Go Back
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey

Impress your guests with this tender and juicy turkey, covered in plenty of crispy bacon!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bacon Turkey Gravy, Bacon Wrapped Turkey, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Turkey, Turkey
Calories: 518kcal
Author: Amanda Rettke-iambaker.net

Ingredients

GARLIC BUTTER

  • 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

TURKEY

  • 1 large (12-15 pounds) turkey, thawed (may take up to 3 days)
  • 6 medium onions, peeled and quartered
  • 1 ½ pounds (22-24 slices) thick-cut bacon
  • 1 cup (240 g) chicken broth

Instructions

PREP AHEAD OF TIME

  • Thaw turkey (estimate 5 hours of refrigerator thaw time per pound of turkey). The thawed turkey should sit at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours before cooking.

GARLIC BUTTER

  • Mix together butter, garlic, thyme, sage, smoked paprika, and salt. It can be prepared up to three days before and stored in the refrigerator. Let it get to room temperature before using.

DAY OF COOKING

  • Arrange an oven rack at the bottom third of the oven. Remove any upper racks.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Remove giblets and neck from turkey and discard. Drain cavity well; pat dry with paper towels. It's important to get the skin dry so that the butter will stick to the turkey!
  • Place half of the onions in the roasting pan and the remaining onions in the cavity of the turkey.
  • Place turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan.
  • Gently loosen and lift skin from turkey breast without totally detaching skin. (you can use rubber gloves here!) Rub 3 tablespoons garlic butter under the skin.
  • Tuck or tie ends of legs together with kitchen string.
  • Generously rub the entire turkey including the cavity with remaining garlic butter.
  • Pour chicken broth into the base of the roasting pan.
  • Wrap each leg with 2 slices of bacon.
  • Wrap each wing with 1 slice of bacon and then tuck the wingtips under the bird.
  • Set out a large piece of parchment paper and place 8 pieces of bacon side by side, leaving no space in between.
  • Fold every other strip of bacon up about halfway. Lay another strip of bacon down, perpendicular to the others. Fold the parallel strips back down, then fold up all the other strips. Lay another perpendicular strip down, and repeat until all the strips have been used.
  • Rotate the parchment 90 degrees so that you are looking at a diamond instead of a square.
  • Gently flip the parchment paper over so the bacon is on the top of the turkey with the tip of the diamond at the neck of the turkey.
  • Once you have everything in place, tuck the ends of the bacon weave in so that no bacon is overlapping. Trim if necessary.
  • Place roasting pan in oven for 40 minutes. The bacon should be dark and slightly crisp.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
  • Roast for an additional 2-2.5 hours or until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Timing will adjust based on the size of your turkey. The general rule of thumb is 13-15 minutes for each pound of turkey. Basting and opening and shutting the oven will affect cooking time as well. Use tin foil to cover the turkey if the bacon starts to get too crispy. Baste the turkey every 20-30 minutes.
  • Remove the turkey from the oven and place it on a serving tray. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
  • Use the drippings to make a gravy (check out my bacon gravy recipe! Link in the post!)

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcal