So, first things first. Thaw the bird out. It needs to be thawed out COMPLETELY. Our bird was sitting in the fridge on Sunday starting to thaw.
On Wednesday, I took the bird out of it's package and gave him a cold bath then patted him dry.
A few words to the wise. The neck of the turkey is inside the bird between the little legs. The giblets are towards the back. THEY DO NOT FORGET THE GIBLETS. KEEP REACHING YOUR HAND BACK THERE AND PULL THOSE OUT, TOO! My dad told me, "Stick your hand all the way through from the legs to the neck. You should be able to wear the turkey like a bracelet." If that's not encouraging enough... keep reading!
Even though I've never cooked a 14 pound turkey, I have cooked a few whole chickens. I went the same approach as I would a chicken and used Italian dressing as my seasoning. My motto is now, "If in doubt, Italian Dressing it out." Maybe not, but this worked really well.
You'll need:
1 turkey
1 bottle of Italian Dressing
4 cups chicken broth
Large food-safe plastic bag
Liquid injector
Place turkey breast side down in bag or container. Inject some Italian dressing into the legs and breast. Pour remaining dressing and broth over turkey. Seal the bag and marinate in refrigerator 12 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove turkey from bag or pan; discard brine.
Place turkey in roasting pan on flat rack; add 1 cup of water to bottom of pan. Cook 15 minutes for each pound or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reaches 180°F. Cover turkey loosely with aluminum foil after the first 30 minutes to prevent turkey from getting too dark. Let turkey stand 15 minutes before carving.