Beer-Basted Turkey Recipe

Name: Beer-Basted Turkey Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 330 min
Total time: 360 min
Ingredients: 1 (12- to 18-pound) turkey, thawed , giblets removed; Stuffing , optional; Salt, to taste; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 4 ounces unsalted butter; 2 (12-ounce) bottles pale ale

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 5 hrs 30 mins

Total: 6 hrs

Servings: 12 to 18 servings

Yield: 1 turkey

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Beer and food are a natural pairing and as much as we love to drink beer while eating, it's also great to cook with and is always nice with poultry. This recipe is a perfect way to cook your turkey with your favorite ale.

What's great about this recipe is it's just as easy as your average roasted turkey. Essentially, you're taking all of the necessary steps needed to create the best bird and simply using a butter-infused beer for basting. This will create a great flavor on the bird and add to its natural juices, ensuring your turkey comes out nice and moist.

This beer-basted turkey recipe came from Magic Hat Brewing Company of South Burlington, Vermont. The brewer makes a fantastic line of craft beers and they suggest using their #9 Not Quite Pale Ale, but you can substitute in any of your favorite pale ales. To add a different dimension to the basting juices, you may also think about using a fruit beer.

Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

1 (12- to 18-pound) turkey, thawed, giblets removed
Stuffing, optional
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 (12-ounce) bottles pale ale

Gather the ingredients.

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Adjust the oven racks so the turkey will fit in the oven and preheat to 325 F.
Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.

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Season both the inside and outside with salt and pepper.

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Stuff the bird, if desired. If you are not making stuffing, insert something into the body cavity that will flavor the meat. This can be a halved lemon or orange, a stalk of celery, a few garlic cloves, halved onion, or some bay leaves. A compound butter of herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme is an excellent option as well.

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Place the turkey in a roasting pan.

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Melt the butter and stir in one bottle of ale. Pour the butter-beer mixture over the turkey.

The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
Cook an un-stuffed bird for about 15 minutes per pound, cook a stuffed bird for about 20 minutes per pound.
While roasting, baste the turkey every 20 minutes or so with the beer-butter and pan juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the roasting pan. About halfway through the cooking, pour the remaining bottle of beer over the turkey and continue basting.

The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
Cover the breast and drumsticks with foil if they start browning too early.

The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
When a meat or instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at least 180 F, the turkey is done. If stuffed, the stuffing should register at least 160 F.

The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
65	Calories
5g	Fat
1g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 18
Amount per serving
Calories	65
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g	7%
Saturated Fat 3g	16%
Cholesterol 15mg	5%
Sodium 36mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 1g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 3mg	0%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 16mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.