'Then it's juicy and tender.'īecause the white meat cooks at a lower temperature than the dark meat, it can overcook while you're waiting for the dark meat to get to that higher temperature. The goal is to get the breast meat to 160 degrees and the thighs to 170 to 175 degrees, says Lam, which you can measure with a meat thermometer. 'So if you're serving dinner at 1 p.m., you're going to have to get your turkey at 9 a.m.' Get that bird in the oven earlyĭepending on the size of the turkey, you will need three and half to four hours of oven time, says Lam. If you choose to rub salt into your bird, you will need to let it rest for one to two days in the fridge. If you choose to brine your turkey, you will need to soak it in salted water for six to 12 hours in the fridge. That can take 'anywhere between six hours to two days,' depending on your method. So if your turkey weighs eight pounds, it will take about two days to thaw.ĭon't forget to factor in the time you will need to season your turkey, says Lam. Department of Agriculture, you'll need a day for every four to five pounds of turkey. How long that takes depends on how big the turkey is.

Once you have your turkey, transfer it into the fridge to thaw.

Long breasts with pokies