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Why? Letting the bird rest gives its juices time to settle and be reabsorbed. Carving it too soon will allow the moisture to escape, leaving you with parched meat and a puddle on the cutting board. The turkey can rest for up to 90 minutes and still be hot when it’s time to carve—which means you’ve got plenty of time to make the gravy.
Note: Don’t cover the turkey with aluminum foil while it rests. Doing so will cause the skin to go limp.
How to cook a heritage turkey:
With longer thighs and drumsticks, a leaner breast, and a more diminutive size compared to a standard supermarket turkey, heritage turkeys look, taste, and cook differently than your average Thanksgiving fowl. Heritage birds typically weigh no more than 16 pounds. If you plan on serving a larger crowd, you might want to roast two birds side by side. The bonus is that smaller birds cook more quickly than their fleshy cousins, so you don’t need to rise at dawn if you like to eat Thanksgiving meal at noon.
Because they tend to have a more active lifestyle, heritage turkeys require a different roasting method to prevent toughness. Roasting the bird slowly, at a lower temperature, is the best way to achieve tender meat.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Prep a 12–14-lb. turkey with softened butter, salt, and pepper, as described above (or dry-brine it) and roast for 3½–4 hours.
- Monitor the internal temperature. Your turkey is done when it hits 165°F.
Note: Due to the nature of some heritage breeds, their flesh and bones may retain a pinkish hue even after being fully cooked. As long as the bird has reached the specified temperature on a reliable meat thermometer, you don’t need to worry.
How to cook a frozen turkey:
So it’s noon on Thanksgiving day, and you suddenly realize you’ve forgotten to thaw the turkey. Take a deep, calming breath. Trust that you’ll get it done, but cooking that turkey will likely take longer than originally planned.
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