How to cook a bacon wrapped turkey

Chef notes

As if Thanksgiving couldn't get any more decadent, this show-stopping bacon-wrapped turkey is the ultimate indulgence. The bacon blanket is not only impressive to look at, but it adds a deep, rich flavor and keeps the turkey incredibly moist. (It makes the gravy pretty tasty too!)

Table of Contents Show

Preparation
Moist and SO Flavourful!
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Cooking Tips
Bake the Stuffing Separately
What About the Gravy?
More Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
Post navigation
How long do you cook a turkey wrapped in foil?
How long does a turkey roll take to bake?
Do you cook a stuffed turkey covered or uncovered?
Should a turkey be wrapped in foil to bake?

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350° and arrange the shelf nearest the bottom.

Grace Parisi

Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Arrange half of the bacon in strips, side to side to form a square. To form a lattice, working from the left side of the square, fold back every other strip of bacon the width of a slice. Lay a new slice of bacon over the unfolded strips and return the folded bacon to the original position.

Grace Parisi

Continue weaving the remaining bacon in the same manner, until you have a woven square. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes, until the bacon is firm.

Grace Parisi

Place the turkey on a cutting board and tie the legs together.

Grace Parisi

Remove the bacon from the freezer and working quickly, carefully lift it from the parchment. Arrange the bacon square so that the 4 corners are at the neck, the cavity and both wings. Tuck the bacon around the bird, covering the breast and legs. Season with pepper.

Grace Parisi

Place the turkey onto a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and scatter the vegetables, neck and giblets all around. Add 3 cups of water to the pan. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and roast for 1 ½ hours, adding water to keep the vegetables moist. Remove the foil and roast until in instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165°, about 1 ½ hours longer.

Carefully transfer the turkey to a cutting board while you make the gravy. Strain the pan juices into a heat-proof cup and spoon 4 tablespoons of the fat into a large saucepan. Discard the remaining fat. Whisk the flour into the fat and cook over moderately high heat until bubbling and nutty, about 4 minutes. Add the turkey stock and defatted pan juices and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

Grace Parisi is a New York City-based food writer, cookbook author and food stylist. Her book, Get Saucy, was nominated for a James Beard award. Her latest book, Quick Pickles comes out in Spring 2016. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

With the addition of the bacon while roasting, this Bacon Wrapped Roast Turkey comes out moist and so delicious! Makes a great gravy too! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinner.

This is one of my most favourite turkey recipes. Over the last several years we have been brining our turkeys, and while we do love them prepared this way, we have a new favourite…Bacon Wrapped Roast Turkey. This recipe includes roasting times for small (approx 7.5 lbs) and large turkeys (approx 12 – 14 lbs).

Moist and SO Flavourful!

Yes. A turkey that has been wrapped in, and roasted in bacon comes out so moist and delicious. I can’t even begin to tell you. I’m not sure we’ll ever cook a turkey another way ever again. I think it even tastes better than a turkey that has been brined, and it’s sure a heck of a lot easier. So if you’re cooking a turkey this coming holiday, consider wrapping it in bacon! Because bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Cooking Tips

And don’t be afraid to cook a turkey, because it’s not as hard as you might think! True story. It’s really just as simple as putting a turkey in a pan, adding some spices, covering it in bacon and putting it the oven. Dinner is done. Actually, the turkey is the easiest part of the turkey dinner…it’s the side dishes that are all the work!

Bake the stuffing separately.
You can make gravy with the pan drippings.
See below for roasting times for both small and larger turkeys.

Bake the Stuffing Separately

Speaking of side dishes, I don’t stuff this turkey with stuffing. Gasp. I know right? But honestly, I like to bake my stuffing separately. I just find that the stuffing comes out less mushy, and with the bacon in this turkey recipe, I would be afraid the stuffing would be too greasy. And I should mention that a turkey that is not filled with stuffing cooks much much faster than one that is. That’s good to know so you don’t over cook your bird.

What About the Gravy?

Oh, which reminds me, we need to talk about the gravy…yes you can make gravy from the dripping of this bacon roasted turkey. We’ve made the gravy with the drippings from this turkey recipe every time, and it always comes out delicious. It has a slight bacon flavour, and it’s rich and you’ll want to slather it all over your mashed potatoes.

This turkey comes out moist and so delicious with the addition of the bacon while roasting. This recipe does not account for any stuffing added to the turkey. I bake my stuffing separately.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Turkey
Method: Roasting

Option #1: A Small Turkey

1 – 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 lb turkey (approx 4 – 5 servings)
1 package of bacon (you might need 2 depending on the size of the turkey)
pepper
sage and thyme (optional)
tin foil

Option #2: A Large Turkey

1 – 12 to 14 lb turkey (approx 8 servings)
2 packages of bacon
pepper
sage and thyme (optional)
tin foil

Option #1: A Small Turkey (approx 4 – 5 servings)

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. Yes, you read that right, and don’t worry, you’ll see.
Prepare your turkey (rinse it if you like), pat dry and place in a roasting pan. Make sure the skin from the neck of the turkey fully covers the cavity of the turkey, and that the legs and wings are tucked in.
Sprinkle the turkey with ground pepper and any spices that you would like. (you don’t need to add salt because the bacon is salty enough)
Cover the turkey with the slices of bacon, making sure it is fully covered.
Then wrap the turkey tightly in tin foil.
Place the turkey into the oven and immediately TURN DOWN the heat to 350 degrees F.
Roast for 35 – 40 minutes per 2 lbs, so a turkey of this size will need to roast for approximately to 2 and a 1/2 hours.
But after about 1 and a 1/2 hours of roasting time, remove the tin foil from the turkey, and continue baking.
The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 – 170 degrees F.
When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven, cover it in fresh tin foil and let rest about 15 minutes, or long enough to get the rest of your dinner together.

Option #2: A Large Turkey (approx 8 servings)

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F.
Prepare your turkey (rinse it if you like), pat dry and place in a roasting pan. Make sure the skin from the neck of the turkey fully covers the cavity of the turkey, and that the legs and wings are tucked in.
Sprinkle the turkey with ground pepper and any spices that you would like. (you don’t need to add salt because the bacon is salty enough)
Cover the turkey with the slices of bacon, making sure it is fully covered.
Then wrap the turkey tightly in tin foil.
Place the turkey into the oven and immediately TURN DOWN the heat to 350 degrees F.
Roast for 35 – 40 minutes per 2 lbs, so a turkey of this size will need to roast for approximately to 3 and a 1/2 hours.
But after about 2 and a 1/2 hours of roasting time, remove the tin foil from the turkey, and continue baking.
The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 – 170 degrees F.
When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven, cover it in fresh tin foil and let rest about 15 minutes, or long enough to get the rest of your dinner together.

Keywords: bacon wrapped turkey, roast turkey, turkey

Recipe adapted from this Jamie Oliver recipe.– – –

Anyway, I hope you try this recipe and love it!

More Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

Need some recipe ideas for a complete turkey dinner? I’ve got you covered! Visit here for everything from breakfast ideas, to appetizers, salads, side dishes, desserts and the main dish!

PIN IT to make later!

Have a delicious day!

How long do you cook a turkey wrapped in foil?

Foil Wrapped Roasted Turkey.

Prep Time. 15 m..

Servings. ... .

Cook Time. 2 - 6 hours..

Course. Main Dish..

How long does a turkey roll take to bake?

Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roll reads 155°F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes. The turkey will rise in temperature as it rests to 165°F. Snip and discard the kitchen twine.

Do you cook a stuffed turkey covered or uncovered?

A 10-pound turkey should hold about 7 cups of stuffing. Q: Should I roast the bird covered or uncovered? A: The Butterball folks recommend cooking the turkey uncovered in a roasting pan. Two-thirds of the way through cooking, Butterball says foil can be placed over the breast area to prevent it from drying out.

Should a turkey be wrapped in foil to bake?

Covering the bird with foil mimics what a roaster lid would do — it traps steam and moistness so the turkey doesn't dry out — all the while allowing the skin to crisp up.