How long does it take to cook a 14 lb butterball turkey

(WAOW) — Are you wondering how best to cook your Thanksgiving turkey this year?

Don’t worry, Butterball has the answers to any turkey questions you ever could have. Not only that, they provide recipes and a “Turkey Talk-Line.”

The talk line is provides answers to all turkey questions in English and Spanish from now until Dec. 24. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Thanksgiving Day from 6 a.m. -to 5 p.m. You can call at 800–288–8372 or text 844-877-3456. Butterball also has an ask Alexa feature for enabled devices.

Butterball lists six steps to the turkey prep process: shopping, thawing, prepping, cooking, doneness and carving. Thankfully, since thawing, prepping, and cooking depend on the size of the turkey, Butterball provides an interactive map to successfully cook the bird. Here’s a quick summary:

Plan the weight of the turkey you purchase around the number of people at the table. Butterball recommends two pounds per adult and one pound per child. For a precise decision, use the portion calculator
Thawing a turkey takes time! Thawing in a fridge is ideal but takes several days, thawing in water will take between 6-12 hours usually. When thawing in water, change cold water every 30 minutes. There are types of bird that should NOT be thawed: frozen stuffed whole turkeys or ready to roasts.
There are three methods to prep a turkey: oil and salt rub, stuffing, and brining.
Cooking times depend on the size of the bird and if it is stuffed or not, but will generally take between 2 to 5 hours. Butterball recommends roasting at 325 ° F on an open pan. The bird can also be fried, smoked or grilled.
There is only one way to be sure of a turkey’s doneness: the temperature. It should be 180 ° F in the thigh, 170 ° F in the breast, and 165 ° F in the stuffing.
Let the bird rest before carving and carve slow. Click here for more in depth tips.

No matter the size, seasoning, or stuffing, roasting a turkey is easy with these steps:

Preheat the oven to 325 ° F
Drain juices and pat the bird dry with paper towel
Place turkey breast side up on a flat rack in a shallow roasting pan. Turn wings back to hold neck skin in place. Brush or spray with vegetable or cooking oil
Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the lower part of the thigh to allow for monitoring doneness
Place turkey in the oven. When almost done, loosely cover breast and drumsticks with foil to prevent overcooking.

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Thanksgiving is here and you want to roast a Turkey. Great! Here is the ‘How to Roast a Turkey” for beginners guide; the simplest method to getting a juicy, golden brown bird every.single.time. I promise it’s so much easier than you think. ANYONE can make a great turkey. Add my tutorial for making amazing Gravy and Cornbread Stuffing and Thanksgiving is served!

Calm Down, Roasting a Turkey Is Easy!

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without turkey. Being the one responsible for roasting *THE* turkey for Thanksgiving is like the ultimate job. A lot of pressure rides on you. You either give everyone food poisoning or you dry that sucker out. Well, believe it or not, there is a happy medium! You can get a juicy, thoroughly cooked bird with minimal effort that everyone will surely love. Read on, my loves, a gorgeous golden bird is at the end of this road.

Let’s start at the very beginning:

Picking a Turkey

Should you buy a fresh or frozen turkey? Should it be organic? Free range? All of those things come down to personal preference. The vast majority of Turkeys roasted for Thanksgiving are previously frozen. They can be bought in advance, are typically the least expensive out of the group and come in a variety of sizes (I’ve seen turkey’s range from 11 to 25 pounds at the grocery store!)

How Large Should My Turkey Be if I Have a Large Group to Feed?

Typically, most experts will tell you that you need 1 pound of turkey per person. If you have a lot of side dishes that are being served with the roasted turkey, I’d bring that down to 3/4 pound per person. It’s always better to have too much than too little. Plus leftovers are the bomb.

How to Defrost a Frozen Turkey

Ok, friends. Here’s the deal. You absolutely must transfer your frozen turkey from the freezer into the fridge several days before Thanksgiving to give it enough time to defrost. You can’t roast a frozen bird, ya’ll. Refrigerator thawing will take 24 hours per every 4 pounds of turkey. After the turkey is thawed, it can stay in the fridge for another 4 days. So, it’s better to transfer it sooner rather than later so its just ready and waiting for you.

What if you forget to defrost your turkey? Use the cold water method to defrost. Just stick your frozen turkey in the sink {still in its packaging} and cover with cold water, breast side down. This thawing method will take 30 minutes per pound. Once it’s completely thawed, roast it immediately.

Getting the Turkey Ready for the Oven

Once your turkey is all defrosted, it is ready to prep and go in the oven to roast. What do I mean by ‘prep the turkey’? This simply means taking a few small steps to ensure a crispy, golden roasted turkey. Here’s what to do:

remove the giblets and neck from the cavity
blot the entire exterior of the turkey with paper towels to dry it completely
brush the entire turkey with softened or melted butter and sprinkle generously with salt (the exterior and interior)
tie the legs together with kitchen twine (unflavored dental floss works in a pinch)
tuck the wings back behind the bottom of the turkey (so it sort of looks like the turkey is sunbathing)

How Long to Roast a Turkey

So there are all sorts of oven temperatures and roasting instructions floating out in the ether online when it comes to turkey roasting. Here’s how I do it and it seems pretty fail proof: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Once your turkey is prepped and ready to go, stick that pretty bird inside your preheated oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Roast your turkey until the breast reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the thigh is 175 degrees F, about 12-13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. Start checking for doneness thirty minutes before it is estimated to be done with an instant read meat thermometer (this is the one I have and works great! Under $20.)

For a stuffed turkey, you can estimate 15 minutes per pound.

My Turkey Isn’t Browning/My Turkey Is Getting Too Brown!

Where you place your turkey in the oven matters. Your turkey will brown quicker if its on a higher rack. If its on a lower rack, it will brown slower. If you notice your turkey has browned really nicely but still isn’t cooked, simply cover with foil, lower it down in the oven and keep roasting until it reaches the proper internal temperature. That meat thermometer is key for roasting a juicy bird.

Do I Have to Baste my Turkey?

In my opinion, no, you absolutely do not have to baste your bird. Is it a nice thing to do and is pretty traditional as far as Thanksgiving goes. Does it help promote browning? Sure! But since we covered the entire turkey with butter, it should remain juicy and promote some seriously crispy skin.

How to Keep Your Turkey Juicy

Many people will tell you that you need to brine your bird or incorporate some kind of rub or seasoning to promote a juicy turkey. Some even say fresh is king and frozen birds are the problem. I don’t believe any of it. A fresh bird is plenty juicy. So is a frozen one! If you happen to have a frozen turkey, read the label. Odds are you’ll see that it says “contains up to 8% of a solution of water, salt, spices and natural flavor for tenderness and juiciness.” This basically means that if you defrost your bird in the fridge for a few days, it will be sitting in this solution…therefore brining itself before you roast it. The work has already been done.

All you have to do now is roast it until it hits the proper temperatures without going past too far, and you’re there! Roasted turkey heaven. Once you get that turkey out of the oven, tent it with foil to let it rest 15-20 minutes and then slice and serve.

A Small Note About Brines

Some people don’t like the ingredients or the “natural flavors” in the solution that come in a frozen turkey and choose to brine a fresh bird. To each their own! Good for you if this is what you choose to do. Some people will brine their frozen bird to impart more flavors THEY like. Again, you do you, boo.

If you’re a beginner or don’t want to have to deal with brines or just simply don’t know where to begin, just know that skipping a brine or a special rub is aok, and you’ll still have a great turkey.

Adding Flavor

Of course if you wanted to add some sort of flavor to your turkey, feel free to add those flavors to your butter that you will spread all over your turkey. Delicious options include:

fresh sage or thyme
lemon or orange zest
garlic
marjoram

For an extra oomph of flavor (and moisture), feel free to fill your turkey cavity with any of the following: onion, garlic, celery, apples, lemon slices, orange wedges, fresh sage and thyme.

Traditional Thanksgiving Sides

If you are going for a traditional Thanksgiving table, all of these recipes are perfect! Click here to browse my full catalogue of Thanksgiving Recipes. Here are some of the classics you won’t want to miss:

Cornbread Sausage Dressing
Perfect Scalloped Potatoes or Funeral Potatoes…both are extremely popular on my site around the holidays
Mashed Potatoes or Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole (with bacon!!)
No-Knead Crescent Rolls– includes make ahead directions
Cranberry Sauce
Pumpkin Pie or Sweet Potato Pie
Pecan Pie

Quick Turkey Roasting FAQ’s

How long do I roast a turkey?

Roast your turkey until the breast reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the thigh is 175 degrees F, about 12-13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey, 15 minutes for a stuffed turkey.

How do I defrost a turkey?

Refrigerator thawing will take 24 hours per every 4 pounds of turkey. After the turkey is thawed, it can stay in the fridge for another 4 days.
Forget to defrost your turkey? Use the cold water method: stick your frozen turkey in a clean kitchen sink {still in its packaging} and cover with cold water, breast side down. This thawing method will take 30 minutes per pound.

Do I have to brine my turkey?

Nope! You absolutely do not need to brine a turkey to have a good finished product. Just an instant read thermometer to ensure you aren’t under (or over) baking.

What temperature should I cook a turkey at?

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Once your turkey goes into the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast your turkey at this temperature until the breast reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the thigh is 175 degrees F, 12-13 minutes per pound of (unstuffed) turkey.

How do I keep my turkey juicy?

Basting *can* help, but rubbing the exterior in butter before roasting and then using your meat thermometer to ensure your bird does not over bake is key.

Do I have to baste my turkey?

Basting is certainly a nice, traditional, Thankgivingy thing to do, but isn’t necessary. You’ll still end up with a lovely deep golden brown turkey just by rubbing with butter.

Should I get a frozen turkey or a fresh turkey? Which is best?

You do you, boo. Whatever you prefer! None is supreme over the other. At the end of the day, it’s all turkey.

How do I know when my turkey is done?

When the breast reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the thigh is 175 degrees F.

So, there you have it! Super simple directions for the easiest roast turkey everrrr. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends!

Perfect Roast Turkey

Get perfectly Roasted Turkey every time with my simple how to roast a turkey guide! Thanksgiving food coma, here we come.

Ingredients

▢ 14 pound turkey
▢ 1/4 cup salted butter
▢ Kosher salt to taste (+ pepper, if desired)

Instructions

Thaw your turkey according to how much it weighs. Dry with paper towels and don’t forget to pull out all the giblets and innards.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Once your turkey is dry, rub it with softened or melted butter. Sprinkle interior and exterior of turkey generously with salt (and pepper, if desired). Fold the wings back and under the bird (like its sunbathing) and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Set on roasting rack in roasting pan.
Place your turkey into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. My turkey was 14 pounds, so it took about 3 hours. Start checking for doneness when the bird is looking golden brown OR 30 minutes before it is estimated to be finished, whichever comes first.
Turkey is done when the breast reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the thigh is 175 degrees F.
Take your turkey out, tent with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve. (I recommend making this Amazing Turkey Gravy as a great accompaniment.)

Nutrition

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Thanksgiving

Keyword: How to Roast a Turkey, Roast Turkey, Roast Turkey Breast, Thanksgiving Turkey

How long does a 14 lb turkey take to cook at 325?

If your turkey weighs 12 to 14 pounds, roast it at: 350°F for 2¾ to 3 hours. 325°F for 3 to 3¾ hours.

Do you cook a 14 lb turkey at 325 or 350?

turkey (weight with giblets): Bake in a 350° oven for 1 1/2-2 1/4 hr. For a 14-23 lb. turkey (weight with giblets): Bake in a 325° oven for 2-3 hr.

Is it better to cook a turkey at 325 or 350?

Roast the turkey uncovered at a temperature ranging from 325°F to 350°F. Higher temperatures may cause the meat to dry out, but this is preferable to temperatures that are too low which may not allow the interior of the turkey to cook to a safe temperature.