I rubbed the turkey down with butter, sprinkled with paprika, put the apple, sage and rosemary on the inside, and the celery and onion in the bag, and was WONDERFUL!!! I don't even like dark meat, but the flavor was so great, I ate it too!
I have used this recipe for years. It is so easy, cleanup is a breeze, the Turkey stays very moist, and you can cook it longer,and not dry it out. I have made it stuffed, and without stuffing. great both ways. my family just loves it, and I usually get invited to cook the bird, even if we are the guests.
My mom has made turkey this way for years and now I do too. We put garlic powder, onion powder and paprika on the skin the day before. It never dries out and it can be left in longer if you need some more prep time for your other dishes. Cleanup is a breeze!
this is a fool proof recipe; you don't think it will brown in a bag, but it does and its always moist and delish. I make it this way every year and its always a hit!
With this recipe I got the most juicy yummy turkey I have ever tried in my life. The cooking time was short a 20 pound turkey in 3 and a half hours and the clean up was easy. I definately recommend this recipe to first timers and also anybody else who wants to have a tender juicy turkey meat. I will only use this recipe for my turkey from now on.
My 18 pound turkey was done to moist perfection in just over 3 hours. I was surprised that the skin actually browned pretty nicely. The only change I made to the recipe was to spread the turkey breast skin with about 2 tablespoons of butter before putting it into the oven bag. I had a LOT of fat to skim off the juices before making my gravy, so I'm not sure how good an idea it was, or if it was needed.
First time I've ever made a turkey in a bag and it was very moist and flavorful and browned beautifully. I cooked a 13 lb bird at 350 degrees and it took 2-1/2 hours. I cut a large onion in quarters and a bulb of garlic in half and stuck it in the turkey cavity as well as seasoning the cavity with salt & pepper. You don't need to even peel the onion or garlic - just cut it and put it in the cavity. This will give the drippings a great flavor and help infuse your bird with flavor. I also carefully lifted the skin from the breast and liberally massaged the raw breast with a mixture of softened butter with some garlic powder, dried parsley, & rubbed sage. I then rubbed the same mixture over the entire bird before I bagged it and sprinkled with coarse sea salt. Rubbing butter over the breast will help keep the breast meat moist and flavorful. You can use just butter or any combination of seasoning you like added in. Just be careful not to tear the skin. I also let it rest about 20 minutes or so in the bag after I took it out of the oven. I plan on using this bagged method in the future because it really did help keep the bird moist and no basting!
I have tried this recipe and it really works!! Another thing I added was a half apple with thyme & rosemary tied onto it and stuffed into the cavity, instead of the stuffing. It made the turkey extremely succulent. And so easy!!!
I'll never cook a turkey any other way!! This was the 1st year I used a bag an it was super easy. Just put it in the bag and forget about it until it's time to come out!! If you sprinkle paprika over the turkey it helps to even the browning. I'd recommend this to anyone novice or pro.
I want to like this so much. It's how my mother in law makes turkey and all I can taste is the bag. The skin is soggy and the turkey always overcooks no matter how much we adjust the time. She's made this recipe with me many times and loves it but I can't warm up to it. Sorry.
