Turkey Cooking Time Calculator

13 minutes a pound gets you close; the thermometer at 74 °C is what actually decides.

Cooking time3 h 2 minTurkey, unstuffed, 13 min per lb at 325°F

Total minutes182

Oven temperature325 °F163 °C

Safe internal temperature74 °C165 °F — this is what decides doneness, not the clock

Pull it from the oven at71 °Ccarryover cooking adds 3 to 8 degrees while it rests

Rest for30 to 45 minutes

Weight per guest635 ga comfortable allowance

Start cooking at3.8 hours before you want to serveincluding the rest

Minutes per pound tells you when to start checking, not when it is done. A long thin joint cooks far faster than a compact one of the same weight, and every oven runs to its own idea of the temperature on the dial.

The formula

minutes = weight in pounds * minutes per pound, then check the thermometer

The thermometer is the answer

Minutes per pound is a planning tool, not a doneness test. A long thin joint cooks far faster than a compact one of the same weight, a fridge-cold bird takes longer than a rested one, and every oven runs to its own idea of 325. Use the time to know when to start checking, and the internal temperature to know when to stop.

Carryover cooking is real

A large roast keeps rising 3 to 8 degrees after it leaves the oven, because the outside is far hotter than the middle and the heat keeps moving inwards. Pulling a beef joint at the temperature you want to eat it means eating it overcooked. The rest is not optional either — it lets the juices redistribute instead of running out on the board.

Stuffing changes everything

A stuffed bird takes longer, and the stuffing itself must reach the same safe temperature as the meat — it sits in the coldest part of the bird and absorbs raw juices throughout. Cooking the stuffing separately is both safer and better, and it is what most food safety agencies now recommend outright.

Recipes are starting points

Ovens run hot or cold by 20 degrees, flour absorbs water differently by season and brand, and the same joint of meat cooks at a different rate depending on its shape rather than its weight. Everything here is a planning figure that gets you close enough to start, and the thermometer, the scales and your own notes from last time are what finish the job.