Juicy Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Turkey

I was listening to the radio earlier today and the host of the show was talking about turkey. Actually, her complete disgust for Thanksgiving turkey.  She described her holiday meal as tough, over-cooked, and dry. Per the host, there is not enough gravy in the world to make choking down dry turkey tolerable. All I could think, was that this poor woman has never had good turkey.  I mean how many people suffer through a tough, over-cooked, dry bird every year.

Don’t suffer any longer. No longer force yourself to drown your turkey in oceans of gravy. Make yourself a turkey that people will talk about, and not in a bad way. I mean the kind that falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. The kind of turkey that doesn’t even require gravy. Yes, you heard that right. No gravy necessary.

The key to my juicy, tender turkey you ask…a Nesco roaster oven! My Juicy Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Turkey not only comes out delicious every time, but it is so incredibly easy. I’m talking about five minutes of prep work, set it, and forget it kind of easy. It’s so easy, I cook it while I sleep.  WHILE I SLEEP PEOPLE! It doesn’t stop there. I don’t even defrost the thing. Refrigerator space is a hot commodity in my house. Space is so limited I can’t sacrifice valuable shelf space to defrost a big turkey.

Before I get to all the details, I need to give a little disclaimer. This turkey recipe will not yield the picturesque turkey from a magazine. It will not be golden brown, with a crispy skin and ready to carve. So if you want the prettiest turkey you’ve ever seen, this is not the recipe for you. However, if you’re willing to serve up turkey on a platter or from your Nesco/slow cooker, then this is the recipe for you.

When you’re ready to get your turkey going pull that frozen turkey out of the freezer. I usually put my turkey together before bed, so usually around 10 at night. Unwrap the turkey and remove the giblets if you can. I’ve experimented with removing them before and after cooking and haven’t really had trouble either way. Drizzle turkey with olive oil and brush over the surface. Then I make sure to salt the outside of the turkey really well. You will not be able to salt under the skin as it is frozen. Next I sprinkle with a good amount of pepper.

When the turkey is well seasoned, place in a Nesco or large slow cooker. Depending on the size of your turkey, a slow cooker may be too small. Then add two, 32 ounce containers of chicken or turkey stock. Finally, fill the Nesco with additional water as needed to ensure the liquids covers about half of the turkey. I usually add additional salt to the liquid to create a brine.

Set the Nesco to 325 or high on a slow cooker and get cooking. I’ve left turkeys from 12-20lbs in the cooker for 8 hours without trouble. Although, you made need to increase the time depending on your turkey size or slow cooker settings. The Nesco I use can be found here. My Nesco is 18 quarts but it is way bigger than you need for a 12 pound turkey, so it fits almost any size. Nonetheless, I suggest you crawl in bed, get some sleep and wake up to a juicy slow cooker Thanksgiving turkey.

Every time I’ve made this turkey, the meat has literally fallen off the bone. I mean I’ve picked it up from one of the chest bones, the turkey meat did not come along for the ride. You will have no problem easily shredding the turkey, no carving necessary.

If you all make this dish for your Thanksgiving or throughout this holiday season, let me know by tagging a photo #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I’d love to see what you all cook up. Happy eating and happy Thanksgiving!

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