How to Cook Turkey in a Bag
Turkey is a terrific and sumptuous addition to any feast, but many people feel intimidated when cooking a roast turkey. Some may burn the fatty skin, or that the moistness and tenderness of the bird may be lost when cooking in an oven. To keep the meat moist and cooked to perfection, you may want to try cooking a turkey in a paper oven bag.
Ingredients
Oven bags may be bought from department stores and kitchen supply stores, but you may also use an ordinary brown paper bag for cooking. Make sure that the bag is big enough to hold the whole turkey.
To cook a turkey in a paper bag, you need the following ingredients:
One 12-pound turkey
Turkey giblets
Stuffing
Softened unsalted butter (you may also want to season the butter with paprika and cayenne pepper to add kick to the flavor of the turkey skin)
Carrots, cut in chunks
Celery, cut in large segments
Leeks, cut in large segments
Whole garlic cloves
Onions, quartered
Whole fresh or dry bay leaves
Chicken stock
Steps
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
roast turkey
Wash and clean the turkey and stuff it. Seal the cavities with a skewer, and tuck the wings and ends of the turkey legs under the bird. You may want to tie the bird with kitchen twine.
Rub the butter all over the bird, and set it aside.
Prepare the roasting pan by adding the giblets and aromatic vegetables to the base, and adding just enough chicken stock to cover the ingredients inside roasting pan.
Spray the oven bag with just enough water to moisten it, but not to tear or rip the bag into shreds when you put the bird inside.
Place the bird inside the bag, and place it on the roasting pan breast-side up.
Let the bird cook for two and a half hours until the meat is cooked through. When checking the meat, gently roll away the bag and check the bird at its thickest part using a meat thermometer.
Allow the bird to rest after cooking to let the juices settle. Thicken the sauce remaining in the pan to make gravy.
Cooking a roast turkey does not have to be intimidating or difficult. With these steps, you can make the perfect roast turkey dish, and have every compliment and satisfied comment right in the bag.