Shortly before this last Thanksgiving one of the local grocery stores had turkeys for 99¢ per lb w/ store card so I picked up a 13lb bird for future meals.  I want to roast it in a Savory roaster (double wall type) but have never done a turkey in my life, and don't want to screw it up.  My mom and late grandma have/had used Savorys for years, and this is something I want learn how to do also.  But, I want to learn on my own, and surprise Mom.  I have 2 of them.  What tips can you guys share with me such as length of time, seasonings, temps, etc?  BTW, I want to roast it unstuffed.  I was planning on making dressing and baking it in a separate pan in the oven at the same time.

P.S., The roaster in the pic isn't mine, but I have one just like it, color scheme and all.

This is a bit unusual for a thread, but what the heh - it's been an unusual past few days.

Cool looking roasting pan!

First, I agree on the not-stuffing part. Do that separately. Easier to get consistent results. BUT - and yes, those were all caps. Learn from my mistakes: Check the chest cavity thoroughly to be sure there's no plastic bag of innards stuck in there, waiting to spoil everything.

OK, turkey is defrosted already. Thirteen pounds at at 350F/175C in a roaster will be about 2.5 to 3+ hours. Definitely use a thermometer, don't rely on those pop-up signals that often come with them. They don't sit deeply enough to make for good measurements. You're aiming for about 165F/75C at the thickest (thigh) when it's done and then you'll let it set for at least 20 minutes. This 'rest' makes a gigantic difference in texture and taste.

So - You can put the whole thing in a bag within the roasting pan and leave the lid off. The hole for the thermometer is enough vent, by the way, so ignore all the 'slice slits in bag' stuff.

Seasoning is up to you. I like to put a quartered apple and a peeled onion and a halved- lemon in the turkey instead of stuffing. Rub it liberally with olive-oil then seal it in the roasting bag, put it in the roaster (legs up) and let the oven do it's work.

No salt in the bag, no brine. This is the absolutely easiest method to produce a moist, well browned turkey I know.

Do watch that thermometer after the first 90 minutes, though - ovens and even double-walled roaster pans vary enormously.

That's my suggestion for idiot-proof and easy. Now everyone can chime in with far more complex stuff.

Our family has used this type of roaster since 1917 when my great-grandmother bought 2 in dark blue for the wedding dinner of my great-aunts Helen and Alice.  They were married Nov. 1, 1917.  My mom has one of the original roasters and my 2nd cousin Linda now has the other one.

When I first met Dave, he had one of those same Savory roasters in grainy light blue porcelain enamel.  It was part of his funky kitchen decor and he never actually used it.  He eventually gave it to a friend who undoubtedly turned around and sold it.

I don't see why any turkey recipe that calls for a roasting pan wouldn't work with your Savory.  I'd venture a guess that results would be similar to using an electric roaster oven.  What I'm not sure about is how you'd use a rack on the concave surface of the roaster bottom.

I know my late grandma and my mom just put the bird in the bottom of the pan without a rack.

How many different ethnic traditions use olive-oil for their birds.

Anyway, it occurs to me that a trial run of something less massive in that beautiful roaster might be a good idea - potatoes and carrots or one of those 'everything you need' pot roasts in a vacuum bag with seasonings and vegetables such as they have in the meat section at Walmart.

Teach you a lot about how this pan - and they all vary a bit - works in your oven (and we all know they vary enormously.)

Main thing is - have fun. As Paulo's illustrative comment shows, some people get way too hysterical about all of this. I recollect a few years back, my dad, fresh out of the hospital, really wanted a goose. Totally NOT goose season and it took me a few trips to various markets to finally find a gigantic goose, frozen at -27F in the meat locker of a local chain. 

Bought it, brought it home. He still wanted goose! That evening! Gad!

Put the dratted thing (baking queens here, you might want to cover your ears) in our biggest 1947 Presto Canner at 17lbs* for 45 minutes.

Took it out, threw it in the oven on a rack over a large well roaster, anyone who's ever cooked a goose knows why (resisting urge to talk about one's own cooked goose). Turned out great, he loved it.

The Julia Child faction of the family was appalled. Why, I'd violated every single, solitary 'rule' in the book! Didn't stop them from taking thirds, though....

*Weight calibrated for the altitude to ensure 250F canning temp.

And speaking here as a German - olive oil and butter have been staples of all European cuisines since they became affordable.

Poland very much included - prosperity has done much to reawaken the slumbering good foods of their culture. Most of which are still not for vegetarian me (I know, I get the irony as do those who benefit from my good meat/fowl cooking skills).

Most 'Central' and Eastern European cuisine was limited throughout the 20th century by the disaster of the Soviet Union.

So much was lost. Today, you can get torten in the Czech-republic to match their famous legend. Thirty years ago? Yeah, not so much.

So - on with the olive oil and butter!

Tomato sauce in aluminium!

Bring in the fainting couch.

Been doing it for decades, never had a problem. Do have shiny aluminium, though.

We have a container of Watkins poultry seasoning that I was thinking of using as part of the rub along with some salt & pepper, and olive oil.  Thoughts?  Also, I was thinking of cooking the giblets and then grinding them and adding to the dressing for added flavor.  The stock from the giblets would either be added to the dressing or the gravy.

If you like the smell of the seasonings, go for it. Personally, I prefer to put the seasonings in warm olive-oil for a while, then strain it and rub it into the turkey. Same great scent, no crunchy twigs.

By all means simmer the giblets separately and then coarse chop them and use them as you like. Be careful not to simmer them with salt or too strong of seasonings, though - it can add a metallic taste.

Yeah - this whole hysteria came about because of the false equation of aluminium salts in the brains of Alzheimer victims with aluminium cooking pots.

Once that sort of nonsense begins, you can't ever get it out of the world.

In either form of roaster. I do, however, follow the instructions assiduously and, in contrast to many here, I do not begin at a very high temperature and then dial down. Maybe others can chime in on their experiences?