The Ultimate Guide to Slow Roasting a Turkey at 225 Degrees

This post has all the information you need to make a delicious slow-roasted turkey recipe that you can use for many years to come. You can roast your turkey overnight or begin it in the morning if you choose. Starting the turkey at night will allow you to sleep in late and have a perfectly roasted, hassle-free turkey when you need it.

I have roasted lots of turkeys. I first started off cooking a turkey the way my mom did it. Then one night, I just knew I was ready for a change. Viola, overnight roasted turkey, and a lot less stress for holiday meals was the answer. The main course for holiday meals is this slow-roasted turkey, and I’ve got lots of tips for preparing and serving it.

Traditions! Nothing is more reassuring than a holiday custom, particularly in light of what the year 2020 has in store for us. However, there are moments when you’d like to take a fresh approach to an old favorite. That’s why I made the decision a few years ago to eschew tradition and use a recipe for overnight roasted turkey instead!

Ultimately, your oven will be busy due to the commotion in the house and the numerous side dishes that come with celebrating a holiday. When you can wake up to the aroma of crisp, golden-brown turkey ready for your holiday get-together, there’s no reason to pull your hair out the morning of trying to balance it all.

And the best part of any holiday meal is the leftovers. I have some great suggestions for this juicy and succulent turkey you’ll be cooking, assuming there are any leftovers after your guests leave. I serve both classic dishes and inventive twists on them. For example, I serve cornbread waffle sandwiches with cranberry aioli in place of standard turkey sandwiches. And I was inspired to make this Leftover Pizza with Turkey and Roasted Cranberries by being inventive and experimenting with different ways to eat leftovers. I have many more to explore!.

“Won’t the turkey get cold waiting for everything else to finish?” is a frequently asked question concerning overnight turkey roasting.

Yes, it can, but bear with me—this is how everything works out—depending on when you’re serving.

I let the turkey rest for at least an hour before slicing it (you want to avoid slicing a hot turkey because the juices will evaporate and the meat will become dry, much like a great steak—rest is essential).

I put everything on a platter and cover it with plastic wrap if I’m having an early meal. I store it in the fridge until about an hour before serving. When I’m ready, I pre-heat the oven to 300–350° and let the turkey come to room temperature for about 30 minutes (don’t skip this step!).

The turkey reheats quickly, so watch it carefully to prevent overheating and drying it out. If you want to be extra cautious, you can also cover it with foil or mist it with water (or chicken broth). In any case, during a big feast, the turkey cools down first, so make sure your gravy is HOT so that everyone will enjoy it. We’ll enjoy the turkey and then some more the next day, provided it’s not too cold!

Let’s get started and enjoy this hassle-free turkey recipe, which I walk you through below! Gobble Gobble!

I was exhausted at one in the morning after baking all the pies and getting everything ready for Thanksgiving.

The thought of getting up early to put the turkey into the oven was not exciting.

To avoid having to tend to the turkey throughout the night, I chose to slow-roast it at a lower temperature than I usually would. I slept late and opened my oven early the following morning, knowing that even though it would take longer at a lower temperature, I always know that my slow-roasted meats turn out delicious.

I just knew this method of cooking a turkey would interest anyone who cooks for holiday meals.

My mind was completely blown. Why hadn’t I considered that earlier? After waking up early all those mornings to put the turkey in, I was exhausted by the time I served dinner. I slow roasted my turkey’s anyway, but this made it the PERFECT way to roast a turkey!.

While it was nice to have turkey dinners at other people’s houses, I could never help but wonder how people thought it was a good idea to remove the turkey from the oven ten minutes before serving it. The turkey needs time to rest so that the juices can seep into the meat and create an irresistible flavor.

It’s already stressful enough during the holidays, and if you’re cooking, I promise you should start roasting your turkey the night before!

I’m frequently asked what my go-to products are, so I’ve included a few below, and you can find the complete list of them HERE.

This is most similar to the turkey roasting pan I use. I’ve had it for years and love it.

I’ve bought several of these thermometers as gifts, and everyone says they’re the BEST Gift Ever! This is my favorite; although it may seem expensive, it’s very quick and eliminates the risk of burning fingers when cooking, baking, or grilling!

If you’re a cook, you need the right supplies to make your work easier and more productive and to reduce the stress of cooking!

You should watch this if you still want to roast your turkey at the crack of dawn. It’s also a great way to make sure you don’t oversleep at any time.

It takes time to cook a turkey slowly, and even if you follow the instructions on the package, I don’t think you’ll have a tasty turkey in that amount of time.

That is the way to have a turkey cooked but in my opinion, not the best tasting turkey.

I made a 20-pound turkey this week, just to share with you how exactly I do it.

Since I’m already preparing a minimum of 20 pounds of turkey, I figure there’s no reason not to make more! Cooking a 20-pound turkey is actually no more work than cooking a 10- or 15-pound turkey.

(Add or subtract one hour from the nine hours for every two pounds of turkey that weighs more or less than twenty pounds.)

You can always cook the turkey for a longer period of time. I once cooked my turkey for three more hours, and it was absolutely delicious—it was falling off the bone. I don’t carve at the table, but the turkey was juicy and the bones were easy to remove, though it didn’t look quite as pretty.

I love having the turkey to put in all sorts of meals. Additionally, I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to spend the entire weekend “cooking” after a holiday meal.

Easy meals are made when the turkey is cooked; simply replace the chicken in these recipes with the cooked turkey. Chicken Pot Pie, Green Chicken Chili, Thanksgiving casserole.

I use a large roasting pan with a rack. Additionally, I just positioned the turkey in the pan’s bottom on top of some crumpled aluminum foil.

I prefer the rack, it’s sturdier and the turkey itself does not sit on top of the liquid.

To give you an idea of how it’s doing, I took the turkey out of the oven; it still has an hour left.

I don’t place a large turkey on the table and start carving it—I believe that’s something you see on television.

Additionally, you see people thawing out large frozen turkeys in a matter of hours by placing them in the oven; again, this seems to only work on TV.

2 days in cold water (I thaw my turkey in a cooler) this is my preferred method. We have a large cooler, I clean it and then fill it with water. Place the turkey inside still wrapped in its original plastic wrapping)and cover it and let it thaw. I’m prepared to roast it late on day three if I take it out of the freezer at noon on, say, day 1. (I have thawed a 15 lb turkey in water and it took 4 hours).

or 3-4 days in the fridge. On day 1, I take it out of the freezer, and by day 4, the evening, it’s ready to bake.

If it’s still frozen, place the turkey inside a fresh sink filled with cold water and let it sit there until it thaws completely. To ensure even cooking, make sure your oven rack is low enough to accommodate your turkey and leaves equal space around the entire bird.

This timing guide should only be used as a reference. Make sure your oven is ready for roasting and test your turkey with an oven thermometer. Be sure your turkey is thawed before putting it into the oven.

When a turkey is cooked to perfection, its internal temperature can often exceed the recommended level without compromising its flavor; this is especially true when the turkey is slow-roasted to prevent the meat from drying out.

Use the longer time if roasting at 200° and use the shorter time if roasting at 250°

Start the turkey at 400° F for the first hour. If you don’t extend the roasting time by an hour.

I have roasted all sizes of turkeys and used this schedule. I will mention I always estimate I may need an extra hour to cook the turkey,.

200° for 8 hours, then take the foil off turkey (brown skin at 350° for 15 minutes)

Let’s suppose you are getting close to the time you think the turkey will be done,

What do I do if my turkey doesn’t seem to be done in the time stated?

As with any recipe, the temperature in your oven can vary, so when you plan to cook something, give yourself extra time to make sure you have enough time and your turkey is done when you want it to be. Give it an additional hour; if necessary, raise the temperature during the final hour to achieve the right doneness, and crisp the skin during the final 15 minutes or so. Additionally, you should take your time during the resting period so that the turkey can absorb the juices and stay moist. Then you’ll carve it.

And it doesn’t quite have an internal temperature of 165°. What should you do?

Use an oven thermometer to be sure your oven is holding the temperature you set it to.

Turn the temperature of your oven up 50°. This will raise the temperature, but the turkey will still be roasted at a low temperature of 350 to 300 degrees, guaranteeing that it will be juicy and moist.

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Sincerely, I always make sure to allow myself at least an hour in case I need to finish cooking my turkey; if you cook it at a low temperature, it won’t become dry even if you roast it for a longer period of time.

I’ve successfully roasted turkeys for two hours longer than the recommended time frame; as a bonus, the meat almost falls off the bone and the bones soften slightly. This makes carving the turkey easier.

I always figure it’ll take at least 10 hours to slow roast my turkeys, keep that in mind!

Potato Recipes can be found here:

I hope you will take a moment to look around my website, where I have a ton of recipes. To make it easier for you to find every recipe, my website’s top toolbar has a “recipes” tab.

Be sure your oven holds a lower temperature well. If there are significant fluctuations, you will need to raise the temperature by 50 degrees to ensure that the turkey cooks on time. When I message people who have had differing results they often say they think it’s their oven.

Roasting the turkey at 300° will produce good results. Make sure the turkey is cooked through and that you give it plenty of time to rest so the juices can seep into the meat as it cools.

When cooking any items that take a while, having a plan is best.

Be sure to allow enough time, to prep, cook, rest, and slice the turkey. Do not try and RUSH a SLOW ROASTED TURKEY, it’s pointless, and you won’t like the results.

How long does it take to cook a turkey at 225 degrees?

FAQ

How long does it take to cook a turkey at 225 degrees?

Is 225 too low for turkey?

Can you cook a turkey on 200 all night?

How long does it take to cook a 25 lb turkey at 250 degrees?