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Slow-Roasted Whole Turkey

Ali Segersten (author)
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Slow-roasting a whole turkey at a lower heat is an excellent way to produce very tender meat. If you have the time, I would highly recommend trying this method! Every year I like to purchase a couple of extra whole turkeys in November when they are in season and put them in my deep freezer. In spring and summertime I'll cook a whole turkey using this method, because I can put it in the oven early in the morning and come home later in the day to an entire cooked bird! I prefer to store all of the leftover turkey in its juices in sealed glass containers in my fridge or freezer for later use; this also keeps the meat extra moist and tender. The next day, I like to reheat the turkey and juices and serve with gluten-free hamburger buns along with some sort of cabbage slaw. It's a very flavorful and easy spring or summer meal!

Ingredients
1 whole turkey rinsed and patted dry (12 to 20 pounds)
2 large onions chopped
6 celery stalks chopped
3 large carrots chopped
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh sage
¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons sea salt
3 cups water
5.0 2 reviews

Ell…

Dec 28, 2025

This turned out amazing! I also used a combination of white wine and water for the liquid, and only used a turkey breast instead of a full turkey. The lower temp cooked longer resulted in the best tasting meat I have ever had. Thank you for this recipe!

Lis…

Dec 27, 2022

This worked beautifully!! I added bit of white wine and chicken broth to the pan as I saw a bit of liquid in the picture... not sure if that was why my turkey took a little longer to cook than anticipated. The results were so beautiful my husband insisted on staging a picture of our table before he carved it. :)