Melt about 3-4 heaping tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Add to the butter about 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil (slightly more than the melted butter). Into this, put a generous shaking of lemon pepper, paprika, and some salt. Seasoned Salt works in a pinch. Mix it so the powders are evenly distributed, then brush it onto the bird, focusing on the areas that are "exposed". You don't need to baste the bird after the first coating, so pop it in the even and bake it the appointed time (Directions are usually on the wrapper, but a 12-14lb bird goes 3 - 3.75 hrs at 325 degrees)
This will make the skin oh so tasty and give it a pleasant coloring, while locking in the succulent juices.
Cook it upside down (breast down) for first half or maybe a bit longer. This way juices run down into the breast keeping it nice and moist. Flip it over for the last bit and you'll still get a decent brown skin. This is how my mom always did it but sometimes ran into trouble with the skin sticking to the roasting pan, so I started putting a layer of celery (4-6 sticks criss-crossed) as a bit of a buffer. Added bonus, it gives just a touch of flavor to the pan drippings.
Also, fresh birds tend to be tougher so go with the frozen. You occasionally run across a gem of a fresh bird, but frozen ones are a bit less of a risk.
I'ce gears tgat cooking it upsidedown is incredible. Since im brining it i havent decided if i'll do that or not... Im thinking yes, but with my disposable roasting pan, its fonna be a PITA to flip it...
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Here's what I do:
Melt about 3-4 heaping tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Add to the butter about 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil (slightly more than the melted butter). Into this, put a generous shaking of lemon pepper, paprika, and some salt. Seasoned Salt works in a pinch. Mix it so the powders are evenly distributed, then brush it onto the bird, focusing on the areas that are "exposed". You don't need to baste the bird after the first coating, so pop it in the even and bake it the appointed time (Directions are usually on the wrapper, but a 12-14lb bird goes 3 - 3.75 hrs at 325 degrees)
This will make the skin oh so tasty and give it a pleasant coloring, while locking in the succulent juices.
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Cook it upside down (breast down) for first half or maybe a bit longer. This way juices run down into the breast keeping it nice and moist. Flip it over for the last bit and you'll still get a decent brown skin. This is how my mom always did it but sometimes ran into trouble with the skin sticking to the roasting pan, so I started putting a layer of celery (4-6 sticks criss-crossed) as a bit of a buffer. Added bonus, it gives just a touch of flavor to the pan drippings.
Also, fresh birds tend to be tougher so go with the frozen. You occasionally run across a gem of a fresh bird, but frozen ones are a bit less of a risk.
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