When preparing a turkey for your next Thanksgiving feast, learning how long to cook a turkey is key to achieving the perfect roast.
How Big of a Turkey Do I Need?
For whole turkeys, you’ll want about two pounds per person to feed everyone and have some leftovers:
4-6 Guests = 8-12 lb. Turkey
6-8 Guests = 12-16 lb. Turkey
8-10 Guests = 16-20 lb. Turkey
10-12 Guests = 20-24 lb. Turkey
For a smaller dinner or for extra white meat, our bone-in turkey breasts are 4-8 pounds. Plan for about a pound of turkey per guest.
How Long Do I Roast a Turkey?
All turkey must be cooked to 165°F with an internal meat thermometer. These time estimates are based on roasting at 325°F. Your recipe may use a different cooking temperature, so you may need to add or subtract from your turkey cook time.
Whole turkey, unstuffed: 13 min per lb.
Spatchcocked turkey (back bone removed): 8 min per lb.
Bone-in turkey breast: 20 min per lb.
Once your turkey reaches 165°F, remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil and let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Turkey Brand Options at T&C
Northwest Natural Fresh Turkey
No artificial ingredients
Minimally processed
Big Board Buy Nov. 20-28
Mary's Fresh Turkey
Antibiotic free, vegetarian diet
GAP certified Step 1
No added hormones, additives or preservatives
Find a Northwest Natural Fresh Turkey to complete your Thanksgiving feast.
Mary's Fresh Organic Turkey
Free range
GAP certified Step 2
Certified organic and non-GMO
Vegetarian diet
No added hormones, additives or preservatives
Order Mary’s Fresh Turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Mary's Fresh Heritage Turkey
Antibiotic free, vegetarian, non-GMO diet
GAP certified Step 5
No added hormones, additives or preservatives
Reserve a Mary’s Fresh Organic Turkey before Thanksgiving.
Turkey parts
Turkey breasts, bone-in and boneless
Turkey parts (gizzards, wings, thighs, and more) for gravy, stuffing, etc.
Deep-Chilled Fresh Turkeys vs. Frozen Turkey
Your fresh turkey may feel like it’s frozen, but it’s not. The USDA requires fresh turkeys to be chilled to 26 degrees to create a protective ice coating on the surface to maintain freshness. This thin layer of ice will easily thaw in a day or two in your refrigerator. Turkeys only freeze in temperatures below 26 degrees.
How to Prep a Turkey
Your turkey can remain fresh in your refrigerator for up to a week before you roast it. The outer layer of our deep-chilled fresh turkeys will be fully thawed and ready to prep after one or two days in the refrigerator.
If your turkey still has a hard external chill on the day you’ll roast it, thaw it under cold running water before removing it from its packaging.
Remove giblets from the turkey’s cavity and use for gravy or stock, or discard.
Use paper towels to dry the surface and you’re ready to season as desired or as per your chosen recipe. There’s no need to rinse your turkey.
To brine a turkey easily, try our brining kit which includes salt, herbs, bag for brining and instructions.