How to cook a 40# turkey?

[QChickieMama]

My son was given an enormous turkey to butcher today. Now I have a skinless bird on my counter. I'm not even sure if it'll fit in my oven.

What do you all recommend?

 

[N F C]

My son was given an enormous turkey to butcher today. Now I have a skinless bird on my counter. I'm not even sure if it'll fit in my oven.

What do you all recommend?

That is a big bird! I'd cut it into pieces; it will fit in your oven and it will cook more evenly. You are going to have a lot of leftovers (that's always my favorite part of Thanksgiving)!

 

[jimmyzshack]

I came here to ask the same question. we just cleaned ours that we raise in april of this year. One was 38.5lb and the other was 34.8lb after cleaning them. I was planing on smoking one for christmas and freezing the other. Anyone ever smoked a turkey this big? Any advice?

 

[QChickieMama]

Let me report how this baking of a ginormous turkey went.

We removed the wings in the butchering process. Don't exactly know why my son did this.

I removed one drumstick from the turkey and stuck it in the cavity so the bird wouldn't be too tall to fit inside my oven. Then, on the lowest rack of the oven, on a baking sheet with a cooling rack set inside, we placed the bird, kinda on its side. It fit nicely!

Based on online baking calculations, the cooking time for this bird was way too long. I almost overdid it. I baked it 5 hours. At 450 for 40 minutes first, then 250 for the rest of the time. It was juicy & delicious & amazing. I have 3 full turkey dinners in the freezer to enjoy later this winter.

 

[N F C]

That's great...You'll have Thanksgiving dinner all winter long! Nice to have that much meat all cooked up and waiting for you.