Is It Safe To Cook Frozen Turkey Without Thawing?

Even the best laid plans often go awry. You made your Thanksgiving prep list and you checked it twice, but somehow, "thaw turkey" did not make it on there. Fortunately, the holiday is not ruined, and you can still use that giant, frozen bird (even if you forgot when to take that Thanksgiving turkey out of the freezer). According to the USDA, it is actually safe to cook a turkey from frozen, but it does have to spend about 50% longer in the oven compared to one that is fully thawed.

The name of the game with food safety is making sure any foods move out of the temperature danger zone — between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit — as quickly as possible. In this range, harmful pathogens grow very quickly, so foods should not hover here. It is important that they cook (or cool) quickly and evenly so that they move past this range into safer temperatures. Roasting a frozen turkey at 325 degrees Fahrenheit does just that. At this temperature, a 12-pound bird will take about 4½ hours, and a 20 pounder will need up to 6¾ hours to reach the target temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is important to note that the only safe way to cook a frozen turkey is in the oven. Smoking and deep-frying are absolutely a no-go. The temperature on a low-and-slow cook does not heat the turkey through quickly enough, and the ice crystals can cause frying oil to boil over or explode.

An instant-read thermometer is crucial when cooking a turkey from frozen, because visual cues like browned skin and clear juices are not necessarily reflective of what's going on inside. The areas closer to the bone may still be cold. When you temp the turkey, make sure you are piercing deep into the meat, and be sure to check a few parts. If you do find that the skin is getting too dark over the long cook time required, simply cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.

A regular frozen bird will probably have a bag of turkey giblets and a neck bone inside the cavity, which will be nearly impossible to remove at first. After cooking the turkey for about half of its cook time, it should be thawed enough to take those extras out. This is the point where you should season it as well. Brush the turkey with oil or melted butter, and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs and spices. You can throw some aromatics inside the cavity for flavor, but you should not fill it with stuffing. If you do plan ahead, you can also try Butterball's new Cook from Frozen turkeys, which come pre-brined.

A major benefit to cooking a turkey from frozen is that the typically quick-to-dry-out breast actually stays tender and juicy, because the large muscle is slow to thaw. The longer cook time also yields super caramelized drippings, perfect for enhancing a classic giblet gravy. This may even become your preferred method!