Seriously? You can actually roast an entire turkey ahead of time and serve it hot at the table? Yes, says Ina, and she now does it often, including on Thanksgiving.
Here’s the thing… it’s not only Ina’s taste in flavor combinations and technique that always win us over—it’s her knockout ideas. And they are as dazzling as ever in her new book, Make It Ahead. There’s the do-ahead turkey and gravy, sides, and desserts—we’ll get to those—but also ways to whip cream ahead, freeze things and pull them out, even make your own healthy peanut butter dog biscuits. (She says she’s been trying to get her publishers to print that one for ages; this time she insisted.)
It’s all about two things for Ina… saying no to the stress of cooking on the spot… and being able to feed her guests well and enjoy their company. You know us. We love that. But what’s remarkable about Make It Ahead is that Ina created recipes that are better because they’ve been made ahead, giving the flavors a chance to marry and settle in together.
When Chris Prosperi tested Ina’s slow-roasted spiced pork, which he made the night before and roasted for us on serving day, we slathered the melting meat on corn tortillas, squeezed on some fresh lime, as Ina suggested, and what a world of well-married flavor we encountered. The recipe combines pork butt, chili powder, lots of garlic, ground cumin and chipotle powder, oregano, jalapeño, and Pinot grigio wine.
But, really, we know with the holidays approaching, you’d probably like to hear how Ina roasts her turkey ahead of time and serves it with hot, make-ahead gravy.
- kosher salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves fresh, minced
- lemon zest grated from 1 lemon
- 1 turkey 12 to 14 pounds, fresh
- 1 onion large, yellow, unpeeled, and cut in eighths
- 1 lemon quartered
- 8 sprigs thyme fresh
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted
- 6 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 red onion large, halved, and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 4 cloves garlic large, peeled, and halved
- 6 tablespoons flour all-purpose
- 4 cups chicken stock good, preferably homemade
- 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
- 10 leaves sage large, fresh
- 2 bay leaves
- kosher salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 cup white wine dry, such as Pinot grigio
- Two or three days before you plan to roast the turkey, combine 3 tablespoons of salt, the minced thyme, and lemon zest. Wash the turkey inside and out, drain it well, and pat it all over with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the salt mixture in the cavity of the turkey and rub the rest on the skin, including under the wings and legs. Place the turkey in a shallow dish just large enough to hold it and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one or two days. The day before you plan to roast the turkey, remove the plastic wrap and leave the turkey in the fridge. The skin will dry out and turn a little translucent.
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Put the turkey in a large roasting pan, discarding any juices in the dish. Place the onion, lemon, and thyme sprigs in the cavity. With kitchen string, tie the lets together and the wings close to the body. Brush the turkey with the butter and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast the turkey for 2 to 2¼ hours, until the breast meat registers 165° F (put the thermometer in sideways) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven and place the turkey on a platter. Cut off the legs and thighs and put them back into the roasting pan, covering the breast and carcass tightly with aluminum foil. Place the roasting pan back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the dark meat registers 180° F. Remove the dark meat to the platter with the turkey, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Pour a ¼-inch layer of gravy into a large (12 × 16-inch), ovenproof serving platter (make sure it's ovenproof!). Carve the turkey and arrange it artfully on top of the gravy. Place the platter uncovered into the oven for 15 to 30 minutes, until the turkey is very hot. Serve hot with extra gravy on the side.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onion becomes browned and starts to caramelize. Sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1½ minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, Cognac, sage leaves, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, and 1 teaspoon pepper). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour and strain, pressing the solids lightly and then discarding them. refrigerate until ready to use.
- After the turkey is cooked, remove it to a carving board to rest while you finish the gravy. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and add the wine. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring and scraping up all the bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Slowly whisk the gravy base into the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the gravy is smooth and slightly thickened. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.
Make the gravy base and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.
Roast and slice the turkey and assemble it on the gravy. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour before reheating in the oven.
How long in advance can you roast an slice the turkey?
Sally, I have an answer for you, though you can probably Google Ina Garten’s Make Ahead Thanksgiving turkey and see it all. She says you “roast and slice the turkey and assemble it on the gravy. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for up to one hour before reheating it in the oven. But here’s another great tip for leftovers…Chris Prosperi taught me to place turkey slices in the gravy you’re reheating on the stove top. Simmer until the meat is heated and infused with gravy moistness. it’s killer good this way! Happy Holidays! Cheers! — Faith
I will cook my turkey on wednesday. How should I store it until I am ready to reheat?
Suzanne, Ina Garten pulls it out of the oven, let’s it sit for a while to re-absorb its juices. But she does not speak about roasting it a day ahead. She says to cover all stored food all the way around with plastic wrap, including the bottom, in the fridge. She wants us to wrap the food all the way around to make a nice tight seal. Cheers! — Faith
Our “mission” center in our town cooks the birds 3 days in advance…volunteers pull the turkey off the bones they put the meat in aluminum roasting pans and pour the cooking liquids over the shredded meat…let all cool and then wrap tightly and place in walk in coolers for next 2-3 days…on thanksgiving morning they pull the turkey out and begin reheating in ovens …the meat is just as moist as if it were cooked the day of…(my suggestion is to closely watch the temperature and pull that bird out of oven as soon as safe…let cool completely before deboneing)….the only down fall is …wait there is no down fall..
Sounds wonderful, Connie!
Last year, we roasted our turkey the day before. I placed the sliced turkey in a large roasting bag, poured the juices over, and sealed it tightly and put in the refrigerator on a plate with sides in case there were any leaks. On Thanksgiving Day, I had the oven freed up to cook my casseroles and the side dishes. Just before everyone came over and as the sweet potato casserole, bread dressing, and baked Brussels Sprouts finished up, I put the turkey back in the oven in a shallow roasting pan with the juices except for what I was using to make pan gravy, and heated it to piping hot, loosely covered. It tasted exactly like it had been roasted that same day and was moist without being too soft in texture. The other clincher is, the house smelled of roasting turkey, so no one was the wiser that it had been roasted the day before. The other thing I did was to make use of my crock pot. I made my mashed potatoes and put them in the crock pot. Added the butter and salt just before serving.
Marilyn,
I cannot tell you how much I love your cooking story! The make-ahead turkey, as you know, really works. You can also roast a whole turkey for leftovers, and at the same time, in the same oven, roast a turkey that has been cut up in parts. the cut-up one goes into the gravy to serve, the whole one sits on the counter looking pretty, then is there for leftovers the next day. Eat, drink and be merry! Faith
Hi, Did you reheat the turkey in the pan, with the roasting bag? Thanks, Cheryl
Cheryl, there is no roasting bag. The idea is to make the turkey ahead, then while it’s out of the oven and resting, and when your guests are seated, you put the carved turkey slices in a pool of hot gravy on the platter. It’s such a fabulous way to go, no matter how you like to make your turkey. Cheers, Faith
I think I will follow your way. Thank you!
Ina says to cut off legs and thighs and cover breast with foil. I’m ASSUMING that means that ONLY the legs and thighs go back in oven and breast is done. Am I correct????
thanks
Syb, yes, because you know how that breast meat cooks much faster than the rest and can dry out. Let me know how it goes. Cheers, Faith
To clarify, this recipe is geared to making the turkey the day ahead and serving it later. What is the best way to store the turkey to make sure it doesn’t dry out? I am assuming it should be carved and then stored in the frig for serving the next day. Has anyone done this? Is it very dry? I am leery of storing it in the gravy because unbelievably not everyone in my family likes gravy and doesn’t necessarily want it on their turkey.
Margaret, if you read the recipe you’ll see that the turkey is not stored in the gravy. i hope your dinner went well and thanks for reaching out. Best, Faith
Margaret Cain – When I was young, my mother would cover the cooked turkey breast leftovers, still on the bone, with a clean, damp tea towel. It kept the meat moist. Maybe you’d like try that!
Not everyone in my family indulges in gravy either (don’t understand that!) so I slice the turkey after cooking on Wednesday putting it in an oven proof dish drizzle with 1 cup of stock covered tightly with foil. Let stand at room temp the next day for 30 minutes and reheat covered for 20/30 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove foil for last 5 minutes.
thank you very much for this information. I love to cook, but have no knowledge or training so this is very helpful. i want to prepare delicious food for my family and friends and am delighted when my dishes turn out well and they exclaim how good the food tastes!
So happy it worked. I think Ina Garten is so reliable. Best, Faith
This was the best turkey I’ve ever made. I cooked two of them on Wednesday and reheated on Thursday in chafing trays. I brought the gravy to a simmer, put some in the bottom of the dish, layered the sliced turkey, covered with foil heated for about 30 minutes then placed it on a warming tray. Served it with extra hot gravy. A total winner. Way way better than cooking the turkey on thanksgiving. Everything tasted better.
So glad, Maya! I think Ina is very reliable. I used this recipe last year. Cheers, Faith
If I wanted to leave the legs whole, as shown
in Ina’s cookbook, would they get hot enough?
(This is if I make the turkey the day before)
Sure. You’re still warming everything up in the oven. Let us know how it goes!
So I made this recipe last week – with 2 turkeys – in Rival roasters for a church holiday dinner on Sunday after church service was over. I roasted the turkeys – 375 degrees from start to finish per the roaster instructions – and started the gravy while the turkeys roasted. When the turkeys were finished roasting (CRISPY skin!) and resting, I finished the gravy. Then I carved the turkeys (meat was practically falling off the bones). I put the gravy in one roaster pan, 1/4 inch as the recipe suggested, put the carved turkeys on top (consolidating from one pan to two). I poured maybe 2 ladles-full of gravy over the turkey, covered the roaster pan insert and popped it in the frig. The finished gravy was placed in a regular 6 quart crock pot, and the crock pot insert was placed in the frig. We did all this on Friday morning / early afternoon. On Sunday morning, we took the roaster insert out of the frig, took the plastic wrap off, and popped it in the roaster. Reheated at 350 for 1 hour (did not preheat the roaster), and then reduced the heat to 250 until we were ready to serve; someone checked every 1/2 hour (for 2 more hours) and poured some broth over, if necessary, to keep it from drying out. Similarly, the crock pot was placed on high for 1 hour, and then reduced to low, with a quick stir every 30 minutes for 2 hours until ready to serve. Worked like a charm! 🙂
Utterly spectacular! Are you thinking of opening a restaurant…
Cheers,
Faith
Here I am, it’s 2016. I’m preparing dinner for 40 and going to make the turkey and ham ahead of time. I don’t have enough time and then EXHAUSTED. I googled this and I am so excited.
Wonders if I can assemble mac n cheese and stuffing the day ahead as well and just pop in the oven to cook.
Why not? Make as much ahead as you possibly can. Enjoy your family and friends from the moment they walk in the door! Cooking for 40 is no small thing. . .let us know how it goes!
I cook for 26 on Thanksgiving so I did this last year and it was delicious! Plan on doing again. Thanks for the great tips and recipes!
I am working in the morning( till 12), everyone wants to eat about 1. I will be cooking two turkeys. Im going to try making them the day before…My husband can put the roaster in the oven,that has the sliced cooked turkey with gravy at 12 and put the crock pot with extra gray on also. My children are doing the side dishes..hopefully all will come out just fine after reading everyone’s letters that have done this ..thanks all!
Sounds like a good plan. Happy Thanksgiving!
If I make the turkey a day ahead of time, at what step do I put it in the refrigerator? Is it refrigerated after step 3, before carving? Or do I carve it, place on gravy, and refrigerate the fully arranged platter?
Hi Amy. Another listener (Margaret) in fact, asks a similar question and Faith says, no, do not arrange the gravy and turkey on a platter and place it in the fridge. There are several success stories from listeners right in this very thread; give the comments a read. . .fellow listeners will guide you well.
when roasting the turkey, is it in a covered pan or uncovered. I always put the lid on the roaster but then am disappointed when it is not brown and crispy when done cooking?
Hi Trixie, Chris recommends roasting the turkey 3/4 of the time covered, but then uncovering the turkey for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time; that should help the skin brown up a bit.
I have 20 pound turkey this year. Will brine first. Love tip about drying out after. Is there any way to leave Turkey whole? Has anyone ever tried to cut whole roasted turkey in half and warm in stock? Not fooling anybody with pre-sliced turkey as they will all be in kitchen. Its the biggest room in 300 year old house. Everyone gathers in it.
Umm. . .not sure if this rewarming trick works with a whole or half bird. The idea isn’t to “fool” anybody into thinking the turkey is straight out of the oven, the goal is all about serving warm turkey! Chris suggested roasting your turkey ahead, letting it rest (minimum 20 minutes, but hours would be good!), then cutting it in half, if that’s what you want to do, but instead of rewarming it in the gravy, reheat in a 350-375 degree oven for 7-10 minutes before serving. I hope this helps!
It seems like there’s mixed thoughts on storing the cooked & sliced turkey on gravy or refrigerate the gravy on the side. Which seems to work better? I’m cooking for 36 so making turkey ahead is perfect. I’ll be wrapping the ham in foil and heating it on the grill outside. This will free up my oven for side dishes.
Hi Robin. Chris is going with: roast the turkey, let it rest as long as possible—an hour or more, even—slice the well-rested turkey. Grab your gravy. Pour ¼-inch of gravy onto a serving platter. Arrange turkey slices onto platter with gravy, Place the platter with gravy and turkey slices uncovered into a warm oven for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Everything comes out warm and ready to eat. Happy Thanksgiving!
Can I do this all on Tuesday instead of Wednesday (travel day)? I have cooked my turkey one day ahead many times (with great results and a happier mommy on Turkey Day!), but not two days ahead….
I can’t say its recommended, Kathy. A day ahead, definitely. Morning of, even more ideal. Two days ahead? Well, let’s just say. unlike a stew, roast turkey isn’t one of those things that gets better by sitting or needs a day to have lots of flavors meld. With travel, cooks do what they have to do, but follow Ina’s recipe for the best results.
This will be my 3rd year cooking Ina’s wonderful make-ahead turkey recipe the day BEFORE Thanksgiving. I follow the recipe with one exception. Not everyone in my large extended family likes gravy so here is my alternative method. After resting for an hour at least, I slice the turkey and place in on a foil wrapped cookie sheet (one sheet for white meat, one for dark meat). Instead of gravy on the bottom, I use some Turkey Stock (Trader Joe’s sells it this time of year or ‘Better than Boullion’ turkey paste works great too). I add a little dried poultry seasoning or sage to the broth first. Then the turkey is placed on top, more stock/broth over the top, then foil wrapped over the top and into the refrigerator until the next day. Just be careful to not fill your cookie sheets with too much stock, it just needs to keep the meat moist while reheating. One year I even transported it on Thanksgiving to the relative’s house (15 minutes away) to go into the oven there to warm. Everyone loves this recipe and it’s very moist!
So glad it works for you! And thanks for sharing what you do.
How long would you say it took to reheat it.
Sounds great
I roasted a 14 pound turkey tree days ago, let it cool, wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil and refrigerated it. I did not carve it up – simply wrapped the entire turkey. I wanted to heat ii up and serve it today. Is it still good or must I throw the whole thing out?
Lots of people are still eating Thanksgiving leftovers three days out, so why not?
I don’t understand what is “made ahead” in the Ina Garten recipe. It sounds like the turkey is roasted and served the same day, within an hour or two. I’m looking to roast a turkey and serve it the next day. Commenters seem to have bettter ideas about that.
Years ago I heard from a chef on NPR that a roast can — and should — rest on the counter up to the number of hours that it cooked. I’ve done this for years and have never had the angst of not enough oven space — with a turkey on the counter for a few hours, there is plenty of time for any side dish imaginable. I loosely cover the bird (or whatever I am roasting) with foil and some times drape a clean towel over it as well. The roast is still piping hot when you serve it. You sacrifice a small strip of crisp skin on a serving, but how much skin does each serving actually have, anyway? Totally a trade-off worth making, in my book.
What are your thoughts on serving sliced turkey and ham on the same platter for a Thanksgiving buffet?
There are no rules. . .do what you like, what makes the meal easier for you, and what you think your guests will enjoy.
Not sure if anyone is still answering posts but I would like advice on whether this recipe will work for my situation. We are all going away to a rental house for TG. We leave the Sunday before TG and travel 4 hours. I have already cooked most of the TG dinner and frozen it. There’s so much that everything will stay frozen until we arrive and I can put it the rental house freezer. With all my wonderful family and grandchildren around, I don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen. I’m wondering if I can cook the turkey ahead and freeze it either sliced or in pieces. Then thaw and reheat as above???
Hi Adele: Ina recommends starting the turkey prep and cooking process 2-3 days ahead and doesn’t say whether or not she thinks it’s a good idea to freeze turkey once roasted. I wouldn’t. I’d do what you’re doing: cook 99.9% of the meal ahead and freeze (most casseroles freeze well, mashed potatoes and other tubers freeze well, pies freeze well) and I’d do the turkey either the day before or morning-of. Reheat that turkey–when it’s time–with the make-ahead gravy (THAT freezes REALLY well. . .and for weeks).
Not sure if anyone is on this post still but am cooking for 26 and delivering about 3 then they are eating around 7
I just saw the post on leaving turkey for hours on counter and then slicing via chef on NPR.
Question is if I pull out and tent at 2 and deliver by 3 and they slice and eat at 7 is this too many hours out and resting?
You can not rest a turkey for too long. People roast their turkey in the morning and eat it later in the day all the time. You’ll need to reheat, of course (and a nice, hot gravy helps). It’ll be delicious, Michelle.
Could this recipe be used on just a turkey breast?
Why not? Use the make-ahead spirit, the seasonings, and re-heating method, for your turkey breasts; just be sure to adjust the amounts of everything. The recipe as written is for a 12-14 pound whole turkey. Scale down accordingly. Experiment at will!
I have a 20 lb turkey and want to use Ina’s make a head recipe. How do I adjust the cooking time for a bigger bird. Her recipe is only for a 12-14 lb bird.
According to Lucina Scala Quinn’s Straight-Talk Turkey recipe, a 20-lb turkey should roast for 4-1/2 to 5 hours. (But, don’t forget this rule of thumb: Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh joint registers 160°F.)
Ach! I misunderstood this make ahead recipe! I’ve roasted the turkey today, cooled, sliced and placed on 2 platters (21 lb bird) with just a little layer of gravy underneath. Wrapped with clingwarp and in the refrigerator. Hoping it’ won’t be too dry. Will reheat for 15-30 minutes at 350 correct? Should I put foil over it so it doesn’t dry?
Sure. Give it a try, Maureen. And, I’d probably cover it. Good Luck!
My turkey release a LOT of fat in the pan. I wish Ina said how much to leave in the pan when making the gravy. I make a 22-lb turkey, cooked a lot longer, but made the recipe as stated for the gravy base. Now I have to guess on how much fat to let stay in the pan.
can you give me insructions on how to make a (FROZEN) turkey ahead of time?
This might help: https://foodschmooze.org/recipe/freezer-to-oven-whole-turkey/
I’ve just bought a turkey and cooking this for the first time. The lady at the shop where we bought this at the preston market in Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺 is called Betty. We normally have other roast meat at Christmas usually beef but seafood is popular as it’s usually hot Christmas Day. We are going to get 28c.
She advised there is a neck in the turkey and to use this to make a stock for the turkey to roast in. Betty also suggested to cook it downside first so the juices ran into the breast. I watched Jamie Oliver do a turkey and he said it can be cooked the day before but with no instructions on how to reheat the next day.
I’d love to have crispy skin it seems that doing the turkey the day before. Any suggestions to keep the skin crispy?