How To Cook a Turkey in an Oven Bag

One Thanksgiving I flew home to cook for 20 of my closest family and friends. Since I was traveling, I put my parents in charge of picking up turkeys and putting them in the fridge to thaw before my arrival. “Buy two smaller turkeys rather than one massive bird, please,” I instructed. I arrive to find the biggest bird I would ever cook (22 pounds!) thawing in their garage fridge.

Honestly, I panicked at first. But my mom reminded me that she had leftover turkey roasting bags from last year and that was how she always cooked her Thanksgiving turkeys in the past. Never one to shy away from learning something new, I tried this turkey-in-a-bag method and was quite pleasantly surprised that this method resulted a super-tender, flavorful bird that even had crisp skin.

Probably your mom or grandmother has done it this way, but cooking a turkey inside a bag isn’t new. Roasting in a bag has its roots in the 1970s, and is ideal for anyone who might be nervous about roasting their first turkey and wants some serious guarantees. (With this method, you get them.)

Why roast a turkey in an oven bag? There’s no hands-on work and it’s really hard to mess up.

• This turkey-in-the-bag recipe is written for a 12- to 15-pound turkey. If you’ve got a bigger turkey, consult your bag’s box for longer cooking times.
• Despite roasting in a bag, you will still need a roasting pan for this technique.

There are a few turkey-in-the-bag techniques out there, including a method that involves butter and a brown paper bag, but this is not that. Here we are giving basic guidelines (and seasoning ideas) for an oven-specific turkey bag.

Reynold’s is probably the most recognizable brand of these, but PanSaver and BirdBags have also graced my kitchen. You want an oven-safe nylon bag, not a plastic brining bag. The big takeaway here: If it doesn’t say it’s oven-safe, it is probably not.

1. Coat the roasting bag. Your turkey will brown best if the bag is coated with flour. Some folks say you can flour the bag without any adhesive, but I found I can get a better coating (and browning) if I spray the bag with cooking spray, add the flour, and then shake the bag to coat.
2. Make a seasoning blend. At minimum, your turkey needs some salt, but why not up the ante with some dried herbs, garlic, and onion powder? You can season the turkey in both before bagging.
3. Bag, seal, and vent. Move your seasoned turkey to the roasting bag and seal it with the ties included in the bag kit. If, for instance, your mom lost the tie from the box of bags she used last year, no problem. Tie a knot in the bag to seal. Lastly, before roasting, make about six (one-inch) vents in the bag with scissors or a knife.
4. Roast and rest. Move the bagged turkey to the roasting pan and be sure to tuck the bag into the pan; we don’t want the bag to come in contact with the oven walls or racks. Roast the turkey for two to two-and-a-half hours, or until it temps at least 165°F in the breast. Rest the turkey in the bag before carving.

After roasting, carefully cut open the bag and carve the turkey. The turkey tends to be pretty tender from steaming in the bag, so it may fall apart a little more than your standard roast bird. Feel free to use the drippings from the bag for a quick and easy gravy.