Roast Turkey from Frozen

"When preparing a Turkey dinner I need my fridge for all the goodies that will go along with the bird. Having a giant bird thawing in the fridge for 2 or more days is most annoying. Now I cook my turkeys from frozen. Problem solved."

Recipe By     :Ellen M. Ennis Davis
Serving Size  : 10    Preparation Time :0:00
 
Cuisine: Protein Entrees
Source: Pooka's what's for Dinner: Gluten Free with Attitude
Categories    : Corn Free, Dairy Free, Egg free, Gluten Free, Heart Healthy, Poultry, Roasting, Turkey

The advantages of cooking a Turkey from frozen are

a) it takes very little work; it is very safe no food born bacteria dripping all over the kitchen contaminating all of the side dishes  

b)  the breast meat stays moister as the heat takes longer to penetrate denser area of the breast meat

c) my number 1 reason is I don’t have to give up a large portion of my precious refrigerator space for 2 to 4 days waiting for the bird to thaw. 

When buying a turkey you should allow for about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs per person.

For estimating the time for cooking a turkey from frozen you will multiply the time of cooking a fresh bird by 1 1/2.

For example, a fresh 12 pound bird would take approximately 3hrs so a bird from frozen would take 4hrs. These cooking times are only estimates the bird is cooked when the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 160°F and the thigh meat is 170°F.

Fresh -8 to 12 pounds          - 2 hrs 45 min to 3 hours
from frozen+                          - 1 hr 22 min to 1 hr 30 min

from frozen estimate              - 4 hrs7 min to 4 hrs 30 min

Fresh -12 to 14 pounds         - 3 hrs   to 3 hrs 45 min
from frozen+                          - 1 hr 30 min to  1 hr 53 min
from frozen estimate              - 4 hrs 30 min to 5 hrs 18 min

Fresh -14 to 18 pounds        - 3 hr 45min  to 4 hrs 15 min
from frozen+                          - 1 hr 53 min to 2 hrs  8 min
from frozen estimate              - 5 hrs 18 min to 6 hrs 23 min

Fresh -18 to 20 pounds        - 4 hrs 15 to 4- hrs 15 min
from frozen+                          - 2 hrs 8min  to 2 hrs 15 min
from frozen estimate              - 6 hrs 23 min to 6 hrs 30 min

Fresh -20 to 24 pounds        - 4 hrs 15 min to 5 hours
from frozen+                          - 2 hr 15 min    to  2 hrs 30 min
from frozen estimate              - 6  hrs 30 min to 7 hrs 30 min

Fresh -24 to 30 pounds        - 5 hrs to 5 hrs 30 min

from frozen+                          - 2 hrs 30 min to 2 hrs 45 min

from frozen estimate              - 7 hrs 30 min to 8 hrs 15 min

Keep your turkey in the freezer until the day you are ready to cook it. This is the big advantage. There will be no need to thaw this turkey for days in advance.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Take the frozen bird, remove the plastic wrapping, and place in a roasting pan and directly into preheated oven. Do not attempt to season your bird at this time as it will all just fall off the frozen surface.

After 2 hours remove the giblets and neck from the turkey. (usually packaged in paper or plastic, in the neck and body cavity) (if you can’t remove the package at this time try again in 30 minutes.) Pour 1 cup of water over bird so the seasoning will stick and season your bird at this time and  insert your meat thermometer in the breast (if you cannot do it try again in 30 or even 60 minutes later)

.

Remove Giblet bag from neck cavity

add 1 cup water over bird and season

insert meat thermometer

Monitor the temperature of the bird; the turkey is done when the thickest part of the thigh registers 170°F. and the breast registers 160°F. Cooking the turkey from the frozen, the larger mass of breast meat will thaw and cook more slowly. At the same time, the lesser mass of thigh and leg meat will thaw and cook more quickly. This roasting dynamic allows the breast to register only 160°F, maintaining its moisture, while the deepest part of the thigh reaches a temperature of 170°F.

Remove the turkey from the oven, loosely cover with aluminum foil, and let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving to allow juices to reabsorb into meat. Carve, serve and enjoy.

Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes with
Watercress and Green Onions, gravy and Vegetables

Note: If you don’t have a meat thermometer try testing the old traditional way. (this is not fool proof so be prepared to have to return to oven) When a turkey is done the leg should moved easily in its socket and juices ran clear when the inner thigh was pricked with a fork or knife at its thickest part. This method is not fool proof and if you find that you are getting pink meat close to the leg joint while carving cover with foil and return to the oven for another 30 min to an hour until you have no more trace of pink.

Per Serving : 574 Calories; 29g Fat (46.9% calories from fat); 73g Protein; 0g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 244mg Cholesterol; 233mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 10 Lean Meat.