From Classic to Unexpected, These Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes Are Total Winners

A perfectly browned, supremely moist turkey takes the spotlight of any traditional Thanksgiving spread. This recipe for Classic Roast Turkey from the Joy of Cooking, originally written by now-iconic American home chef Irma S. Rombauer, does just that.

Rubbing turkey with salt 2 days before roasting seasons it well without the messiness of a brine, and a flavorful herb butter adds juiciness.

This is far and away our most popular turkey recipe—try it and find out why!

Stuffed with an herb paste, rolled, tied, and baked until golden, this succulent roast is the polar opposite of overcooked, bland turkey breast. It was inspired by the Italian pork roast called porchetta, traditionally seasoned with garlic, red chile, and aromatic fennel.

Is this your year to try a heritage turkey? Many people favor them over standard grocery store birds for their deep flavor, but they do require careful cooking to be tender.

This turkey’s sunny Southern California flavors of citrus, herbs, and garlic are always a hit.

Cook gently spicy guajillo chiles with tart-fruity tamarind, roasted garlic, honey, and lime to create an outstanding Mexican-style glaze for your holiday bird.

Pre-salting the Thanksgiving turkey—not to mention covering the breast and drumsticks with bacon—adds flavor and helps it stay moist during roasting.

For juicy, crisp-skinned, evenly cooked turkey, you can do no better than a butterflied (spatchcocked) bird.

An aromatic rub of fresh celery leaves, plus bold fresh herbs and black pepper, give this turkey a flavor boost.

That secret ingredient in Italian sausage—fennel—transforms turkey into a main course that summons up the allure of the Mediterranean.

Butterflying the turkey—removing the back so it lies flat—makes it cook faster and more evenly.

The Thanksgiving bird takes on a whole new flavor. It just might become your holiday tradition. We created this juicy, fragrant bird flavored with herbs and apple­wood smoke.

Smoking turkey on the grill with wine-infused wood chips gives the bird lots of flavor and provides extra oven space.

A chile-rubbed bird cooked on the grill and served with mole gravy makes for a richly seasoned dinner.

For a Hawaiian take on Thanksgiving, marinate turkey with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and brown sugar.

Turkey is not just for large gatherings, served as a whole bird, pitmaster Matt Horn says. Breasts can be smoked for a weeknight dinner. Here we use legs—the dark meat is juicer, more flavorful, and less expensive than the white meat. This recipe makes a lot of turkey. If you don’t need as much, just cut the recipe in half. This recipe comes from Matt Horn’s cookbook (his first!), Horn Barbecue: Recipes and Techniques from a Master of the Art of BBQ.

An easy version of the giblet gravy Grandma used to make, this cornstarch-thickened favorite is made by using turkey necks, giblets, carrots, celery, and onions to enhance store-bought chicken stock. Giblets can be strained out of the stock or chopped up into the finished gravy.

Roasted Thanksgiving vegetables and drippings from the turkey pan, plus toasted roux for thickening, make for a deeply flavored gravy.

This recipe takes the last-minute hassle out of gravy making by not relying on pan drippings. Before browning the flour, have the broth measured so you can whisk it in at just the right moment.

Cheaper than the competition and induction-burner-compatible. 

Don’t bother with the single-purpose carving knife. Buy this chic, blonde, Pakawood-handled, Japanese-made chef’s knife that’s got all the ceremonial swagger but year-round usefulness.

You’re going need that little juice groove. Made of antimicrobial maple, it’s handsome enough to use as a rustic serving platter. 

Slightly deeper than competition, this updated version of the classic glass pie plate also comes with a handy domed lid that’ll protect even the loftiest cream pies.

Gotta love a fat separator for easily discarding the lipids while tidily reserving the drippings (which have about 10 times the flavor of the turkey itself). Plus it doubles as a measuring pitcher you can use the rest of the year.