13 Days of Turkey: Day 3, How Long Should You Cook it? [VIDEO]

Day 3 of 13 Days of Turkey focuses on the temperature of the bird.  The general rule is to cook your turkey 20 minutes for every pound.

So if you have a 10 pound bird, for example, you would cook it for 3 hours and 20 minutes.  You can follow that advice, or you can use the foolproof method I rely on from Food Network's Alton Brown on how to get your turkey golden and crispy on top without overcooking the white meat.  This short video will show you in under five minutes exactly how to achieve that result!  Hint: high hear to start, low heat to finish.

In summary:

1. prep your bird using canola oil, or my seasoning recipe from Day 2
2. cook the turkey at 500 degrees for the first 30 minutes
3. remove and place the piece of triangle aluminum foil over the bird's breast
4. drop the oven heat to 350 degrees and heat until the turkey reaches 161 degrees

• 13 Days of Turkey: Day 1, The Secret to a Juicy Bird
• 13 Days of Turkey: Day 2, How I Season the Bird

Where should I put the thermometer?:  It's best to place the thermometer on the inside of the thigh where it meats the breast because dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat.