Name: Upside Down Turkey Recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 4 s
Total time: 2 h 25 min 4 s
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 15 lb turkey (anything from 12-16 pounds will work); 2 stalks celery, cut in thirds; 2 large carrots, cut in thirds; 1 onion, peeled and quartered; 3 Tbsp olive oil (or melted butter); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper

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Roasting turkey upside down may be unconventional, but it yields the most juicy turkey you’ve ever tried! With this recipe, you’ll never have dry white meat again.

Once you try making your Thanksgiving turkey this way, you may never want to go back. 🙂

plate of sliced turkey made by roasting turkey upside down

For the first several years of my marriage, we always had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents or my in-law’s house, so I never made the turkey.

The first time I hosted Thanksgiving, I wasn’t even sure how to cook a turkey. I searched online, and several recipes claimed that cooking turkey upside down makes the most moist meat.

I wasn’t planning on carving my turkey at the table so I thought, “What the heck, I’ll try it.” Boy am I glad I did! It was amazing. Some of the best turkey I’ve ever eaten!

Even my husband and son who only like dark meat because “white meat is always dry”, raved about it. You really should try it.

Disclaimer: I think that taste is more important than presentation when it comes to food. If you are one of those types that want your turkey to look all pretty so you can bring it to the table and carve it, this recipe is probably not for you. People might laugh at you if you bring out a turkey with its legs facing north instead of south. Just giving you a heads-up.

How much turkey do I need per person?

As a general rule, you need between 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds of precooked turkey per person. I usually plan on 1 1/4 pounds per person because we always have children who tend to eat less.

This recipe calls for a 15 pound turkey, and it feeds 12 people.

plate of sliced toasted turkey with gravy

Roasting Turkey Upside Down

PREP – Plan ahead, you need to thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator for about 3 days (24 hours for every 4-5 pounds).
CLEAN – After your turkey is completely thawed, remove everything from the body cavity. (You can refrigerate the giblets if you want to use them for gravy later on.) Use paper towels to pat the outside of the turkey dry.
SEASON – Sprinkle a little bit of the salt and pepper inside the cavity, then stuff the celery, onion, and carrots inside. Rub olive oil on all of the turkey skin then sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pepper. Place the bird breast side down in a roasting pan.
PREHEAT – Let the turkey sit at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 400°.
BAKE – Roast turkey in a 400° F oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350° and bake for another 2 hours. Turn the heat down to 235° and bake until the internal temperature of the breast meat is 165°. It may take 60-90 minutes.
REST – For best results, let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before serving. This allows the meat to relax and absorb the juices. I like to cover it with foil to keep it warm.
SERVE – Carve the turkey and place the slices (and brown meat), on a large serving tray. If desired, garnish with fresh herbs. I like to use rosemary. 🙂

Leftover turkey can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container. I like to sprinkle it with a bit of water or chicken broth and reheat it in the microwave.

PRO TIPS:

For crispy skin on top of the turkey, you can flip it right side up and broil it for 5-10 minutes. Be careful- it’s hot and slippery! I recommend using silicone oven mitts and getting someone to help.
Cooking time varies depending on the size of your turkey and how cold it is when you put it in your oven. So for perfect turkey, use a meat thermometer, and don’t cook it past 165 degrees! Nobody wants a dry turkey.

VARIATIONS:

If you have a favorite recipe or seasonings you like to use on your turkey, feel free to use them. Baking the bird upside down is what really matters here!
You can also add any vegetables, fruits, or fresh herbs to the cavity of the turkey. Garlic cloves, sliced apple rosemary, bay leaves, and thyme are all tasty.

More Thanksgiving dinner recipes:

Yield: 12 servings

Upside Down Turkey Recipe

Upside-down roasting ensures moist turkey every time, even the white meat!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 4 seconds

Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes 4 seconds

Ingredients

1 15 lb turkey (anything from 12-16 pounds will work)
2 stalks celery, cut in thirds
2 large carrots, cut in thirds
1 onion, peeled and quartered
3 Tbsp olive oil (or melted butter)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions

If using a frozen turkey, you need to thaw it completely in the refrigerator. Plan on 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey. My turkey was 15 pounds and it took 3 days.
Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Discard, or refrigerate them if you want to use them for gravy.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and transfer to a large roasting pan. Sprinkle about a third of the salt and pepper inside the cavity, then stuff the celery, carrots, and onion inside.
Rub olive oil on the entire surface of the bird, then sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. (You may need to use kitchen twine to tie the legs together if the vegetables won't stay inside the bird.)
Place the turkey breast-side down in the pan. Let it sit at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 400°. (Make sure your top rack is removed, and your remaining oven rack is on the bottom of the oven.)
Bake the turkey uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350°. Bake for another 2 hours.
Turn the heat down to 235° and bake for about 60-90 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the breast meat reads 165°. (The cook time may vary, pay attention to the internal temperature!)
Remove the turkey from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let the bird rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. Don't forget to save the pan drippings to make turkey gravy!

Notes

-Try not to open the oven door until the turkey is almost done. It lowers the temperature of your oven, which will increase your baking time.
-I find that the method of starting at high heat and turning the oven down yields really moist turkey. But if you think it's too much of a hassle, you can just bake the turkey at 350° for about 3 1/2 - 4 hours.
-If you want to serve your turkey whole, instead of carving it before bringing it to the table, you can use silicone oven mitts to carefully flip the turkey right side up and broil it for 5-10 minutes.

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