Introduction

A 20 lb turkey is a large bird, so it’s no surprise that cooking it can take some time. If you’re wondering how long to cook your turkey, I’ve got you covered! Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to cook the perfect 20 lb turkey at home.

A 20 lb turkey needs to be cooked for 3 hours and 30 minutes.

A 20 lb turkey will take 3 hours and 30 minutes to cook. If you’re using a meat thermometer, check the temperature of your stuffing after 2 hours. It should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside the stuffing. If it isn’t, keep cooking until it reaches this point (but don’t overdo it!).

The exact cooking time depends on several factors: whether or not you use an electric roaster; if your oven is gas or electric; if you use foil or not; how much fat there is on your bird; whether or not there are other foods in there with it (like vegetables).

To make sure your turkey is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the stuffing.

To make sure your turkey is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the stuffing. For a 20 lb turkey, you will need to cook it for 3 hours and 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

Always make sure that your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.

Always make sure that your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving. This is the temperature at which bacteria are killed, so if you don’t reach this temperature, you risk food poisoning. If you cook your turkey to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it will be safe to eat and ready to serve!

The exact amount of time needed to cook a turkey depends on several factors such as the size of the turkey and how much it weighs.

The exact amount of time needed to cook a turkey depends on several factors, including the size of the turkey and how much it weighs. The thickness of its skin also plays a role in determining how long it will take for your bird to cook through.

The easiest way to find out how long you should cook your 20-pounder is by using an instant-read thermometer or by cutting into one of its thighs (but not too deep). If there’s no liquid inside when you poke at one of those thighs with a knife, then your bird is ready!

For example, a large frozen 20-pound turkey will take longer to cook than a smaller one.

For example, a large frozen 20-pound turkey will take longer to cook than a smaller one. The reason for this is that the larger bird has more surface area and therefore more water, which takes longer to heat up and evaporate.

It also takes longer to cook a stuffed bird than an unstuffed one because there is more mass inside with stuffing than without it.

It also takes longer to cook a stuffed bird than an unstuffed one because there is more mass inside with stuffing than without it. The stuffing absorbs heat from the oven and cooks faster than the meat, so if you’re cooking a stuffed turkey, expect your cook time to be about 30 minutes longer than for an unstuffed bird. If you’re using vegetables in place of breadcrumbs or flour as part of your stuffing mix (which we recommend), keep in mind that these will take even longer than plain breadcrumbs or flour would have done because they are denser and absorb water more slowly when cooked

Cooking time can vary widely based on how thick your bird is and how hot your oven is

The amount of time your turkey needs to cook depends on two things: the size of your bird and how hot your oven is set. A 20 lb turkey will take longer to cook than a 10 lb one, and if you’re cooking at a high temperature (i.e., 500F or above), then it will also take longer.

If you want to know exactly how long it takes for your turkey to be done in an instant-read thermometer inserted into its thickest part reads 165F for white meat and 180F for dark meat — multiply that number by three minutes per pound plus 15 minutes per pound if roasting unstuffed and 20 minutes per pound if stuffed.*

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you better understand how to cook a 20 lb turkey. We know it can be a little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature!