How Long to Cook a Turkey in Oven March 2023 El Reno Ok

Table of Contents

Introduction

If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, your turkey can be the star of the show—or it can be an overcooked mess. If you want to serve up tender, juicy meat with golden-brown skin and delicious stuffing that’s not dried out, here’s how to cook a turkey in your oven.

Estimate the weight of your turkey.

The weight of your turkey will determine how long it takes to cook in the oven. To estimate the weight of your turkey, multiply its length by its girth (girth is the distance around your turkey). For example, if you have a 12-pound bird with a 22-inch circumference, then its estimated weight is 264 pounds (12 x 22).

If you don’t want to measure out each individual piece of meat on your dinner table and do math while trying to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family members around you who most likely aren’t interested in helping out anyway–and let’s face it: we’ve all been there–there are charts available online that can help determine cooking time based on size and weight. Just check out this handy chart from How Long Should I Bake My Turkey?

Prepare everything you will need before you start cooking the turkey.

Prepare everything you will need before you start cooking the turkey.
You’ll need a roasting pan, a rack and thermometer to place in it, as well as basting brush, meat thermometer and timer. A roasting pan with a lid works best because it keeps heat inside the oven longer so that your bird cooks more evenly throughout its entire body (especially important if using an electric oven).

Set the oven temperature according to the size of your turkey.

There are many factors that affect how long it takes to cook a turkey in the oven. One of the most important is the size of your turkey, but there are also other factors to consider:

The temperature of your oven
How much fat is present on your bird (if any)

Preheat the oven for at least 45 minutes before cooking time.

Preheat the oven for at least 45 minutes before cooking time. This will help to ensure that your turkey is cooked thoroughly, as well as prevent any potential burning or charring from occurring in your oven. If you don’t preheat, it may take longer to cook due to cold spots in the oven that cause uneven heating.

Put the turkey in a shallow roasting pan and place it breast-side up in the middle of your preheated oven.

Place the turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, preferably with sides at least 2 inches high so that juices can evaporate during cooking. Place it in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius). For every pound of turkey, allow 15 minutes per pound cooking time; 18 pounds requires 4 hours and 20 minutes; 22 pounds requires 5 hours and 30 minutes; 26 pounds requires 6 hours and 40 minutes; 30 pounds requires 7 hours 50 minutes; 34 pounds requires 8 hours 55 minutes; 38 pounds requires 9 hours 10 minutes; 42 pounds requires 10 hours 15 minutes

Baste with butter, oil or other flavoring ingredients every 30 minutes until done, keeping an eye on the internal temperature of the bird until it reads 165 degrees F (74 C) at its thickest part when tested with an instant-read thermometer.

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It takes an average of 4 hours to bake a turkey

There are a few things you need to know about cooking turkey in an oven. The first is that the time it takes for your turkey to be fully cooked depends on its size, so if you’re cooking a small bird and want it done by dinnertime, then plan on starting early or else you’ll end up with dry meat. Also keep in mind that the temperature of your oven will affect how quickly or slowly your bird cooks–the hotter the better!

Finally, consider how thickly-boned (or not) your turkey is when determining how long it should take: if there are lots of bones sticking out from its sides and back (especially those big wings), then they’ll take longer than average because they have more mass which means more heat needs to penetrate through them before reaching all parts equally enough so they reach safe temperatures throughout without drying out too much during roasting process itself.”

Conclusion

Now that you know how long it takes to cook a turkey in the oven, you can plan ahead and make sure your bird is ready for Thanksgiving dinner. As we mentioned earlier, there are some variables that will affect this time frame so it’s best if you check on your turkey every 30 minutes or so until it reaches 165 degrees F (74 C).