Bea's Classic Roast Turkey

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For Stuffing

  • 2 cups water
  • turkey and/or chicken giblets from cavity
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 8 cups Italian or Portuguese bread, torn into small pieces, crust on
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ black pepper
  • ½ tsp Bell's poultry seasoning

For Turkey

  • 12-14 lb turkey
  • 8 oz butter cut in ⅛" pats
  • salt

How-to

Make Bea's Classic Giblet Stuffing
  1. Boil turkey or chicken giblets in 2 cup of water for 5 minutes
  2. Meantime, in a large pan, melt butter over medium heat, add onions and sauté until they are translucent
  3. When giblets are done, remove from water and reserve cooking liquid. Chop giblets and add to onions
  4. Add torn bread and all the spices to the pan and stir
  5. Slowly add reserved liquid until all the breadcrumbs are moistened and cooked, 2-3 minutes
  6. Put stuffing in turkey or if baking, transfer stuffing to a casserole dish and bake at 325° for 20 minutes
 
Prepare & Stuff Turkey
  1. Preheat oven to 375° 
  2. Rinse turkey with water and pat dry.  Let rest 10 minutes
  3. Sprinkle cavity lightly with salt, then stuff with Bea's Classic Giblet Stuffing. Stuffing will expand while cooking so extra stuffing can be wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in roasting pan with turkey
  4. Sew cavity of turkey closed with strong thread. Apply softened butter all over bird
  5. Place turkey breast-side up in roasting pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes, basting with butter every hour
  6. Lower temperature to 325° and cook 2½ hours in uncovered roasting pan until thermometer reaches 165° in breast section or moving drumstick up and down breaks readily. Once the turkey gets brown, tent tin foil over it to prevent burning
  7. Remove turkey from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving. Remove stuffing, carve turkey and serve with Bea's Gravy.