When should I take out my turkey to thaw?
I have a 20 pound turkey that is, of course, frozen solid now. I will be wanting it ready to stuff Christmas morning around 8am. Normally I would take out the turkey christmas eve in the morning…but I’ve never had one this big before. Will that still be enough time? Or should I get up a little earlier on Christmas eve and take it out?
Now…really?
No, it won’t thaw in time if you take it out on Christmas eve. I would take it out either now or Monday morning at the latest. Even if it thaws a little before Christmas morning, it will be fine in the refrigerator for a few days. Since my family is so big I always have to cook a 20+ pound turkey.
Take it out and ut in the fridge NOW.
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http://www.butterball.com for all the answers as to turkey cooking!
I would allow another at least 24 hours in the fridge if not 3 days for that bird to thaw.
I am not having turk or ham for Christmas. I promised the granddaughters RibEye Steaks!
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Your best bet is to take it out of the freezer on Monday and put it in the fridge to start the thawing process. On Thursday morning fill up your sink with cold water and submerge the bird (it will still be somewhat hard and not completely thawed, just make sure it remains in the shrink wrapped covering it came in or if it doesn’t have that type of packaging then place it in a 2 gallon Ziploc bag and make sure you remove the excess air prior to sealing.) Check the turkey after 4-6 hours- if it is squishy then it should be thawed. You may need to keep in in the water up to 12 hours. Make sure it stays covered with the cold water. Place in the fridge overnight. You will need to get the turkey out of the fridge by 6:30 Christmas morning and let it warm up slightly prior to throwing in the oven at 8:00am. Don’t keep it on the counter at room temp- that’s asking for a case of the nasty germies that happens when poultry is left to thaw at room temp for several hours. Merry Christmas! Hope your turkey turns out wonderfully!
(one more little hint- if it has one of those little pop up things- rip it out and get a good probe thermometer- put into the thickest part of the breast and make sure it doesn’t touch the bone. Take the turkey out when the temp hits 166′, tent with foil and let it sit for 30 minutes before carving. The turkey will continue to cook after it’s been removed from the oven so don’t freak out that it’s not ready! Cooking a turkey to 180′ will guarantee a dry overcooked bird- yours will be perfect!
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No, it won’t thaw in time if you take it out on Christmas eve. I would take it out either now or Monday morning at the latest. Even if it thaws a little before Christmas morning, it will be fine in the refrigerator for a few days. Since my family is so big I always have to cook a 20+ pound turkey.
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Experience with cooking large turkeys
If you want to defrost in a refrigerator it will take 66-90 hours or at cool room temperature it will take 22-30 hours.
So if you are going to put it in the refrigerator i suggest taking it out now or at room temperature i suggest taking it out monday or tuesday.
If you want to find out properly go on iceland.com it says on there.
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