Cooking Instructions for "Butter and Herb Roast Turkey"

I am planning on making the "Butter and Herb Roast Turkey" that was a food 52 community pick. I wanted to know how the cooking time should be modified for a much smaller turkey. The recipe is for an 18-20 pound turkey and I plan on making a 10 pound turkey.

Kelly Anderson
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5 Comments

Omeletta November 16, 2012
Hey Kelly- i usually plan on 20 mins per pound at 350 *F. If the turkey is basted well, that's the perfect cooking time & temp.
 
sdebrango November 16, 2012
Yes I agree for a 10 lb bird I think 2.5-3 hrs is right, I agree with WFM customer also a digital thermometer is an excellent investment. I pull the turkey out when it reaches 150 and for a 10 lb turkey I think it should be about 2 hours maybe a little more,cooking time, after you brush it with the remaining compound butter and place it back in the oven at a higher temperature it will take approximately 30 minutes to nicely brown the turkey and you should have an internal temp of 160 when it's done, it will continue cooking while tented and resting and you should have a finished temperature of 165-170 when all is said and done. Enjoy, I have been making the turkey this way for a long time and it never fails to please. Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try.
 
Kelly A. November 16, 2012
Thank you so much for these detailed instructions! It makes me feel really excited to give the recipe a try and also boosts my confidence that it will turn out great!
 
Author Comment
I would also invest in a oven thermometer. You stick it in the Bird and when it hits the temperature of 160degrees you pull it out. The resting time (15-20mins) will give the rise to the extra five degrees. The digital oven thermometer is handy all year round and not just Thanksgiving. It stops you from opening the oven too many times, which would slow down the cooking process.
 
Monita November 16, 2012
Should be 2 1/2 - 3 hours for a safe reading of 165 internal temp
 
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