8 Ways to Cook a Turkey This Thanksgiving

Key Takeaways

• There are many ways to cook a turkey, from roasting and braising to smoking and deep frying to making a roulade or turkey sous vide.
• Season your Thanksgiving turkey with an herb butter or use a dry or wet brine.
• Roasting is often the simplest method to cook a turkey, while deep frying may be the most intimidating. 

Roasting isn’t the only game in town. There are numerous different ways to cook a turkey, each offering its own flavors that’ll make Thanksgiving day (and its leftovers) delicious. Here’s how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.

1. Roasting

Slather the skin (and go under the skin) with a butter rub containing salt, pepper, and chopped herbs, such as thyme, sage, and rosemary. Fill the cavity with aromatics, such as onions, garlic, and more of the same herbs. Tie the legs with kitchen twine and pop it in the oven at a high temperature (400-425°F) for the first 20-30 minutes to let the skin brown. Then, reduce it to around 350°F for the remainder of the time.

Pros: It’s simple and gives you a picturesque presentation. 

Cons: It can be time-consuming and cause uneven cooking.

2. Spatchcocking/Butterflying

Want to know how to evenly cook a Thanksgiving turkey? Spatchcock the turkey by removing the backbone with kitchen shears to flatten the bird as it roasts. 

Pros: The turkey cooks faster and more evenly. It’ll also create crispier skin!

Cons: Removing the backbone can be intimidating for some home cooks. 

3. Deep Frying

Create a dry brine to season your fully thawed turkey, and then pat it dry very carefully! Any moisture will cause oil to splatter! Fry your turkey in a high-smoke-point oil, cooking it for about 3-4 minutes per pound.

Pros: It’s fast and creates crispy skin.

Cons: It can be very dangerous if you’re not careful.

4. Smoking

With this method, you’ll use a wet or dry brine to season your bird. It gets placed in your smoker over hardwood, like cherry or applewood, for optimal smoke flavor. Maintain a consistent temperature of about 225°F to 250°F.

Pros: It provides the richest, smokiest flavor of all the different ways to cook a turkey.

Cons: It requires a smoker and takes much longer than roasting.

5. Braising

How to cook a Thanksgiving turkey with this method: Break the turkey down into smaller pieces, create or buy a specialty seasoning with herbs and aromatics, sear in a pot on medium-high heat, and then let it braise in the oven at 325°F in a seasoned broth.

Pros: Braising creates juicy, flavorful meat and tenderizes tough cuts.

Cons: It can be time-consuming, and you likely won’t get very crispy skin.

6. Grilling

Another simple way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey is by grilling it. You’ll season the turkey with salt and pepper (or a brine) and brush with a little oil before grilling over indirect heat.

Pros: You’ll get a distinctively smoky flavor and crispy skin.

Cons: Grilling may cause your bird to dry out.

7. Roulade

Learning how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey often means breaking from tradition and introducing a different presentation. To make a turkey roulade, butterfly a turkey breast and pound it flat. You’ll create a stuffing to lay across the flat layer of meat, and then roll the meat around your stuffing (sort of like a cinnamon roll). Secure it with twine in a few different parts, and roast it at 375°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 160-165°F.

Pros: A turkey roulade delivers a beautiful presentation with moist and flavorful turkey. Plus, no carving around the bones!

Cons: There is no dark meat, and it can be trickier to get a hold of just a turkey breast. 

8. Sous Vide

Spatchcock your turkey and seal it in a sous vide bag with aromatics, like sage leaves and garlic. Cook it in the water bath for 6 hours, and then roast in the oven at 500°F for about 30 minutes.

Pros: You’ll get exceptional tenderness and flavor.

Cons: It requires special equipment and takes a lot of time.

There’s no “right” method for how to cook a perfect Thanksgiving turkey. All you’ll need is a quality Thanksgiving turkey from a trusted butcher shop, like Don Peter’s Carniceria, and the method that works for you.