How Long to Cook 25 Lb Turkey

Introduction

If you’re planning a Thanksgiving feast, one of the first things on your mind should be how long to cook your turkey. This can be confusing because there are so many different methods and recipes for cooking a 25 lb turkey. In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of cooking a big bird like this and give you some helpful tips along the way!

25 lb turkey is a huge turkey.

It’s a lot of meat. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of money and time, too–it takes about 15 hours to cook this monster bird, so you’re going to want to start early in the day or late in the afternoon if you want your guests to eat at any reasonable hour. And don’t forget that you’ll need plenty of other dishes on hand as well: sides like mashed potatoes and gravy are essential alongside roast turkey!

25 lb turkeys aren’t often seen around Thanksgiving tables anymore; most people prefer smaller birds now because they’re easier for home cooks (and less expensive). But if you want something truly special for your holiday meal this year–or just want bragging rights over everyone else who cooked regular-sized turkeys–then go ahead with this large bird from Butterball Farms!

There are several ways to cook a 25 lb turkey.

how-long-to-cook-25-lb-turkey

There are several ways to cook a 25 lb turkey.

If you prefer to smoke your bird, place it on the smoker and let it cook for 2-3 hours at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’d like to roast your turkey, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for about 3 hours or until done (165 degrees internal temperature). For baking or grilling, use aluminum foil as well as an oven mitt when picking up the roasting pan because it will be very hot! Do not forget about safety precautions when cooking such large amounts of food–make sure that there’s enough space in between each piece so as not to overcrowd them while cooking time passes by quickly without anyone noticing anything amiss until after dinner has been served up onto plates ready for consumption!

First thing to decide – do you want to roast or smoke your turkey?

First things first: do you want to roast or smoke your turkey?

Roasting is easier and faster, but smoking is more difficult and takes longer. Roasting can be a little more forgiving if something goes wrong, while smoking takes more care and attention to get right.

Next, decide if you want to dry brine your bird or not.

Dry brining is a technique that involves adding salt to the turkey and letting it sit in the refrigerator for several hours or even days before roasting it. This can help add flavor to your bird, but more importantly, it also helps retain moisture and prevent dryness during cooking. If you have time and space in your refrigerator (or an extra freezer), dry-brining is definitely worth considering!

Once you have decided on dry brining or non-dry brining, then pick out your method of roasting or smoking.

Roasting and smoking are the two most popular ways of cooking turkey.

If you want to dry brine your turkey, then there are a few things that you need to consider before choosing which method of roasting or smoking is best for you.

First, do some research on how long it takes different turkeys to cook based on their weight. This will help ensure that your bird is fully cooked when it comes time for dinner! Second, consider where you plan on roasting or smoking your bird–if space is limited in your kitchen or outdoors area (or both), then maybe an electric smoker isn’t going to work well for this recipe because of its large size and power consumption requirements.

After these decisions, it’s just a matter of time.

The next step is to determine how long you’ll need to cook your turkey. This will depend on its weight, so it’s helpful to know how much time you’ll need before buying your bird.

The USDA recommends cooking a whole turkey (a 25-pounder, in this case) at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes per pound of meat–or about 5 hours total. So if you want more precise numbers, here are some other tidbits:

  • 1 hour = 4 pounds
  • 1 hour 15 minutes = 6 1/2 pounds
  • 2 hours = 8 pounds

25 lb turkeys take a lot longer than most people think they will

When you’re cooking a 25 lb turkey, it’s important to remember that it takes longer than most people think. If you’re roasting your turkey in the oven, it’ll take about 3 hours per pound–so if you have a 25 lb bird on the table, that means it’ll need at least 75 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C). However, if you want an easier method of cooking that doesn’t require turning on any ovens or stoves at all? You can always smoke-roast your bird over indirect heat! If done correctly with indirect heat from charcoal and wood chips or chunks every 30 minutes or so during cooking time (you don’t want them catching fire), this method will yield juicy meat with crispy skin every single time… plus there are no worries about overcooking because everything is happening slowly over indirect heat rather than directly under high temperatures like those found inside an oven set at 350 F degrees!

Conclusion

If you’re looking to cook a 25 lb turkey, hopefully this article has given you some ideas on how long it will take and what methods are best for your needs. If all else fails, just remember that the most important thing is to enjoy yourself!

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