The Not-So-Impossible Roasted Turkey: Roast a Turkey in 2 hours!

Recipe by  Chef Austin

 

 

 

For some people, the thought of making a roasted turkey is terrifying! Should I buy fresh or frozen? How long should I let it thaw? What is the best way to cook my turkey? What's a brine?! What if we told you that a beautiful, golden bird is within reach and can be done in as little as 2 hours? Thanks to the Nesco High Speed Turkey Roaster, not only can you free up that precious oven space, the Nesco Roaster can cook an 18-lb turkey (fresh or thawed) in 2 hours using infrared heating technology for a juicy, moist bird with crisp, browned skin. Cast aside any worries about a visit from the fire department due to fried turkey mishaps and the anxiety of an undercooked turkey, this roaster features electronic heating elements with high or low heat options & a clear glass lid for you to peek in on the cooking process.

If you're stumped on the best flavor formula to use on your roast turkey, the Spice House offers a large variety of salts, spices & spice blends for poultry, meats, vegetables & more. We used the "Gateway to the North" spice blend, which is one of their more popular blends that is both sweet & savory - made with real Wisconsin maple sugar! The mixture of pure maple sugar & granulated brown sugar help give our bird a nice brown, carmelized color & crisp the skin; the sweetness gets a savory kick from the Telicherry pepper, garlic, onion & green onion flakes.

Wow your family members, friends & dinner guests with this easy Two-Hour Maple Garlic Vertical Roasted Garlic Turkey recipe using the Nesco High Speed Turkey Roaster & "Gateway to the North" spice blend from the Spice House!

 

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Maple Garlic Vertical Roasted Turkey Recipe

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Recommended Tools:

Nesco High-Speed Vertical Turkey Roaster

 

Step 1
Pat down your whole fresh turkey (thawed if frozen) with paper towels to dry the skin. Make sure the neck, giblets, and gravy packages are removed.

 

Step 2
Drizzle turkey with the oil and rub all over the skin for even coverage.

 

You can't over season a turkey with the sweet maple sugar rub. The more the merrier! 

 

Step 3
Generously sprinkle Gateway to the North Maple Garlic Seasoning over the surface of the turkey and the inside cavity of the turkey. 

 

Step 4
Spray the surfaces of the Nesco cooking stand assembly with spray-on cooking oil. Place the drip tray into the roaster. Assemble the poultry holder by placing the bottom rack over the heating element cover then sliding the top rack over the heating element cover as shown above. 

 

Step 5
Pull the poultry open and position it over the top rack. Ensure that the drumsticks hang downwards to the side of the top rack. The heating element cover end should come through the neck of the poultry as much as possible.

 

Step 6
Using the rack remover, insert the hook into the hole at the end of the heating element cover to lift the turkey and lower it into the roaster. Place the glass lid on top of the roaster.

 

Step 7
Press the ‘POWER’ button and the default settings will display. Use the up and down arrows to adjust the time - turkey needs 6 minutes per pound. Once the proper time is shown, press the "START/PAUSE" button to start cooking.   

 

Step 8
When the cooking cycle has finished, the roaster will beep twice and the display will show “02:00”. Carefully remove the glass lid with a potholder. Tilt the glass lid when opening so that the steam is directed away from the face and hands. At this point, you can check the internal temperature by placing a thermometer in the thickest part of the bird - the recommended internal temperature is 165°F.

 

Step 9
Using the rack remover, insert the hook into the hole at the end of the heating element cover to lift the food from the roaster. Allow turkey to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving. 

 

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Need to know how to slice a turkey? Check out our Turkey Carving Guide here.