turkey
salt and pepper
apple
2 stalks celery
whole onion, quartered
2 sticks butter
1 qt. hot water

Okay, now I have your attention with the title of the recipe; well it is the truth. No matter what size turkey you have, no matter whether it is frozen or fresh, free range or grocery store no-name brand, this recipe works!!!!

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Yes, 500°F!!!!

The turkey must be completely thawed, cleaned and all the packages of stuff taken out of it. Salt and pepper the cavity well. You must have a roaster pan with a tight fitting lid to do this recipe. If you do not have one, buy one or forget this recipe; aluminum foil will not do! Place the turkey in the roasting pan, breast side up. Throw away that pop up thermometer if it has one. Core an apple; leave on the peel. Throw the apple, celery and onion in the seasoned cavity of the turkey. Melt butter and pour this over the entire bird. Pour hot water or broth around the bird and place the lid on tight. Put the turkey in the oven and set the timer for 1 hour. After the turkey has cooked for 1 hour at 500°F, walk over to the oven and turn it off.

Now comes the hard part. You must leave this bird in the oven and you must never open the oven for 12 hours. Put a piece of masking tape or a note on the oven so no one will open the oven.

For Thanksgiving, I put my turkey in the oven at 12:00 midnight the night before; I only have to stay up until 1:00 a.m. and then I do not have to get up so early to serve a perfect turkey at noon on Thanksgiving. Twelve hours later when you open that roasting pan, you won't believe it. You will have the most golden brown, moist turkey you have ever seen. It will still be just warm and will have at least a quart and a half of beautiful broth in the pan just ready to make gravy.

I have used cheap turkeys and expensive Butterball turkeys; I have used 14 pound turkeys and 22 pound turkeys with the same fantastic results. Sounds crazy, but it works every time and I have used this recipe for years and no one has ever gotten sick. You must try this; no more basting. No more tying up your oven so you can't bake anything else. And, no more being tied down to watching a bird instead of the parades. This is the best time saving recipe I have ever used. Many fine restaurants used this recipe!