Day before dinner - stew neck and giblets for several hours in covered pot with water and a little salt. Put resulting broth in the refrigerator.

Then - the night before - wash and clean turkey and make dressing. Salt cavity - fill with stuffing and smear with shortening or oil over outside. Salt thoroughly. Tie string loosely around middle to hold wings against body and tie knob ends of drumstick together.

Use trivet or rack in bottom of large pan. Put bird on rack, breast up and cover fowl entirely with sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Tuck it down around sides of the bird - not over the edges of pan. Repeat - around sides of bird and not over the edges of the pan.

Put in oven before going to bed. Set oven at 275 to 300 degrees - no higher. lower with large birds (i.e., 275 degrees for large birds and 300 degrees for smaller). Cook for about 30 minutes for each pound up to 6 hours which is right for birds up to 12 or 13 pounds. If the bird weights more figure on 7 or 8 hours.

Put in oven - set alarm and go to bed. Turn off oven when done and leave door shut. REPEAT - LEAVE DOOR SHUT.

An hour or so before dinner take foil off turkey and keep out of oven until heat oven to 325 degrees. The bird is cooked but pale. Use pastry brush to smear drippings and fat over bird. Put back in oven and peek every 10 to 15 minutes until it starts to brown. Then take out and repeat basting - giving the breast several coats of juice. Put bird back in oven and watch as it turns brown rather suddenly.

For gravy - skin off most of the fat and use the broth from the giblets instead of water. If not - open a can. This really works! I've used it on 12 pound and 35 pounds turkeys.