Turkey - does it need to sit out?

[Obessed]

Does a turkey need to sit out/be brought to room temp before cooking? If yes, how long? Thanks in advance!

[Will Owen]

I let my 10.3 lb spatchcocked bird sit out for not quite two hours. That was not sufficient - the breast tested done in under 1 1/2 hours, but the thighs were bloody, Next year the bird comes out at noon as they did back when I was roasting them whole. We used the microwave to finish the bloody pieces, so it wasn't a total loss, but the taste suffered. Can't let that happen again.

[c oliver]

That's a definitive lesson in my book, WO. Happy TD weekend. Need to fix "your" pork shoulder soon :)

[Will Owen]

After all this, so do I!

After feeding six people with a 10+ lb. turkey plus two big thighs, there's just enough dark meat left for a small batch of mole, and enough breast for a week's worth of sandwiches! So now y'all know why I got the extra thighs … Anyway, I am SO ready to cook something different!

[DHall001]

If it's not frozen - no need to let it sit out. Just use a thermometer in the deepest part of the thigh and wait for 165F. Then let it sit under AL foil for 30min out of the oven. It will be great!
17lbs should take ~2hrs.

[greygarious]

You may not know how cold the deepest section of the breast meat is. It could be partially frozen while the meat you can feel is thawed. Hence the advisability of letting it sit at room temp or rinsing the cavity. It is not helpful to suggest cooking time when you don't specify oven temp.

[c oliver]

I completely believe what you say. I've been surprised more than once when the inside wasn't completely thawed. I also never cook so many minutes per pound. My meat thermometer is my most indispensable kitchen tool when cooking meats.

[Cathy]

7 minutes per pound? At what temperature?

[fourunder]

perhaps at 1000* .......

[ZenSojourner]

Yipes, I have never let the turkey sit out, since the bad old days when we thought that was how to thaw it!

I thaw it in fridge and it's out just long enough to rinse, stuff, stick in the pan and get in the oven.

[jaykayen]

Eh, an hour or so, two hours.

[MartiniGenie]

That's how long my 17lb bird was on the counter. I agree!

[greygarious]

Yes, it should sit out but more important is a rinse if the cavity seems at all icy. Counter time is also a function of size so that part of your question is impossible to answer.

[Obessed]

Thank you so much for the quick responses! It's 17 lbs.

[JerryMe]

I don't bring mine to room temp but it's usually out of the frig about a 1/2 hour before cooking. I rinse, pat dry and get it in the roaster.