Cooking a 15-lb turkey in foil

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lostsoul65

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I'm going to cook a 15 lbs. turkey in foil. This is the first time in 10 years I have cook a turkey so I let it thaw in the refrigerator for 72 hours. Rinse it and tin fold it all over and pre heat the oven at 450 and cook for 3 hours?
 

I don't want to poison myself which is why the post. It's just for me. I'll freeze some of it with a food saver. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. I can over cook it so I don't poison myself and still not dry it out because of the tin foil.
 
In order to prevent "poisoning" yourself, you just have to cook it properly, you don't have to dream up a new way.

Cooking it in foil will not prevent it's drying out. The moisture will just collect inside the foil.

Check here for some recipe options. We're all still alive.
 
!5lbs X 450 X 3 hours = 1 dry bird You won't need you food saver, might not be anything to save!

You can start out at 450 for the first 20 minutes then lower the temp to 350 and just cook it until the internal temp reaches 180, then cover and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Roast it on a rack and add water or chicken stock to the pan. Just keep the liquid from evaporating, add more if needed.
 
I don't want to poison myself which is why the post. It's just for me. I'll freeze some of it with a food saver. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. I can over cook it so I don't poison myself and still not dry it out because of the tin foil.

Here's what I did on Thanksgiving with a 15-pounder and it came out beautifully browned, juicy and cooked through: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, sprinkle with salt and pepper all over, place on a baking rack in a baking pan, pour 1 cup water in the pan to prevent the juices from burning, and roast for two hours. I knew it was done because I used an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the thigh and breast. The thigh should be 160 degrees and the breast 165. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving. The temperatures will rise 5-10 degrees while resting.
 
I never use foil when roasting fowl and you can see in the pics comes out moist. I always brine for 24 hours, air dry in the fridge for 24 hour and inject. Never use foil except when the bird is resting tented for 20 to 30 minutes.

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I cook turkey once a month between the months of October and April. I stock up on them when they are on sale for Thanksgiving/Christmas. I treat them the same way one would treat chicken. I roast them stuffed/not stuffed. I start the oven at 450, put the bird in a roaster with about 1 c water under the rack, rub the outside of the bird with some EVOO and paprika, turn the heat down to 325 after 20 minutes, roast until the breast meat registers 160, the thighs 165, take out, cover with foil and a bath towel for 30 minutes. I brined the last turkey I cooked, quartered it, and smoked it. It was amazing. I have a turkey thawed for Monday evening. Most of the turkeys I buy on sale are around 12 lb. This one (the one for Monday) is 20 lb. I don't know why people treat turkey as a "we can only do this for holidays" food. I freeze most of the leftovers, make turkey sandwiches, make stock and then turkey-wild rice-black bean soup. Turkey is very economical when on sale and can be used in all the dishes you would use leftover chicken.
 
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I'm going to cook a 15 lbs. turkey in foil. This is the first time in 10 years I have cook a turkey so I let it thaw in the refrigerator for 72 hours. Rinse it and tin fold it all over and pre heat the oven at 450 and cook for 3 hours?
You're doing fine, LS, though I am surprised that you found this somewhat unconventional method rather than the more usual ones mentioned above. Did it come out of a Google search?
The kid and I used this method two Xmases ago, after she read about it on a university site, I think. At this high temp, escaping moisture cannot condense on the inside of the foil and so the bird is braised rather than roasted which is fine unless you are looking for crispy skin. I think that she wanted to avoid having her mom eat too much "unhealthy" skin!
A cuppla tips. We brined the bird first, though I doubt that that would affect cooking time or method.
We wrapped the bird in 18" wide, heavy duty aluminum foil and placed it in a roasting pan. You can either stuff it -- if so, check the stuffing's temp when you pull out the bird -- or fill it with diced onions or some other aromatic veg, which is removed after cooking and serve with a separately prepared dressing.
Stick a thermometer through the foil and into the center of the thigh to monitor the temp. It will cook in under 3 hours but not a lot. Use the internal temp as your guide.
If you wrap the bird too tightly in foil, the steam pressure will burst the wrapping open, of course. We cut a couple of small slits on top with scissors.
Obviously you need a preheated oven, but this method obviates the need to pay the bird much attention while it is cooking. Just take care to start checking that temp after about 2 1/4 hours.
Cheers
 
I'm an old man and I have cook about a dozen turkey's and I wrap all of them in tin folder and never put a thermometer in them because I cook them about 15 minutes longer and when I tore them apart to eat them there were no pink and I cook them at 350 at one hour per pound and now I'm told when I Google to cook at 450 for less than 3 hours so I figure I can't go wrong at 3 hours and I have also had all the birds moist. I haven't cook a turkey in 10 years I figure the things are different now.
 
I'm an old man and I have cook about a dozen turkey's and I wrap all of them in tin folder and never put a thermometer in them because I cook them about 15 minutes longer and when I tore them apart to eat them there were no pink and I cook them at 350 at one hour per pound and now I'm told when I Google to cook at 450 for less than 3 hours so I figure I can't go wrong at 3 hours and I have also had all the birds moist. I haven't cook a turkey in 10 years I figure the things are different now.

Go for it and let us know how it goes! I'm a fairly old man too. Isn't it great?!
Cheers
 
I don’t get putting a thermometer in the bird?? All the years I have ever cook a turkey I have never put a thermometer in the bird. Is it possible to put a 15 pound turkey in the oven at 325 for 5 hour and your haven’t reach the right heat inside the bird? I even seen one post saying cut the turkey up and boil it then put a thermometer to make sure the temp is right, now that must be a good trick. Do you need to put a thermometer in a chicken also? I would just a soon overcook the turkey then play with a thermometer because that way I know it’s done and I haven’t had a dry one yet wrapping it with foil.
 
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I am assuming the turkey is not stuffed. I have on many occassions cooked my turkey wrapped in foil. One suggestion I have is to butter the turkey first before wrapping in foil this will prevent any sticking to the foil. Cooking like this does help to retain the moistness in the bird; this is why the cooking bags were designed. I have never cooked a bird at that high of temperature. I would suggest cooking a 17 pound bird for about 3 1/2 hours at 325 degrees Fahrenheit because it will cook faster in the foil. I might suggest using a meat thermometer so you can check the temperature frequently. When the bird registers 185F degrees it is done. Thermometer should be inserted in the thickest part of the thigh muscle.
 
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