No matter if you plan to roast, slow cook, deep fry or grill your turkey, you’ll want to follow three basic prep steps: thaw the turkey, remove the giblets and season the turkey. We’ll dive into each step below.
Thaw the Turkey
Thawing your turkey in the fridge is usually the easiest and most efficient—make sure you plan ahead and have plenty of fridge space. It takes about 24 hours for every four to five pounds of turkey weight, meaning a 20-lb turkey can take up to five days to thaw in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that brining adds two days, so your prep could begin up to seven days before the holiday meal. For more details about turkey thawing and a chart to help you figure out how much time your turkey will take, check out our article on How to Buy a Turkey.
Remove the Giblets
Inside the cavity of your bird, you will find the giblets—the neck and internal organs, including the heart, liver and gizzard. Often they’ll be packaged up in a little bag. It’s important to remove the giblets before cooking your turkey but you don’t have to waste them. Their flavor can be used to enrich gravy, stock or even stuffing. Check out these recipes to learn more: Giblets Gravy and Use-it-Up Turkey Stock.
Season the Turkey
While there are several ways of seasoning a turkey before cooking, our favorite method is wet brining—it’s the simplest way to infuse the turkey with flavor and keep the meat tender. Keep in mind, you must plan in advance to brine your turkey—get all the details in our How to Brine a Turkey article. If you don’t have time to brine, don’t fret, just rub your turkey all over with salt and pepper before cooking.