Introduction
I love Thanksgiving. I love the turkey, I love the stuffing, and I love the mashed potatoes. But there’s one thing that ruins everything: overcooked turkey. After years of dealing with dry and flavorless turkeys, I decided to take matters into my own hands by learning how long to cook a 15 lb turkey. Now this recipe allows me to cook a succulent turkey every year without any worry about undercooked meat or dried out skin—and best of all it only takes 20 minutes of active cooking time!
15 lb turkey
You can cook a 15 lb turkey in about 3 hours at 350 degrees F. For a 15-pound bird, the recommended roasting time is 1 hour per pound. To ensure that your turkey is cooked through, it’s important to rest it after coming out of the oven so that all those juices have time to redistribute throughout the meat before you carve it up and serve it up with all sorts of delicious sides!
20 minutes per pound
The 20-minute per pound rule is a good way to estimate the cooking time for a turkey. This means that if you have a 15-pound turkey, it should be cooked for 3 hours and 15 minutes (a total of 180 minutes).
The main reason why this works is because it takes about an hour for every 10 pounds of meat to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). Once that happens, your bird is safe to eat!
How long to cook your 15 lb turkey?
The best way to determine how long you’ll need to cook your turkey is by using a meat thermometer and following these guidelines:
- 20 minutes per pound (for example, if your turkey weighs 15 pounds, it will need 300 minutes or 5 hours)
- When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, it’s done!
You should also note that there are other factors that can affect cooking time such as whether or not you brine your bird. A brined turkey will take less time than an unbrined one because of its increased moisture content.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand how long it takes to cook your 15 lb turkey. If you have any questions about the process or want more tips, feel free to reach out!
