| Whole turkey | Melted butter |
| Pepper, and salt if desired |
Preheat oven to 450° F.
Clean, stuff, and truss bird. (Thaw first, if frozen.)
Tear off two pieces of heavy duty wide aluminum foil - one large enough
to go around turkey length-wise and one to go around cross-wise.
Lay bird on back in center of foil sheet. Brush bird all over
with melted butter (about ½ stick for a large 18-lb. turkey).
Season with pepper, and salt if desired.
Put small folds of foil over wing tips and ends of drumsticks to prevent
puncturing. Bring two opposite ends of each foil piece up, overlapping
on breast of bird to make a reasonably well-sealed tent around bird --
no need to seal airtight.
Place wrapped bird breast-side up in a shallow pan in preheated 450°
oven. Allow cooking time as follows (based on ready-to-cook weight
before stuffing):
| 1 - 4 lbs. | 1 to 1 ½ hours |
| 5 - 6 lbs. | 1 ¾ to 2 hours |
| 7 - 9 lbs. | 2 ¼ to 2 ½ hours |
| 10-13 lbs. | 2 ¾ to 3 hours |
| 14-17 lbs. | 3 to 3 ¼ hours |
| 18-21 lbs. | 3 ¼ to 3 ½ hours |
| 22-24 lbs. | 3 ½ to 3 ¾ hours |
| 25-27 lbs. | 4 to 4 ¾ hours |
Open foil during last 20 minutes for browning.
Since the moisture and the juice of the bird are held in by the aluminum foil, there will be plenty of drippings in the foil for making gravy. Pour these drippings into a saucepan and make gravy.
Serve with Giblet Gravy