• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • EAT WELL
    • RECIPES
      • Breakfast Recipes
      • Dinner Recipes
      • Whole 30
      • Sweet Treats
    • Food Talk
  • LIVE WHOLE | mind & body
    • Body Talk
    • Essential Oils
  • LIFESTYLE
    • WEDDING
    • TRAVEL
  • ABOUT ME
    • ABOUT ME
    • WORK WITH ME
    • FAVORITE PRODUCTS
  • Nav Widget Area (Left)

Say Jess Please

Say Jess Please to Eating Well, Living Whole, and Feelings Amazing

November 19, 2018 / All Recipes, Dinner Recipes

How to Make an Epic Thanksgiving Turkey

thanksgiving turkey

Taking on turkey duty can be DAUNTING, especially if you haven’t done it before. We’ve thrown a Friendsgiving turkey dinner for the last 5 years, and as the host, I have been on turkey duty every year. This year I think I really found the trick to make an epic thanksgiving turkey that will really impress your guests… if I may say so myself.

Fair warning, this method of “epic” thanksgiving turkey prep and cooking is time consuming – spanning over the better part of a week – but as long as you plan ahead, most of that time is spent letting the bird rest and do its own thing.

I’ve always used Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Turkey recipe, but in years prior I didn’t brine the turkey. This year, I took the extra time to apply her dry brine 3 days before the main event and then let the bird air dry for 24 hours and it changed. the. game. I’ll never not do this again.

Thanksgiving Turkey Schedule

Being the planner that I am, the turkey had it’s own schedule, here’s how it went down:

Day 1 or Saturday before Thanksgiving – purchase the fresh turkey (I like Whole Food’s for my Turkey).

Day 2 / Sunday – clean the bird, remove the giblets & heart, pat it dry, and then massage the dry brine into the skin of the bird. Don’t forget the legs & wings! Lay the turkey in a pan that snug it tight and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator for 2 days.

Day 3 / Monday – leave it alone but begin considering any meal prep to help with side dishes on the day of the event if you’re making any. Make stock if you’re going above and beyond (otherwise purchase).

Day 4 / Tuesday – Same as Day 2

Day 5 / Wednesday – Remove the plastic wrap from the bird and leave it in the fridge to air dry. Skin should look translucent at this point.

Day 6 / Thanksgiving Day! – Pull the turkey out and get to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325F. Put the turkey in a large roasting pan, discarding any juices in the dish. Place the onion, lemon, and thyme sprigs in the cavity. Tie up lets and wings with kitchen string. Brush the turkey with butter and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey until the breast meat registers 165F (put thermometer in sideways). Remove the turkey and  place it on a platter. Cut off the legs and thighs and put them back in the roasting pan, covering the breast carcuss tightly with aluminum foil. Put the legs and wings back in the oven for 15-20mins (meat should be 180F). Remove the dark meat from the oven and cover it tightly for 15 minutes.

thanksgiving turkey

thaksgiving turkey
Print

Ina's Perfect Roast Turkey

Ingredients

Brine

  • kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves minced
  • 1 whole lemon grated zest
  • 1 turkey 12-15lbs

Cooking Ingedients

  • 1 large yellow onion unpeeled and cut in eights
  • 1 lemon quartered
  • 8 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter (can sub ghee) melted

Instructions

  1. Clean the bird, remove the giblets & heart, apply the dry brine. Lay the turkey in a tight pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator for 2-3 days.

  2. 24 hours before you plan to cook the turkey, remove the plastic wrap from the bird and leave it in the fridge to air dry. Skin should look translucent at this point.

  3. Pull the turkey out and get to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325F. Put the turkey in a large roasting pan, discarding any juices in the dish. Place the onion, lemon, and thyme sprigs in the cavity. Tie up lets and wings with kitchen string. Brush the turkey with butter and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey until the breast meat registers 165F (put thermometer in sideways). Remove the turkey and place it on a platter. Cut off the legs and thighs and put them back in the roasting pan, covering the breast carcuss tightly with aluminum foil. Put the legs and wings back in the oven for 15-20mins (meat should be 180F). Remove the dark meat from the oven and cover it tightly for 15 minutes.

thaksgiving turkey

Enjoy with friends and family!

If it’s your first turkey — my advice is leave yourself plenty of time the day of. This way, you’re not feeling pressured to skip any of these steps at the end… i’ve been there. Give that epic turkey the time and attention it needs. BUT, most importantly, enjoy with dear friends and family and never loose sight of why you’re all together. No matter how hectic things go in the kitchen, my best advice is to stay present and enjoy the little nuances of the day!

xx,

Jess

Next Post
Previous Post

Please feel free to leave a comment below, check me out at instagram.com/sayjessplease or just shoot me an e-mail at talktome@sayjessplease.com if I can help by sharing anything more on this topic.

In Good Health,say jess please signature

Primary Sidebar

Hi There! I’m Jess

SAY JESS PLEASE - Jess KenningHEALTH & WELLNESS BLOGGER

 I’m passionate about discovering my highest, truest, and most authentic self. Consequently, i’m passionate about uplifting others to do the same. Join me as I continue to discover new recipes, practices, and tools to relish in this journey of finding our highest selves together.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
INSTAGRAM
Something is wrong.
Instagram token error.
Follow

New In: Eat Well

SJP Summer Candy Salad

Summer Candy Salad

Read More

New In: Live Whole

PMS Soup Say Jess Please

Spicy Autumn Sweet Potato Soup (aka PMS Supporting Soup)

New In: Feel Amazing!

say jess please miscarriage

Our Miscarriage Story

Follow Along @SAYJESSPLEASE

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
There has been a problem with your Instagram Feed.

sayjessplease

Jess Kenning
Harper’s one and only 365 days of her world that Harper’s one and only 365 days of her world that we’re all livin’ in 🌎 here’s hoping she remembers 2023 fondly because life’s about to get a little crazy around here!
Vitamin C Shock Therapy 🍊 By popular demand I Vitamin C Shock Therapy 🍊 

By popular demand I’m making this concoction a permanent fixture on my feed. Save it for when you or anyone in your family starts to get sick and adjust the dosage based on age (per the @medicalmedium guidelines). I even take this when I’m starting to get a cold sore to kill the virus and I swear by it!

For @medicalmedium Vitamin C Shock Therapy for adults, the ingredients are:
• 2 500-milligram capsules of @vimergy Micro-C
• 1 cup of water (preferably warm)
• 2 teaspoons of raw honey
•  freshly squeezed juice from one orange.

Here’s how to prepare it: 
Open the Micro-C capsules and pour their powder into the warm water. Stir (I use a frother) until dissolved. Add the raw honey and orange juice and stir well.

Starting at the first sign of cold, flu, or viral infection, drink this tonic every two hours during waking hours. You can do this for two days and then switch to the dosage in an individual supplement list, or you can use this technique throughout the duration of a cold or flu.

For children, here are the adjusted amounts of vitamin C for this supplement therapy (from the medical medium book):

• Ages 1 to 2: 1 500-milligram capsule
Micro-C emptied and mixed with 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon raw honey, and the freshly squeezed juice from half an orange, every six hours during waking hours
• Ages 3 to 4: 1 500-milligram capsule
Micro-C emptied and mixed with 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon raw honey, and the freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange, every five hours during waking hours
• Ages 5 to 8: 1 500-milligram capsule
Micro-C emptied and mixed with 1
cup water, 2 teaspoons raw honey, and the freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange, every four hours during waking hours
• Ages 9 to 12: 1 500-milligram capsule Micro-C emptied and mixed with 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons raw honey, and the freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange, every two hours during waking hours
• Ages 13 and up: 2 500-milligram capsules Micro-C emptied and mixed with 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons raw honey, and the freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange, every three hours during waking hours

**not medical advice just sharing what we do!**
April 2023 🤝 December 2023 In the span of our April 2023 🤝 December 2023

In the span of our “before” and “after” videos, Harper has logged almost 150 hours of physical therapy. Then in the span of 1 day, she crawled and took independent steps 🥹🥰😘 I’m learning that this little girl will go where she needs to go when she is good and ready and here to follow her lead wherever that takes us! Proud mama moment!

Oosing with gratitude for our tribe:
- @superkidspt 
- @amazingkidspgh 
- @annie_kate7 / @teis_ei 
- @spinalstimgerti 
- @paleyinstitute 
- @matthewdobbsmd 
- @childrensphila
Happy Thanksgiving from our growing family 🦃 Happy Thanksgiving from our growing family 🦃
It’s SPINA BIFIDA AWARENESS MONTH ✨a diagnosis It’s SPINA BIFIDA AWARENESS MONTH ✨a diagnosis that would change our lives forever. Full of twists and bumps and turns but a journey not void of abundant joy #spinabifidaawareness #spinabifidawarrior
EGGPLANT 🍆 MOUSSAKA This dairy free/gluten fre EGGPLANT 🍆 MOUSSAKA

This dairy free/gluten free dinner dish tastes anything but. It is packed with rich flavor and is always a special treat in our house. It’s been on my heavy rotation for some time now.

INGREDIENTS:
Veggie Layers:
- 3 TBSP avocado oil, plus more for the pan
- 1 small sweet potato
- 2 medium eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices

Meat Sauce:
- 2 TBSP avocado oil
-1 large white onion, minced
- 1 fresno Chile, seeded and minced (I often make it without this and it’s still delicious)
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pound ground lamb
- 1 TBSP smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamin
- 1 TBSP pink Himalayan salt
- 1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper
- 6 TBSP tomato paste
- 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
- 2 TBSP tightly packed chopped fresh mint

Creamy Bechamel Sauce:
- 2 TBSP ghee
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large egg yolks

DIRECTION:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Cover the eggplant with the avocado oil. Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tender and browned. Remove the eggplant and set aside. Reduce the heat of the oven to 400F.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the sweet potato by cutting it into 1/4 inch thick rounds and set aside. 

3. Meat sauce: heat the avocado oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté 5-10 mins. Add the chile and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the lamb, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and cook until the meat is fully cooked. Add the tomato paste and chopped tomato and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the mint and oregano, stir for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. 

4. Béchamel: In a saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the almond flour and whisk constantly until fully combined. Whisk in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the nutmeg and black pepper and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the egg yolks, one by one. 

*Instructions continued in comments or on sayjessplease.com*
I’m going to leave this here because when the da I’m going to leave this here because when the day comes that this little girl takes independent steps, I want you to know just how hard she worked to get there 💪

& because I want her to know I always believed she could!

& because I am so grateful for the folks at the @paleyinstitute and @progressivepedtherapy for the selfless work they do everyday 🤍

#spinabifidawarrior
It's me, JESS. It may look like my content has ch It's me, JESS.

It may look like my content has changed in the last year if you've followed along for a while, but it remains authentic to my wellness journey. 

When I first embarked on my wellness journey, I think I was in middle school. At that time, being "well" meant being skinny. 

But we evolve.

Today, that couldn't be further from the truth. Today, it's living out something BIGGER than myself, not making myself smaller. 

It's finding peace in my circumstance. It's treating myself with respect.
It's listening and learning from other people.
It's nurturing and embracing my family, fostering community.
It's not turning my back on people that make me feel uncomfortable.
It's diving deeper into my faith.
It's therapy; getting to know myself on a deeper level.

So, if it looks like i've changed... you're right! Proud change agent over here. Whatever could be next :) 

#sayjessplease
10/10 recommend booking a wellness weekend with yo 10/10 recommend booking a wellness weekend with your girlfriends at @omnibedfordsprings 

#springintowellness
#attheomni
#omnibedfordsprings
remembering that no matter what season of life you remembering that no matter what season of life you’re in, you can always come back to self🧘🏼

self love.
self care.
self compassion.
self grace.

Sometimes it just takes removing the noise to remember that the foundations of wellness are free. so grateful for this mindful mediation walk to kick off the #springintowellness weekend at @omnibedfordsprings 

#attheomni
#omnibedfordsprings
Follow Me on Instagram!

Copyright © 2025 Say Jess Please on the Foodie Pro Theme