Pancetta-Sage Turkey with Pancetta-Sage Gravy

We prepared this for Tgiving this year, and boy was it good. We had 16.5 lb. heritage turkey (unstuffed) and it cooked faster than we anticipated - we were a bit overcooked in 3 hrs, 15 mins (175 degrees). We followed the air-chilled (uncovered in fridge day-of, pulled to air temp one hr before baking)/no baste methodology, going for crispy skin and retained heat in oven. It was ridiculously easy and totally worked - no brine, no baste and still very moist, even after slightly overcooking - this one's a winner!!!! I attribute success to the pancetta-sage paste: I doubled the butter in the paste and applied very liberally under skin & outside the turkey. It browned beautifully and we foil tented after 2 hrs. Next time I'll take temp after 2.5 hrs. Our party loved it. Gravy was also really great - I fried the pancetta and added but think you could even skip this step and still get a lovely gravy, esp if you simmer your turkey stock all day and get that deep flavor. This recipe took very little effort for really great results - will def make again.

• itskgd

• San Carlos, CA

• 11/29/2013

I did brine the turkey just to be extra sure that it came out moist. A 20 lb turkey cooked at 325 was done in 2 hours! So do keep an eye on it. The turkey was very moist and the gravy was beautiful and delicious

• gkgirl

• Jacksonville, FL

• 11/29/2013

This was simple, and it came out beautifully. We had a 7 kg turkey. I took it out of the fridge about 40 minutes before rubbing in the butter so the meat wouldn't be too cold. I followed the recipe almost exactly, just rubbing in more salt and olive oil than was called for into the skin. Roasting time was nearly 4 hours, and we let it rest about 45 minutes...perfectly cooked, moist, flavourful, and well-received by an Italian crowd with very high food standards. 7 kg were just right for 8 adults and 4 children. My only advice to add is to be cautious when rubbing yhe herbed butter inside the bird...the bones are quite sharp, and can puncture and scratch. A great recipe to make in Italy...I got all of the ingredients in a mornings' shopping, all in our neighbourhood.

• jaligo

• Firenze via Kansas

• 11/25/2012

I find turkey is a very difficult protein to take on flavor, so I was skeptical. I followed the recipe as-is, but next time would use more butter than just 1/2 a stick. It's an incredibly fragrant bird and the house smells absolutely wonderful while it cooks. The gravy is very aromatic and flavorful. I would use this base recipe for a pork or chicken dish also (just change the broth). I made the butter the day before and I used broth (with the neck and kidneys seared and cooked with the broth) to make the gravy the morning of so I didn't have to make it before serving by waiting for the turkey to finish (though I did add the drippings to final product for that extra punch of flavor). This is a great turkey recipe and very easy to make.

• yuckylucky

• Wyckoff, NJ

• 11/23/2012

All of the wonderful ingredients and hard work I put into this "trial run" turkey should have yielded something great, but my entire family was totally underwhelmed by this recipe. I wanted this to be very flavorful and savory, but it wasn't at all. It was bland and the gravy tasted off. I guess I'll stick with the classic this year.

• magyarmama

• South Pasadena

• 11/20/2012

First turkey I've ever cooked! This recipe seems really user friendly: the hardest part is maneuvering the turkey and I think that's unavoidable with any recipe involving roasting a giant bird. My family isn't American so I don't have much experience with turkey, but I think this turned out well! I thought the white meat was only slightly dry, but my bird was a little smaller so that's probably my bad.

• sub224

• 11/25/2011

The single best turkey I have ever made. Only reviewing the butter part here, since I strayed too far to review the gravy part. Seriously tasty turkey, and I even had to use a generic Jenni-O turkey (got it free from work; how could I say no?). I am infamous for undercooking a turkey, so I just roasted the h*** out of this bird until the little red thermometer popped up, and even then, it was the most juicy turkey I have ever made. People were picking at the carcass after it was devoured. Make this!

• Anonymous

• GreenBay, WI

• 11/23/2011

Made this turkey last year...loved it!!! It looked great and tasted AMAZING. Making it again this year.

• Anonymous

• palm springs, ca

• 11/1/2011

This year was my first ever Thanksgiving out in the US, and my sister and I made our first ever Thanksgiving Turkey, using this recipe. It was a huge success, the turkey was gorgeous, tasted wonderful and the gravy completed everything perfectly. Our friends loved it (and they know turkey) and now everyone back home wants us to make it next year! We couldn't have done it without this recipe, so thanks for that!

• Anonymous

• Netherlands

• 11/27/2010

Made this last year and all agreed it was the best turkey we had ever eaten, and we have many turkeys between our middle-aged selves. I stuffed with my families Italian sausage stuffing and it is a perfect complement to the pancetta/sage rub and gravy. The bird was so moist and the flavors so good. We also brined overnight in a sea salt/apple cider/beer brine that we just sort of made up after much wine the night before. It rocked.

• Anonymous

• Bellingham

• 11/17/2010

Sensational! This was the first Thanksgiving turkey I ever cooked, and it couldn't have been easier or tastier. The only change I made was to stuff the turkey with my family's traditional sausage stuffing. I think this may become my go-to Thanksgiving bird. Only warning for others (especially novices) would be to allow more time than you think for making the butter and rubbing it under the skin. Handling a buttery 15-pound turkey was harder than I anticipated...

• Anonymous

• seattle, wa

• 11/8/2010

This was my very first year making a Turkey. This was beyond a hit. This was the BEST turkey I have every tasted. The receipt was not difficult to make and well worth any additional trouble it would take to prepare it. I wish I had made a double portion of the gravy because there was not enough to go around. I highly recommend this receipt.

• DanielleWhite

• Los Angeles

• 12/6/2009

This Thanksgiving was the first time I ever (as in ever!) cooked a turkey and this recipe made it easy and delicious. Note also that I was cooking in a friend's kitchen because my own is under renovation, using gas appliances instead of the electric I have suffered with for the past 15 years. The leftover meat made incredibly delicious sandwiches.

• djownes

• Golden CO

• 11/29/2009

Really a fantastic turkey. The butter kept the meat very tender, and the gravy is absolutely delicious. It was a big hit this Thanksgiving.

• bex

• NY, NY

• 11/26/2009

Seriously good. This is the second year I've made this turkey and it has surpassed everyone's expectations!

• AOski

• 11/26/2009