Is it possible to roast the turkey the day before Thanksgiving?
Not only is it possible, but done right, it will taste as good, if not better, than a turkey roasted on the actual day.
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My Story
Our family has a long and rich tradition of sharing Thanksgiving with my cousins.
Even before my time, my mom and aunt took turns hosting Thanksgiving Dinner.
At the point they were no longer able to host, the honors fell to my oldest cousin and me.
The fact that the honors should have passed to my older sister is beside the point!
By the time the baton was passed, the traditions were cemented into place, including the tradition of eating promptly at noon.
Having the Thanksgiving meal at noon is not a problem when all you have to do is show up with your designated dish.
However, it’s a logistical nightmare when you are the one responsible for serving the meal ON TIME!!!
Over the years, I have tried many ways of easing the burden of having everything ready by the noon deadline.
Last year, I hit on a winner.
I cooked the turkey the day before.
My sister actually winced when I told her I was going to give it a go.
Turns out, it was the best turkey I ever prepared.
Not only did it taste great, cooking the turkey the day before removed a huge stressor from Thanksgiving Day.
So, if you’re the one responsible for supplying the bird, don’t despair.
Do yourself a favor and cook the turkey the day before.
Roasting the turkey the day before Thanksgiving.
Roast the turkey as usual.
Stick with whatever recipe and method you normally use to roast the turkey.
The only thing you need to change is the day you roast it.
If you don’t already have a tried-and-true way of seasoning the turkey, my advice is to keep it simple.
Salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning are the only seasonings I use.
For roasting, follow the instructions printed on the outside of the packaging of the turkey you purchase.
Just remember, roasting the turkey for too long will result in a dried-out turkey.
Not roasting it long enough can result in food poisoning.
No pressure!
Seriously, if you are concerned about botching it, use a meat thermometer.
After the turkey is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
Allow it to cool for thirty to sixty minutes.
Remember, the beauty of roasting the turkey the day before is that you are not in a rush.
After it’s cool, carve as normal.
Again, pretend its Thanksgiving Day and carve the turkey just like you normally would.
I have no tried-and-true tricks to offer for carving the turkey.
My only advice when it comes to carving the turkey is to make sure you use a sharp, or electric knife.
Layer the pieces of the turkey in an oven safe baking dish.
My choice is a foil pan with a foil lid.
To keep from having to move the turkey from one container to another, use a pan that can go directly from the refrigerator to the oven with no issues.
Don’t use glass. Glass can’t safely go from the refrigerator to the oven.
Cover the turkey pieces with broth.
This step is the key to having great tasting turkey the following day.
Use a mix of the liquid from the turkey and chicken broth.
If you are planning on purchasing broth, Better than Broth is the best brand I’ve found to date.
Cover the baking dish and put it in the refrigerator.
Leave it refrigerated until you are ready to reheat it.
Time to reheat.
About an hour before you’re ready to serve the turkey, move the baking dish from the refrigerator to the oven.
Never put a cold glass dish inside a hot oven. If the dish you used to refrigerate the turkey was glass, move the turkey to a different baking dish.
Set the oven to 350 degrees and allow the turkey to reheat for about an hour.
The turkey has already been roasted so it only needs to heat up to your desired temperature.
Remove the turkey from the oven and it’s ready to serve.
Sweet! No mess to clean up.
Even if you don’t eat at noon, there are plenty of reasons to roast the turkey the day before.
Remove the stress of a looming deadline and enjoy the process of roasting, carving, and cleaning up at your leisure.
Speaking of carving, a cool turkey is much easier to carve than a piping hot one.
Oven space and time are at a premium at Thanksgiving.
Having the turkey done the day before eliminates a huge time suck on the oven.
Obviously, I’m a fan of cooking the turkey the day before.
It makes Thanksgiving Day so much nicer, and it’s actually very easy to do.
Can you roast the turkey the day before Thanksgiving?
Absolutely!
Give it a try! It may very well become your preferred method of roasting a turkey.
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