Has the time come to actually cook a turkey? Maybe it’s your turn to host Thanksgiving dinner, or you need to feed a large group of people. Or you just want to learn how to make this classic holiday staple.

How do you cook a turkey if it’s your first time? Start with a smaller bird (from 8-12 pounds). Use a meat thermometer. Check it for doneness early. Let it sit after coming out of the oven for at least 20 minutes to collect the juices. Finish the side dishes while the turkey rests.

Learning to cook a whole turkey is a rite of passage for the home cook. It’s the traditional choice for Thanksgiving for many people. You’ve probably had delicious moist turkey, and not-so-great turkey. Cooking a turkey can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. Here are three ways to make a great turkey:

Method 1: Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

If your goal is just to cook some tasty turkey for yourself or for guests, and it’s not important to you to have a huge beautiful roasted bird on a fancy platter, the simplest way to cook it is to use a turkey breast roast in a slow cooker. This is guaranteed to be extremely tender and juicy.

Many people say this is the most flavorful turkey they’ve ever had. It also frees up time to spend on the mashed potatoes or whatever other side dishes you are serving. It even makes its own gravy. You will need a fairly large crockpot or multi-cooker (for example like a Ninja Foodi).

Simplest Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Here's the recipe if you want the simplest way ever to cook turkey

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Prep Time 7 hrs

Course Main Course

Servings 6

Equipment

slow cooker

Ingredients

1 5-7 lb bone-in turkey breast
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 10.75 oz can cream of mushroom soup

Instructions

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray and place the turkey breast into the cooker.
Mix the pepper, poultry seasoning, and garlic powder into the softened butter and rub half of it all over the turkey breast.
Carefully separate the skin from the meat over the breast and rub the rest of the butter mixture between the skin and meat.
Spoon the soup carefully over the turkey breast. Cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165° F.
Serve the sauce as gravy over potatoes, if desired.

Method 2: Browned Slow Cooker Turkey

This method still involves a slow cooker. It really is a great way to take some of the guesswork out of cooking a turkey, and gives consistently good results.

This turkey uses a bone-in turkey breast along with a package of turkey legs for dark meat lovers. It has a few more steps, like browning it under the broiler for a few minutes for a nice crispy golden skin.

Browned Slow Cooker Turkey Breast and Legs

Easy tasty turkey breast and legs made in a slow cooker. Makes its own gravy.

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Prep Time 7 hrs

Course Main Course

Servings 8

Equipment

Large slow cooker

Ingredients

1 6 lb bone-in turkey breast
1 pkg turkey legs
4 T butter, softened
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
4 T butter for gravy
4 T flour for gravy
1 cup chicken broth for gravy

Instructions

Place the 4 tablespoons of butter, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir until combined.
Loosen the skin of the turkey breast. Spread part of the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey and spread some all over the top of the turkey, and spread some over the turkey legs.  
Coat a large oval slow cooker with cooking spray and line the bottom of the slow cooker with the onion slices.  
Place the turkey breast and legs on top of the onion slices. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165° F.
Transfer the turkey to a foil covered baking sheet. Preheat the broiler.  
Broil the turkey for 4-5 minutes or until skin is browned and crispy.

For the Gravy

Pour the liquid from the slow cooker through a strainer; discard the solids.
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine.  
Cook the flour and butter mixture for 1 minute.  
Pour 1 cup of strained drippings and 1 cup of chicken broth in the pan
Cook for 4-5 minutes or until just thickened, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Slice the turkey and serve with the gravy.

Method 3: Brined Roasted Turkey Breast

Here it is, the classic star of Thanksgiving dinner– a roasted turkey with crispy browned skin. This recipe uses turkey baking bags for a little extra help keeping it moist and juicy. You can do this!

Choose a fresh, not frozen turkey. Buy it 2 days before cooking so it has time to brine overnight. This eliminates the panic of realizing your turkey is still frozen on Thanksgiving morning. And a fresh turkey just tastes better.

A roasted turkey needs to sit and rest for at least 20 minutes after coming out of the oven. Cover it with foil while it sits. Use this time to finish up the side dishes and make gravy if desired.

Brined Roasted Turkey

The classic whole turkey, brined, roasted, and looks great on a platter.

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Prep Time 2 d

Course Main Course

Servings 12

Equipment

Roasting pan
Meat thermometer

Ingredients

For Brining the Turkey

1 12-14 lb fresh turkey (buy it a day or two before you will cook it)
1 bottle apple juice
1 cup sea salt
1/2 cup brown or white sugar
1 gallon + water
2 turkey baking bags Follow the directions with the bag when roasting

For Roasting the Turkey

1/2 cup butter. softened
3 T dried sage
2-3 cloves garlic OR 2 tsp garlic powder
1 whole apple, chopped in half
2 small onions, chopped in half
4 stalks celery, cut into thirds

Instructions

Brining the Turkey

Take the 2 turkey baking bags and double them to guard against leakage.
Heat the water in a large pan to boiling. Add the sugar and salt and stir to dissolve.
Let the water cool or add some ice cubes.
Remove the giblets from the turkey and set aside.
Place the turkey in the doubled bags. Hold upright and pour in the cooled sugar/salt water and the apple juice. Add a little more water if necessary to cover the turkey. Close tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Roasting the Turkey

Take the turkey out of the bag. Rinse it in cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Heat the oven to 350°.
Pour out the brine from the inner bag and discard. Save the outer bag.
Mix the sage and garlic with the softened butter. Rub the herb butter over the turkey, including under the skin over the breast.
Place the apple, onions, and celery in the cavity of the turkey.
Place the turkey into the outer bag you saved from brining and place the whole thing in a roasting pan.
Roast until a thermometer registers 165° F in the meatiest part of the thigh. Start checking the temperature after 1.5 hours.
Remove the turkey from the oven, cut open and remove the baking bag, cover loosely with foil, and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Using a Meat Thermometer

The two most common types of meat thermometers are instant read, and wireless. I have both kinds. The instant read is good for checking temperatures of meat cooked in a skillet, or for quickly checking baked items.

I always use my wireless ThermoPro thermometer when roasting a turkey. You put the probe in the turkey thigh, set the desired temperature, and it alerts you when the turkey is done. They are much more accurate than those pop-ups that come in some turkeys.

I’ve had my ThermoPro for four years, and it’s still going strong. This linked TP-07 is one of their least expensive wireless thermometers, and looks like a great choice for occasional use. There are many other models to choose from if you are going to use it all summer while grilling meat for example.