If you want that crispy, magazine-cover skin, here’s a pro move during the last hour: brush the bird with melted butter and remove the foil tent. Let it brown like a bad sunburn. But watch it closely—turkey skin goes from “golden” to “charcoal briquette” in about 90 seconds.
And when you finally pull that majestic, steaming bird out of the oven, your family will clap. You will feel like a kitchen god. Then you’ll realize the gravy boat is still dirty. But that’s a problem for Future You. Present You just survived a 12-pound stuffed turkey—and that’s a holiday miracle.
