Brown paper bag
Grocery bags were never meant for cooking. The glue, ink and recycled material are unsanitary, and some bags may contain tiny metal shavings. Use a turkey-size oven cooking bag instead, at 350°F, for a thawed turkey (never an oven bag from frozen).[5][1][6][7]
Trash bag brining at room temperature
Two problems: a trash bag isn't food-grade, and the turkey sits unrefrigerated. Use a large oven cooking bag and keep it in the refrigerator. See brining.[8][2]
Overnight in a low oven
Cooking a turkey at 190 to 200°F overnight, or for 12 to 13 hours, is dangerous. The bird takes too long to heat, bacteria grow, and some of the toxins they make may not be destroyed by further cooking. Set the oven no lower than 325°F.[9][10][3]
Holding a turkey that is already cooked is a different matter: an oven set to 200°F, with the thermometer left in so the turkey never drops below 140°F. See holding.[11]
Thawing on the counter, in the garage or on the porch
Frozen poultry left at room temperature for more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature: the center may still be frozen while the outer layer sits in the 40 to 140°F danger zone. The three recommended ways are the refrigerator, cold water and the microwave: see thawing.[4][12]
Stuffing the night before
The cavity insulates the stuffing from the refrigerator's cold, so bacteria can multiply even in a chilled bird. Prepare dry ingredients ahead, then mix and stuff just before roasting.[13][14]
A whole stuffed turkey in the microwave
Not recommended. And don't thaw in the microwave and then cook in it too: that cooks unevenly.[15][16]
Washing the raw turkey
Don't. Washing raw poultry spreads bacteria from its juices to other food, utensils and surfaces. Cooking to the right temperature is what kills them.[17][18][19]
Frying, smoking or grilling a frozen turkey
Never. Oven roasting is the only method recommended for a frozen turkey: no deep fryer, smoker or grill, no microwave, and no oven bag either. See cooking from frozen.[7]
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To make this method safe, replace the brown bag with a turkey-size oven-cooking bag.
To make this method safe, replace the trash bag with a large oven-cooking bag. Refrigerate the turkey during the marinating process
The USDA recommends temperatures no lower than 325°F for cooking meat and poultry.
Thawing a turkey at on the counter, in the garage, or on the back porch is not recommended. Frozen meat or poultry left thawing at room temperature for more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature. The center of the package may still be frozen, but the outer layer of the food is in the "Danger Zone" (temperatures between 40 - 140°F) where bacteria grows rapidly.
Experts agree that brown paper bags were never intended for use as cooking utensils. The glue, ink, chemicals and other materials used in recycling grocery bags are unsanitary and some bags may even contain tiny metal shavings.
When using an oven-cooking bag, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Oven baking/roasting is the only method recommended for cooking a frozen turkey. Don’t use an oven bag or cook the frozen turkey in the deep fryer. You should also never smoke, grill or use the microwave to cook a frozen turkey.
The unsafe part of the method is the use of a trash bag and no refrigeration during marinating. Never use non-food grade materials as holding vessels for food.
This method is dangerous and involves cooking the turkey at 190 to 200°F overnight or for 12 to 13 hours.
A low oven temperature means the turkey will take longer to heat, increasing the risk of harmful bacteria growth and the production of toxins that may not be destroyed with further cooking.
If the turkey is done ahead of schedule, it is safe to hold it in the oven at a reduced temperature of 200°F. Leave the thermometer in the turkey and make sure that the temperature of the turkey does not drop below 140°F during holding time.
There are three ways to thaw your turkey safely recommended by the USDA: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave oven.
Harmful bacteria can multiply in the stuffing and cause food poisoning even when the stuffed bird is refrigerated. The cavity of the bird actually insulates the stuffing from the cold temperatures of the refrigerator and acts as an incubator for the harmful bacteria.
Chopping vegetable ingredients and bread preparation can be done in advance, but liquids and/or moist ingredients should not be added to dry ingredients until just before stuffing the turkey.
Cooking a whole, stuffed turkey in the microwave oven is not recommended.
Make sure the turkey is fully thawed as microwave thawing followed by microwave cooking crates uneven cooking.
Do not wash or rinse your raw turkey.
Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking is not recommended, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces.
Cooking (baking, broiling, boiling, and grilling) to the right temperature kills the bacteria, so washing meat before cooking is not necessary.