I’ve tried nearly every way to cook a turkey. This one is perfect.

By Melissa Clark The New York Times There are myriad solutions to cook a Thanksgiving turkey and I ve likely tried them all I ve spatchcocked grilled and splayed I ve wet-brined butter-basted and chile-swabbed But with each new recipe I try I grow more convinced that the simpler it is the better the bird and the happier the cook To come up with a fuss-free recipe for crisp golden skin and juicy well-seasoned meat I tested nearly a dozen versions and stripped the process to its essentials The aftermath was a recipe that s simple enough to memorize and then make again and again The hardest part is carving out time to brine the bird but it s all streamlined for the majority delicious and seamless bird realizable the perfect Thanksgiving turkey A classic Thanksgiving turkey is prepared If you're buying a fresh turkey pick it up three to five days before Thanksgiving Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Step Buy the Bird When to Buy A week before Thanksgiving or even earlier start thinking about buying your turkey if for no reason other than that the majority turkeys are sold frozen and you ll need a scant days to thaw it out in the fridge If you re buying a fresh turkey pick it up three to five days before Thanksgiving to give yourself enough time to brine How Much to Buy Plan for to pounds of turkey per person It s easier to roast a smaller - to -pound bird than to wrestle with a -pounder so if you re feeding a crowd it may be wisest to roast a small turkey with a few parts alongside either a breast thighs or a combination Understanding the Labels There are so various choices for buying turkeys Here s a breakdown of what s on offer Organic These birds have been fed an organic pesticide-free vegetarian diet They ve had access to outdoor space and never been given antibiotics Heritage Compared with standard supermarket breeds heritage birds more closely resemble their wild turkey ancestors and generally take longer to reach maturity They tend to have a higher ratio of dark meat and a richer gamier flavor Free-range pasture-raised These turkeys have had access to outdoor space Depending on the farm they may have also been able to forage for a portion of their food All-natural Birds labeled natural won t have been treated with preservatives or any artificial or synthetic ingredients Kosher Raised and slaughtered under rabbinical supervision according to Jewish dietary laws these birds have also been salted all kosher meat is salted If using a kosher turkey you can skip the salt in the dry brine entirely and just rub the bird down with pepper and aromatics before letting it dry out in the fridge Or for a deeply seasoned bird sprinkle it lightly with salt but be careful not to overdo it Self-basting These birds have been injected with a answer of saltwater sometimes spiked with fat preservatives and flavorings to make them juicier But rather than buy one of these a standard bird with a dry brine works in the same way and gives you control over what you add Hormone-free Poultry birds are never given hormones so if you see this on the label it s a marketing ploy A roasting pan with a rack meat thermometer sheet pan microplane and dish towels You don't need a baster for an ideal turkey but a thermometer is essential Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Step Assemble the Tools What You Need Roasting pan with a rack for cooking Meat thermometer for testing doneness Sheet pan for dry-brining in the fridge Microplane for grating garlic and zesting citrus Dish towels for wiping up the inevitable drips What You Don t A turkey baster The neck and bag of giblets are pulled out of a turkey If your turkey is frozen you'll need to defrost it thoroughly in the fridge in its wrappings before cooking Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Step Prep the Turkey If your turkey is frozen you ll need to defrost it thoroughly in the fridge in its wrappings before cooking Allow hours of defrosting for every to pounds which means a -pound bird will take about three days to defrost And while you can apply the dry brine to the bird when it s still partly frozen it s not ideal The skin won t dry out as much or get as crisp Once thawed unwrap your bird then poke around to find the neck and the bag of giblets that are usually tucked away inside sometimes under the neck flap so check meticulously Reserve the gizzard and heart for making stock and fry up the liver in a little olive oil with a rosemary or thyme sprig if you have one on hand It s an excellent snack served on garlic-rubbed toast I like to roast the neck alongside the bird but you could also add that to the stock pot A turkey is rubbed with a dry brine Don't rinse your turkey just pat it all over with paper towels before rubbing it down with a dry brine Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Step Add the Dry Brine Don t rinse your turkey just pat it all over with paper towels before rubbing it down with the dry brine For the bulk basic dry brine you can stick to using just salt and maybe a little pepper Or bump up the flavor by adding garlic herbs spices citrus zest chiles or other aromatics This method is easier and less cumbersome than submerging a whole turkey in a wet brine and yields crispier skin If you don t mind getting extra close with your turkey use your hands to conscientiously separate the skin from the breast and thighs and rub the brine directly on the flesh This purely optional step makes a small difference but it s not a huge deal in terms of outcome If you re roasting the neck salt that too Put the salted turkey on a sheet-pan breast-side down preferably on a rack so the air can circulate underneath it and refrigerate uncovered for at least hours and up to three days About halfway through the brining flip the turkey over so its breast side is up This helps evenly distribute the brine Remove the bird from the fridge an hour before roasting to let it come to room temperature A classic Thanksgiving turkey is prepared before cooking A rack inside the roasting pan helps air circulate around the bird as it cooks Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Step Roast the Turkey To roast put the turkey neck if using in the bottom of your roasting pan then add wine broth and aromatics Place a rack inside the pan and put the turkey on top Stuff the turkey cavity with herbs onions and garlic if you like then brush the bird with oil or melted butter Start roasting at high heat to give the skin specific color then lower the heat and continue cooking for to hours depending on how big your bird is You don t need to baste which slows down the roasting and can make the skin soggy Start taking the turkey s temperature about minutes before you think it might be done To check the temperature insert the probe into the thickest part of the thigh taking care not to touch any bones I like to check both thighs just to make sure Don t worry if the meat looks a little pinkish specific turkeys have pinker flesh than others and will keep that color even when cooked through If you see red though continue roasting It s done when it reaches degrees on instant-read thermometer It ll reach the USDA-recommended degrees while it rests A classic Thanksgiving turkey The turkey will continue cooking as it rests Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Step Rest and Carve Let the turkey rest loosely covered with foil for to minutes before carving Save the pan drippings to add to gravy or to any stock you make from the carcass Or if you re not serving gravy you can spoon the drippings directly over the meat for extra moisture and flavor Then do all your carving in the kitchen and not at the table which can be very messy You ll need a sharp knife a cutting board and specific kitchen towels for any overflowing juices First cut the legs and wings off the carcass Then cut off the breast meat following along the breast bone with your knife Once you ve cut the bird into parts it will be easier to debone the thighs and slice up the breast Leave the drumsticks and wings on the bone for serving Classic Thanksgiving turkey Make sure to carve the turkey in the kitchen and not at the table to minimize mess Food styled by Barrett Washburne David Malosh The New York Times Classic Thanksgiving Turkey This recipe gives you everything you want in a roast turkey crisp skin juicy and well-seasoned meat It s also extremely straightforward the kind of thing you can memorize then return to year after year The pivotal points are to dry brine the turkey in the fridge a day or two before roasting brush oil or butter onto the skin so it turns gorgeously golden in the oven and splash a little wine in the bottom of the roasting pan so the drippings don t burn Once you ve figured out the amount of salt to use in the dry brine see Tip you can add herbs spices and aromatics or leave it plain and simple It s everything a classic Thanksgiving bird should be no matter when you make it By Melissa Clark Yield to servings Total time hours plus at least hours brining time Ingredients - to -pound turkey fresh or thawed if previously frozen Salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed see Tip Optional dry brine seasonings see Tip cup dry white wine plus more as needed to cups chicken or turkey broth or water plus more as needed medium red or yellow onions peeled and quartered garlic cloves smashed and peeled optional bay leaves optional small bunch fresh thyme rosemary or sage Olive oil or melted or softened unsalted butter as needed Preparation At least day and up to days before roasting the turkey remove any giblets from the turkey cavity and reserve them for stock or gravy Pat the turkey and the turkey neck dry with a paper towel In a small bowl mix together salt see Tip pepper and any optional dry brine seasonings Rub this mixture all over the turkey inside and out including under the skin of the breasts and thighs don t stress about this part but if it s easy to separate skin from the flesh seasoning the meat under the skin will deepen the flavor Season the turkey neck Place the turkey breast-side down on a rack on a baking pan along with the neck Refrigerate uncovered for at least hours and up to days turning the turkey so it s breast-side up about halfway through the brining time When you are ready to cook the turkey remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for hour this helps the meat cook evenly Heat the oven to degrees Place the turkey neck in the bottom of a large roasting pan add the wine and enough broth to fill the pan to a -inch depth Add half the onions half the garlic if using and the bay leaves if using to the liquid in the pan Stuff the bunch of herbs the remaining onion quarters and the remaining garlic into the turkey cavity Brush the turkey skin generously with oil or butter Using softened butter rather than melted allows you to add more since it clings to the skin better if you like you can smear specific softened butter under the skin too Place turkey breast-side up on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together if you like It makes a neater presentation but doesn t affect the cooking time Transfer pan to the oven and roast for minutes Reduce oven temperature to degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh and the breast making sure not to touch bone reaches a temperature of degrees to hours more or longer for a bigger bird calculate a total cooking time of about minutes per pound If the liquid in the bottom of the pan begins to dry out before the turkey is cooked through top it off with a generous glug of wine broth or water Transfer the turkey to a cutting board to rest for to minutes you can tent it with foil if you like before carving The temperature of the bird will rise to degrees during this resting time Be sure to save the drippings you can use them for gravy pour them into a batch of make-ahead gravy or start from scratch or add them to any stock you make from the turkey carcass Related Articles Recipes Here are dishes you can make ahead for Thanksgiving dinner Thanksgiving salad with pears Parmesan and pomegranate seeds starring puff pastry croutons Recipes A soup to keep the autumn chill at bay Recipe Wild greens salad with persimmons and hickory nuts Recipe Creamy butternut squash noodle soup shrimp and bacon burritas and more Tips You want to add about grams of salt per pound of bird For a - to -pound bird use to grams to tablespoons Morton s kosher salt or fine sea salt or to tablespoons Diamond Crystal For a - to -pound bird use to grams to tablespoons Morton s kosher salt or fine sea salt or to tablespoons Diamond Crystal For a - to -pound bird use to grams to tablespoons Morton s kosher salt or fine sea salt or cup to cup Diamond Crystal For the dry brine you can use any combination of the following tablespoon ground spices such as smoked or sweet paprika mild chile powder cumin coriander garam masala baharat za atar or another spice blend teaspoons granulated garlic or onion powder finely grated garlic cloves finely grated zest of to lemons or orange tablespoons minced fresh rosemary thyme marjoram or oregano leaves or teaspoons dried This article originally appeared in The New York Times Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox