PREPARATION
- Remove giblets and neck from body and neck cavities and rinse turkey thoroughly in cool water.
- Preheat oven to 325°F .
- Season turkey as desired.
- Place a tent of aluminum foil over the turkey and place in the oven.
- Roast for approximately 15 minutes per pound.
- Approximately 1 hour before turkey is scheduled to be done, remove aluminum foil tent to allow turkey to brown.
- NOTE: All of our RWA turkeys contain a pop-up timer. They are mostly accurate, however if it has not activated within ½ hour of the scheduled roasting time, remove the turkey and check for doneness using a meat thermometer. The finished turkey should have an internal temperature of 173°F .
- Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes prior to carving.
| ESTIMATED ROASTING TIMES – ROASTING AT 325°F |
| WEIGHT |
ROASTING TIME |
| 8 – 12 lbs |
2 – 3 hours |
| 12 – 16 lbs |
3 – 4 hours |
| 16 – 20 lbs |
4 – 5 hours |
| 20 – 24 lbs |
5 – 6 hours |
| 24 – 28 lbs |
6 – 7 hours |
| 28 – 32 lbs |
7 – 8 hours |
NOTE: These are estimated times. Please use a meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature has reached 173° F. All of our turkeys contain a pop-up timer, however if it hasn’t activated within 30 minutes of your roasting time, please check your turkey with a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached 173° F.
+ add 1/2 hour for stuffed turkey |
HELPFUL HINTS
TEMPERING
It’s important to equilibrate the internal temperature of your turkey prior to roasting for a more even cook. Even though our turkeys are fresh, we recommend placing your turkey on a pan and placing it in the refrigerator (40°F or below) several days prior to roast. A good rule of thumb is one half day in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds.
FROZEN TURKEYS
If your turkey is frozen, do not thaw it at room temperature. Place your packaged turkey on a tray in the refrigerator and allow 1 full day for every 4 pounds. If time is of the essence, you can use a cold-water method. Keep the turkey in its original packaging and place it in to a large container. Completely cover with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep the turkey chilled. Anticipate at least 30 minutes per pound.
PAN SELECTION
The pan you use can affect the roasting time. The deeper the pan, the longer the time.
STUFFING
Do not stuff turkey until you are ready to place it in the oven. Stuff the turkey loosely. Be sure all meat products in the stuffing are thoroughly cooked before placing in the turkey.
COOKING THERMOMETERS
We highly recommend the use of both oven and meat thermometers. Insert the meat thermometer into the breast of the turkey, NOT TOUCHING THE BONE. A reading of 173° F indicates the turkey is done.
POP-UP TIMERS
Our turkeys come equipped with a pop up timer programmed to activate when the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 178° F. The timers are accurate, however, preparation methods such as brining, basting and deep frying can affect the mechanism. If it has not activated within ½ hour of the scheduled roasting time, remove the turkey and check for doneness using a meat thermometer.
CARVING
After removing the turkey from the oven, allow it to rest for at least 20-30 minutes before carving. Not only will the meat slice much easier, but this time will permit the juices to be absorbed evenly, resulting in a tender, more tasty turkey.
OVEN CALIBRATION:
Due to possible variance in oven temperatures, we strongly recommend that all ovens be checked for accuracy at least every six months. The average household oven may vary as much as 100°F.
From America’s Test Kitchen: “Oh, this is good!” wrote one taster. Our panelists loved the “roasty,” “surprisingly flavorful” meat and “nutty aftertaste.” This bird also hit the mark with “tender and moist” meat. The white meat had by far the highest fat level of the bunch, and its dark meat was almost purple in color—a sign of older or relatively well-exercised birds.
LOVE Bell & Evans. The only chicken and turkey I will feed my family. All natural and DELICIOUS. Please keep doing what you’re doing. Thank you?
We had one of your turkeys this Christmas and it was superior to any other turkey I have have tasted. I cook a lot so it was a surprised to find a bird that had such flavor was tender. Both the legs and the breast were perfect plus no hormones.
Thank you.
Hi,
My family and I love your turkey and chicken. No one product has ever tasted as good as yours. We have been buying your products for about 12 or more years. Just Wanted to say Thank You!
Thank you Doreen! Have a wonderful day!
We have been buying your chicken (mostly organic) from Whole Foods for almost a year now and we are hooked. It is the best we have ever tasted…wouldn’t even think of buying another brand!
Your chicken is by far the best we’ve had! Our family will never eat another type of chicken. We have about it to everyone we know and even bring our own chicken to other people’s to use if we decide on a dish with chicken! I am looking for a B&E turkey to try for Thanksgiving this year 🙂 Thank you for putting out such a wholesome product that we love so much ❤️
I had never heard of Bell and Evens turkeys and tried one for Thanksgiving … I followed the directions and the button never popped up so I used my meat thermometer and it was cooked to 165…. The breast meat was dry and tough… I was very disappointed ☹️
Bell & Evans turkeys do cook faster because they have less fat. The buttons do not always work. Customer Service will be reaching out to you via email. If you want to contact them, please call 717-454-3561.
Love Bell and Evans Turkey! I’ve cooked a lot of Turkeys in my 74 years but switched 10 years ago and so happy I did!
My B&E Turkey did not have a pop-up timer, and it also didn’t have the gizzards and the livers. I’ve always purchased my B&E Turkeys from Ben’s Meat Market a local supermarket in my neighborhood.
Hi JoAnn, please reach out to us at [email protected].
After several years of disappointing turkeys, I purchased a 12 lb Bell &Evans, which I seasoned with kosher salt and sugar the day before roasting. It was a beautiful, juicy, tasty bird– with less fat and none of the spongy texture I have found with some of the bargain turkeys. I will definitely buy this again– and I will probably switch to your chicken, too
first time trying Bell and Evan’s turkey this year after many many many many years of store-bought turkeys prepared lovingly for Thanksgiving.
absolutely without a doubt the best turkey our family has ever had. Tender juicy flavorful Rich beyond belief. Not too salty and none of that weird taste after a day. I made soup. We’re still eating sandwiches and it’s now Sunday night after Thanksgiving. Never going back always Bell and Evans from now on thank you.
Thank you for the wonderful review, Ray! Please email us at [email protected] so we can get you some coupons!