Old-fashioned roast turkey

20 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 each 12 to 14 pound turkey.
2 teaspoons Salt
½ cup Butter or margarine; melted and divided
1 each 26-ounce jar spiced crab apples; drained
Fresh parsley sprigs

Directions

Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Sprinkle salt over surface and in cavity of turkey.

Close cavity of turkey with skewers; tie ends of legs to tail with string or tuck them under flap of skin around tail. Lift wingtips up and over back so that they are tucked under turkey securely.

Brush entire turkey with about ¼ cup melted butter; place breast side up on rack in a roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer in breast or meaty part of thigh; making sure it does not touch bone. Bake at 325 degrees F for 5 hours or until meat thermometer registers 190 degrees. Baste turkey frequently with remaining melted butter and pan drippings. If turkey gets too brown during baking, cover lightly with aluminum foil.

When turkey is two-thirds done, cut the cord or band of skin holding the drumstick ends to the tail. This will insure that the inside of the thighs are thoroughly cooked. Turkey is done when the drumsticks are easy to move.

Transfer turkey from roasting pan to serving platter. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Garnish with crab apples and parsley.

From a formal dinner at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Virginia? _Company's Coming!_ Southern Living/Southern Heritage Oxmoor House, 1983 ISBN 0-8487-0603-X Typos by Jeff Pruett Submitted By JEFF PRUETT On 09-30-95

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