A 20-lb. turkey will feed about 20 diners.
Turkey is an excellent choice for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner--one large turkey can feed a room full of people. The rule of thumb on what size bird to buy is a pound of turkey for each person you need to feed. If you are having 20 guests for dinner, you need a 20-lb. turkey.
Cooking Without Stuffing
Make sure your turkey has been completely thawed in the refrigerator before you prepare it for cooking. You will need to remove the giblets and rinse the turkey out. Add any desired spices to the turkey and place it in a roasting pan. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place your turkey in the oven and cook it for 4 1/2 hours. Make sure the turkey has been completely cooked by inserting a meat thermometer in the deepest part of the breast to check the internal temperature of the bird. It should read 165 degrees in order to be considered safe to eat, according to the USDA.
Cooking with Stuffing
If you decide to cook your turkey with stuffing in it, you must cook the stuffing first. Once the stuffing has been prepared and your turkey has been cleaned, spoon the stuffing inside of the turkey. Place the turkey in a roasting pan in a 325-degree oven and cook for four hours and 45 minutes. Be sure the internal temperature of the turkey reaches at least 165 degrees before removing it from the oven.
Deep Fried
Deep frying a turkey cooks the turkey much faster and gives it a different flavor from the traditional roasted turkey. Prepare the oil in your fryer and wait for its temperature to rise to between 325 and 350 degrees before carefully lowering your turkey in to the frying pot. A deep fried turkey needs to be cooked for three minutes for each pound, so plan on cooking your 20-lb. turkey for 60 minutes. Check your turkey to make sure it has reached the appropriate internal temperature, 165 degrees.
Warning: Be very careful when you deep fry a turkey. Serious burns can result if any of the oil splashes or spills on you. Never deep fry around children or pets.
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