Need help with your Texas Thanksgiving turkey dinner? Help is just a phone call away
Cooking a whole turkey can be daunting.
Some wait until Thanksgiving Day to prepare the meal. This can be overwhelming, but it’s not as hard as you think.
It’s easy enough that someone can instruct you how to cook a whole turkey over the phone. This is why Butterball Turkey offers a Turkey Talk-Line, where confused cooks can call for help.
Butterball has been doing this for almost 60 years now. In 1981, they first received over 11,000 calls about cooking their turkeys. Now, they keep their line open for the holiday months, November through December, answering 100,000 questions every year.
Though everyone hopes for a seamless turkey roast, you may need some help along the way.
Prepare yourself with these turkey roasting tips from Butterball Turkey.
How to call Butterball Turkey’s hotline
The Butterball Turkey hotline has 50 experts who are there to answer any questions you may have.
The number operates at 800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372), or you can text 844-877-3456 to chat with the turkey experts.
How to choose the right turkey
Depending on your preference, you can choose a fresh or frozen turkey. Fresh turkeys can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Frozen turkeys can be bought anytime prior but may need a few days to thaw.
But really, the most important thing to consider is the size of your bird. You want to ensure you can feed your whole table.
Butterball has a turkey calculator that allows you to fill out the number of adults and children, whether you want leftovers, and whether you are a light or heavy eater to estimate the size of bird you should purchase.
Butterball estimates a four- to five-pound turkey for a family of four (two adults, two children).
How to prepare a turkey from start to finish
Butterball provides these tips on preparing your turkey, from thawing it to stuffing it in the oven.
For every four pounds of turkey, one day of thawing.
Breast side up, in wrapper, on a tray in the refrigerator.
For water thawing, turkey breast side down in a bath of water completely submerged.
For every pound of turkey, 30 minutes in the water.
Use turkey within four days of thawing.
Use stuffings, veggies, herbs, citrus, or cooked ingredients to stuff your turkey.
Only stuff right before cooking (doing it the night before could create a food-borne illness).
Use ½ to ¾ cups of stuffing per pound of turkey, stuffing the whole cavity of the turkey.
Stuffing should be 165 degrees when finished.
Marinating, basting, and injecting your turkey
Brine: The night before roasting, pat the turkey dry and mix the brine. Add the brine to the turkey, submerging it completely. After the allotted time, rinse and pat the turkey dry to cook.
Inject: For every five pounds of turkey, inject half an ounce of marinade into each turkey thigh and side of the breast.
Marinate: Use a fourth cup to a half cup of marinade for every one to two pounds of meat. Marinate for two to eight hours in the refrigerator.