Forget the Oven and Put Your Turkey in the Crock Pot

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turkey-crockpotThe holiday season has officially started and if you are intimidated (like me) by the thought of cleaning, brining and the all day commitment of cooking a turkey this Thanksgiving, I suggest you re-think the traditional execution and cook your turkey in the crock pot. Yes, you heard me correctly, you can have that wonderful turkey roasting away in your crock pot all day and have it come out perfectly delicious and juicy without the fuss that comes along with the oven version. We love using the crock pot at our house and I was so happy with how the turkey turned out last year. If you need some convincing that this is the best way to save your sanity and get an amazing turkey on the able, here are my top 4 reasons why I keep the bird away from the oven and keep it in the slow cooker.

  1. No Guts: Put my hand up a turkey’s behind to pull out its innards? uhhhh, no thanks. With two small children, I already spend enough time doing things that gross me out. With the crock pot version you skip the whole turkey and just buy turkey breast. It is (in my opinion) the best part, it is easy to prep, and no guts are involved. It can also feed a surprisingly large amount of people.
  2. Simplicity: Season the turkey, put it in the crock pot with a little bit of water, cook on low for 5-6 hours. That’s it. No basting every thirty minutes and no stressing over if they turkey will dry out.
  3. Side Dishes: With the oven free, you don’t have to coordinate oven time with the rest of your Thanksgiving feast. You can cook the sweet potato casserole and green beans when it is convenient for you and not fight for time in the oven with the main dish.
  4. Taste: This is the most important part, you want the turkey to TASTE GOOD. The crock pot will do its job and keep everything super moist and flavorful.

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If you want some more direction and seasoning suggestions, here are some great recipes:

This is a more traditional version recipe from Taste of Home

Here is new twist to spice up your turkey from Betty Crocker

This one from Mel’s Kitchen includes directions for making a gravy as well