Help!!!

I have to prepare and cook the turkey for tomorrow's dinner.

I'm used to cooking things on the grill, but my grill is out of commission. So now, I have to cook the turkey in the oven. I know the basics such as what temp and how long per pound, and I have a meat probe thermometer. But that's it! Can I use a rub on it? At what point do I put the potatoes and other veggies in with the turkey?


Help!!!!

Yes, you can - and should - use a rub on it. In fact, if you can brine it tonight, rub a lot of salt on the skin to soak in, and whatever other kind of seasonings you want to use on it, it will be fantastic tomorrow.

The potatoes and veggies can roast in the pan with the turkey for the last 2 hours and should be fine, or you can cook them half-way ahead of time and put them in the pan for the last hour just to get the juices.

I have the best roast turkey recipe that I will post for you. I'm not sure you'll have the time to do all of it, since I just saw this thread and it's already late, but maybe it will help. You can probably improvise off of it. It is wonderful every time we use it.

As prepared by The Naked Chef on The Today Show, Thanksgiving 2004

Ingredients:
12 small fresh rosemary sprigs, plus a few extra
At least 8 cloves of garlic, 2 peeled
6 strips pancetta (smoked bacon)
9- to 10-pound turkey
4 shallots, roughly chopped
2 carrots
1 big orange
Olive oil

Directions:
THE DAY BEFORE

Brine turkey (optional) or rub turkey with table salt inside and out
Put turkey in clean plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (12 - 24 hours) to remove excess moisture

THE DAY OF

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Rinse or wipe off excess salt from turkey
Pat turkey dry with paper towels and place on a board
Make a bed of shallots, 6 unpeeled garlic cloves, and carrots in roasting pan to act as a rack
Slice strips of pancetta in half and slice the peeled garlic into thin slivers
Place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a strip of pancetta and roll it up tightly
Repeat with other pieces of pancetta until you have 12 little rolls
Stab the thighs and drumsticks of the turkey in 6 places on each side.
Push your finger into each slit to create a gap
Place each pancetta roll into the holes until it just peeps out
Find the edge of the skin at the turkey neck and use a rubber spatula or large spoon to separate the skin from the breast meat so that you can put the stuffing under the skin of the turkey breast
BE CAREFUL to separate the skin from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides, but without ripping any holes in it
From the neck end of the turkey, spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop any leaking out during cooking
Microwave the orange for 30 - 60 seconds to get it nice and hot
Poke a hole in the hot orange and stuff it into the turkey cavity
Add some rosemary to the cavity (optional)

Place bird in roasting pan willed with vegetables
Season well with salt and pepper
Rub olive oil all over
Weigh stuffed bird, cover with foil, and roast for 18 minutes per pound or until the juices run clear from the thigh if pierced with a knife or skewer
Remove foil for the last 45 minutes to brown the bird
Remove turkey and rest on a board for 20 minutes

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Another way to check doneness is with your probe thermometer (assuming it's properly calibrated) it should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Older cookbooks say 185, but recent studies say that salmonella is killed below 165. You can actually pull it before it reaches that temperature, because it will probably rise 10 degrees or so after you pull it from the oven.

Always check poultry temperatures from the thigh.