how long does it take to cook a turkey at 250 degrees

Overnight Roasted Turkey is crispy and golden brown on the outside, while staying moist and juicy on the inside. With just 15 minutes of prep this turkey cooks all night long with no basting needed!

Most people are used to the traditional Roast Turkey Recipe you'll find on our site. Along with other easy Holiday Recipes you can make in your slow cooker, you could put the recipes together the night before and wake up to a fully prepared feast without any of the extra work!

OVERNIGHT TURKEY RECIPE

You may be wondering, why cook an overnight turkey? This recipe is perfect for those of you who like to serve Thanksgiving lunch!

There are many readers who've been reaching out for help with preparing Thanksgiving lunch vs. a Thanksgiving dinner. For those of you who find yourselves in this position, you do not have to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning anymore to start cooking. Let your oven act like a crockpot overnight!

I know most of you haven't tried cooking a turkey overnight, but have you ever considered it? I have roasted a lot of turkeys in my life and trust me, this Overnight Turkey Recipe will change your life… in a good way. You can slow roast a turkey overnight without checking on it periodically.

Roasting a turkey is so much easier when cooked overnight. This slow-roasted Overnight Turkey Recipe is hands free once it's in the oven.

With this recipe, you can rest, literally, assured that your turkey will be ok when you wake up. Not just ok, your turkey will be moist and tender and ready for your finishing touches before you place it on the Thanksgiving turkey serving platter.

OTHER HOLIDAY SIDE DISH RECIPES

Overnight Roasted Turkey vs. Classic Roasted Turkey

A typical roasting temperature is around 325 degrees F for up to 8 hours depending on the size of your turkey.

As you slowly roast your turkey overnight at 200 degrees F for approximately 10 hours, the low temperature and moisture is basting your turkey while you sleep. No need to baste your turkey.

Cooking Turkey Overnight in large pan

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HOW TO ROAST AN OVERNIGHT TURKEY

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Mix the Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and sage into the butter.
Rub the herb butter all over the outside of the turkey.
Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan breast side up and pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
Tent the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Place the turkey into the oven overnight to cook for approximately 10 hours.
Use a meat thermometer to check the turkey's internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh and in the turkey breast. Once the turkey breast has reached a temperature of 160 degrees, increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
Remove the aluminum foil and roast for another 15-20 minutes on high heat until the skin is browned and crispy.
Remove the turkey from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

LOOKING FOR MORE IDEAS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY TURKEY?

WHAT ABOUT THE STUFFING?

Do not stuff a slow cooked turkey. Grandma's favorite stuffing recipe (normally cooked in the cavity of the turkey) will be a flop because the low temperature and moisture overnight will make it a soggy mess.

This Thanksgiving be kind to yourself. Plan for Thanksgiving dinner to be around Noon. Both the Overnight Turkey and the Slow Cooker Stuffing will be hot and ready to enjoy.

Stuffing is best cooked separately at all times for food safety reasons. By the time the liquid from the turkey (that the stuffing has absorbed) reaches a food safe temperature, the white meat of the turkey will be overcooked. You are always best to cook them separately.

WHAT ABOUT THE GRAVY?

This recipe calls for 32 oz. of broth to roast your Thanksgiving Turkey in all night long. Cooked low and slow, the turkey juices will be full and rich with flavor.

This year's gravy might just be the best gravy you've ever had. Here's a tried and true recipe I've used for years for you to use.

Pour the liquid left behind in the roasting pan into a measuring cup and remove as much of the fat (reserve two tablespoons) as you can.
Add two tablespoons of your turkey fat into a sauce pan on medium high heat and combine with 2 tablespoons of flour.
Whisk and let cook on medium for a minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
Add in the rest of the turkey broth and let it cook until thickened, approximately 3 – 5 minutes.
Season to taste.

If you're slow roasting your turkey overnight, you may want to consider doing your entire holiday meal in the slow cooker! Here are more holiday side dish options, all made in the slow cooker!

SLOW COOKER HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES

VARIATIONS FOR OVERNIGHT TURKEY

Poultry Seasoning: If you're in a pinch and don't have the seasonings called for in this recipe, you can swap 1 tbsp of poultry seasoning for 2 tsp sage and 1 tsp either dried thyme or marjoram.
Chicken Broth:You've been to the store so many times already and you don't want to run back for chicken broth? No worries, If you have 1 bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon instant bouillon granules, pour into 1 cup water and Voila! you have 1 cup broth. You'll need 4 cups of broth to cook a 14 – 16 lb bird.
Turkey Cavity:Some place a celery stalk, small onion and small peeled carrot in the cavity of the turkey while cooking to add flavor.

HOW LONG CAN I STORE AND FREEZE OVERNIGHT TURKEY

Serve: Once removed from the roasting pan, let the turkey rest 20 – 30 minutes and then carve and serve.
Store: Tightly-covered, your leftover turkey will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Use zipper-type plastic bags. Leftover stuffing and gravy should be used within a day or so.
Freeze: Slice the meat from the turkey and wrap it in freezer paper or foil, then seal in plastic freezer bags (make sure to press out all the air before sealing) or use airtight containers.

Overnight Roasted Turkey with juicy turkey meat

▢ 14-16 lb turkey , defrosted
▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
▢ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
▢ 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
▢ 1 teaspoon dried sage
▢ 32 ounces chicken broth

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. (If your oven has a minimum temperature of 200 degrees, set it to 200, but the turkey will likely be done sooner, so use a meat thermometer).
In a medium bowl, mash together the butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary and sage.
Dry your turkey well inside and out with paper towels, then rub the butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey.
Put the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan breast side up then pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
Tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil but make sure the foil is not touching the turkey.
Cook the turkey for 9 hours.
Use a meat thermometer to check the turkey's internal temperature and make sure the thickest part of the turkey thigh is at 160 degrees.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees, remove the foil tent and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until the skin is browned and crispy.
Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes, with the foil loosely covering the turkey.

Keyword: Cook Overnight Turkey, Cooking a Turkey Overnight, Overnight Turkey

How to Cook Turkey Overnight collage

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the upcoming cookbook: Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients which is being published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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