No More Dry Turkey
posted on
October 3, 2025
Did you know…
Pasture-raised turkeys forage for about 40% of their diet from the pasture? I love going out to the turkey’s paddock and watching them scour the pasture, literally eating blades of grass like spaghetti.
This reality about turkeys means that pasture-raised turkeys are one of the most nutrient-dense poultry options. They metabolize all the minerals and vitamins from the pasture and turn it into a form that we humans are able to digest and absorb.
The bonus? Pasture-raised turkeys are rich, flavorful, moist and tender. Even the breast meat is juicy and full of flavor (I’ve had people look at packages of our turkey breasts in the store and think they are dark meat because they are colored so richly!). No more dry, tasteless Thanksgiving turkeys!
So this week, we’ll be sharing a very easy way to roast a Thanksgiving turkey plus an example timeline to help you as you plan your holiday!
What you’ll need:
1 turkey (brined or not brined)
Salt
Seasonings of your choice (optional)
Onions, carrots, and celery cut into large chunks (optional)
Roasting pan
4 Tbsp. butter
Meat thermometer
For a quick run-down on the steps, from frozen to roast:
- TUESDAY: pulled turkey out of the freezer to thaw
- WEDNESDAY: thawed turkey the rest of the way in cold water (you can use a five gallon bucket or a small cooler)
- THURSDAY: brined the turkey
- FRIDAY:
- 8:00am -- Pulled the turkey from the fridge, drained the brine juices, placed into roasting pan
- 8:15am -- Let the turkey sit out for half hour to let it dry off a bit, set oven to 325F
- 8:30am -- Melted the butter in a saucepan, brushed the butter onto the turkey skin, and sprinkled salt and/or seasonings on the turkey and inside its cavity
- 9:00am -- Popped the turkey into the preheated oven
- 9:30am, 10:00am, 10:30am, 11:00am -- Basted turkey with juices
- 11:30am -- Stuck thermometer into breast and leg to ensure it was at 165F, removed the turkey from the oven, and let it cool
- 12:15pm -- We ate the turkey
- Put your turkey into a roasting pan and pat it dry with paper towels. This step helps dry everything off so you get a nice, crispy skin. Let it sit for about a half hour to let it dry off a bit.
- While the turkey is drying, set your oven to 325F. Melt the butter, then use a pastry brush to coat the skin with it. This will help your turkey develop that nice, golden tone as it roasts (plus it tastes really good!) Sprinkle any seasonings your heart desires all over the turkey and inside the cavity. I like to use salt, garlic and onion powder, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Note: if you brined the turkey, you will want to go easy on sprinkling any salt on the turkey, possibly even skip it. The turkey will already have absorbed the saltiness from the brine, so you won’t need much!
- Place any herbs or veggies (carrots, onions, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme, etc.) inside the cavity, then put into the oven.
- While the turkey is roasting, use your pastry brush to baste the turkey skin about every half hour or so. Otherwise, you are free to work on your other dinner prep!
- A rule of thumb is to roast for about 8 minutes per lb. But always use a thermometer! Sometimes the turkey will cook faster or slower, so go by the temperature of the meat rather than time. You’ll want both the breast and leg to reach 165F. You may find your breast meat reaches 165 before the leg - you can carve off the legs and leave in the oven to keep roasting without overcooking the rest of your turkey.
- Once it is finished cooking, take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving. This helps all the juices to redistribute through the meat rather than spilling out once you cut it open.
- Reserve your drippings from the turkey to make a delicious, rich gravy (recipe coming soon on the blog!).
- Enjoy a flavorful, moist, and nutritious turkey!
Want to try this out for yourself? Grab one of our pasture-raised turkeys HERE for the best Thanksgiving turkey you’ve ever had!
Cheers to you and your health!
~Bethany
