have to say, this one was awesome. The ONLY thing it lacked was more crispy brown skin, but there was enough, on the parts closest to the oven walls, to keep me happy. The meat was so moist and tender and yet pulled right away from the bones.

I followed the instructions pretty much as given, putting one halved onion and one halved lemon in the cavity. I used olive oil, garlic salt, a little crushed dried thyme, and some coarsely ground black pepper for seasoning. Started it at 450* (as high as my roaster goes) and set a timer for 30 minutes, then turned down to 325* and set the timer for 3 hours and 30 minutes, for my unstuffed 18 pound bird.

Well I did check it after 3 hours and that sucka was DONE! Checked it in several spots with my instant-read thermometer and it was cooked through, and the meat pulling away from the leg bones. Since it was only 4 pm, I turned off the roaster, sucked out some of the wealth of luscious juice so the turkey wasn't sitting in it (it had risen very slightly above the rack) and let it sit til we were ready to eat about 5:15. I made the best gravy with that juice from the pan too.

DH who LOVES his turkey asked me to please come in here and give highest praise to Squirrel Gone Wild on this one! THANK YOU!

Flawless and effortless compared to the usual oven method! I'm literally eating this turkey as I type. Tender, juicy, perfect. Two tips: If you want vegetables (I do quartered onions, small red potatoes, and carrots) with the turkey, make sure they are on top of the wire rack with the turkey, otherwise, as the turkey juices fill up the bottom of the roaster pan during cooking, the veggies will become completely saturated with bird grease. Second, the whole "tenting with foil" business isn't needed. Just let the turkey cool down in the roaster itself, which is basically a rather solid metal tent; no need to waste foil. Anyway, thanks for the superb recipe/instructions.

OMG... The Best Turkey I've ever had!.. I never even cared or turkey that much unless it was slathered in gravy but I brined my turkey for two days using a citrus brine; I used this method and stuffed my turkey with lemons, limes, onion and a couples sprigs of fresh rosemary! I could not stop picking on the turkey when it came out of the oven; my hubby agreed. It was even moist in the white meat. My recommendation is to use a brine and then use your roaster oven for a beautiful browned turkey that needs no basting and is juicy and delicious!.. For a 15lb bird I cooked 3 1/2 hours total and let rest for 30 minutes.