How to Oven-Roast a BellMar Pastured Orlopp Bronze Turkey So It Doesn’t Taste Like Cardboard (And Why It Cooks 45-75 Minutes Faster Than a Factory Bird)

• Factory turkeys = water-injected, sedentary, overstuffed breasts → heat has to fight through water and fat.
• Our Orlopp Bronze turkeys run, fly, forage, and build real muscle → leaner, denser meat, far less retained water.
  Result: 45–75 minutes less total cook time, even at 25 lbs.

• Large roasting pan + sturdy V-rack (or a sheet pan with a wire rack)
• Butcher’s twine
• Instant-read thermometer (your best friend)

1. Thaw
   Fridge: 24 hrs per 5 lb (4–5 days). Cold water: 30 min per lb, change water every 30 min.
2. Dry-brine the night before (highly recommended for monsters)
   1 tsp kosher salt + ½ tsp baking powder per pound, rubbed under and on the skin.
   Crispiest skin known to man.
3. Preheat oven to 425 °F (218 °C) – yes, even for the big boys.
4. Truss loosely – tie legs, tuck wings. Keeps everything even.
5. Roast breast-side UP the entire time
   • First 30 minutes at 425 °F → locks in color and starts the skin.
   • Drop to 325 °F (163 °C) and finish.
6. Pull temps (pastured birds hit these early!)
   • Breast: 157–160 °F (carry-over to 165 °F)
   • Thigh (deepest part): 170–175 °F

Approximate total cook times for BellMar pastured turkeys:

18 lb → 2 hrs 45 min – 3 hrs 10 min
20 lb → 3 hrs – 3 hrs 25 min
22 lb → 3 hrs 15 min – 3 hrs 40 min
25 lb → 3 hrs 30 min – 4 hrs max (Compare to 5–6+ hours for a grocery-store bird of the same weight.)

        7.Rest 35–40 minutes under loose foil → juices settle, skin stays crackly.