Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator if needed. Plan for 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.
Once your turkey is thawed, remove the packaging, remove the bag of giblets, which could be in either the body or neck cavity. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer as well.
If desired, and highly recommended, brine your turkey using a cooled turkey brine. Place the turkey into a large brining bag or container and pour the brine over the turkey. Cover with additional water until the turkey is fully submerged. Cover/seal the bag and refrigerate the turkey in the brine for 8 to 18 hours.
Cooking the Turkey
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes prior to roasting. During this time, preheat your oven to 500°F. If your oven does not reach 500°F, set it to a minimum of 450°F.
If you brined your turkey, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it well, and then place the turkey on the roasting pan breast-side up and pat dry with paper towels. If you did not brine the turkey, be sure you have removed the packaging, pop-up timer, and giblets, which could be in either the body or neck cavity. Place the turkey on the roasting pan breast-side up. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
If desired, add the quartered onion, apple, and celery stick to the cavity of the turkey. Brush the skin liberally with canola oil. If you did NOT brine your turkey, liberally sprinkle your turkey with salt and pepper. Tuck the wings under the turkey.
Roast the turkey on the lowest rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the oven to 350° F and insert an oven-safe digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast.
Cook the turkey until the thermometer reaches 161 degrees F. If you notice your turkey breasts are browning too quickly, carefully tent them with foil, leaving the legs and thighs exposed. Plan for approximately 10-13 minutes of cooking time per pound of turkey.
Once the turkey breast reaches 161 degrees, remove the turkey from the oven and check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. If not at 165 degrees F, not 161 degrees like the breast put the turkey back in the oven for another 10 minutes, then recheck the temperature.
Remove the turkey from the oven and tent it with foil. Allow the turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes if needed.
After resting the turkey, carve and serve the turkey. To carve the turkey, remove the wings and then the thighs first by popping out the joints that adhere the wings and thighs to the bird and then cut straight through the joint. Separate the thighs and drumsticks if desired. To carve the turkey breasts, slice the meat off the rib cage, cutting as close to the rib bones as possible. Cut the breast meat into individual slices if desired.
Notes
Seasoning: If you do not brine your turkey, you can keep it simple and simply season with kosher salt and pepper, or you can use Cajun seasoning, Seasoned Salt, or your favorite poultry seasoning. Storage: Be sure to refrigerate the leftover turkey meat within 2 hours of removing it from the oven to prevent food poisoning. Store the leftover meat in the refrigerator for 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. Canola Oil: Do not be tempted to swap the canola oil out for butter, as the butter will burn at this high heat.