How To Slow Cook A 10 Pound Turkey

A juicy whole turkey recipe made completely in the slow cooker! No basting, no brining. Use this recipe, and you will have the juiciest turkey EVER!

Cook a moist flavorful turkey in a slow cooker, no hovering over an oven!

When I was younger my mom always slow cooked her Thanksgiving Turkey. She would prepare the turkey the day before Thanksgiving, and then she would slow cook the whole turkey in the oven overnight. Yup, overnight. She's actually wake up, a couple times to baste the turkey. I'm sorry, but I seriously ain't got time to wake up to baste a turkey! Nope. Honey, I refuse. Heck, during the holidays, I already have to cook candied yams, stuffing, collard greens, sweet potato pie, and let not even get on the gumbo( depending on how man guest are coming..) So to make a long story short, I prefer to make my Thanksgiving ( Christmas & Easter too) turkey in the slow cooker. My turkey ALWAYS comes out super juicy, and the turkey recipe is fool proof!

Cooking a turkey in a slow cooker gives you enough time to worry about everything else.

So to get start with my slow cooker whole turkey, I gather up all my goodies. What do I use for my CrockPot Turkey? Everything that I use for my roast turkey recipe! I use onions, celery, garlic, fresh herbs, carrots, and even oranges & apples!

I know someone is going to ask " why the oranges and apples?!"… So let me tell ya – oranges and apples flavor turkey perfectly! No it doesn't make the turkey taste super sweet, or come out tasting like someone spilled orange juice all over the turkey. It simply adds flavor along with the other ingredients used!

Sue the fruit to add some acidity to the turkey, and no it doesn't make it sweet!

The first thing I do is line my Slow Cooker with a slow cooker liner. It helps with the clean up, and it also works as a turkey bag. If you ever cooked a turkey in a bag, you know that it comes out all juicy & tender!!!

Next, I stuff the turkey cavity with a bunch of goodies.. You know the apples, oranges, herbs, celery…. Then I grab all the stuff that couldn't fit into the turkey cavity, and toss it into the slow cooker.

No basting required. This turkey is guaranteed to come out moist and juicy.

Now it's time to season the turkey. All you need is some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder( how easy right?!) Once the turkey is seasoned, place it in the slow cooker, on top of the veggies & etc. Place the lid on the slow cooker, and set the slow cooker on low.

You can add the veggies in there as well to cook them all up at once.

I usually make a 9 lb turkey, and it fits snug into my 6 qt Digital CrockPot. It takes a little work, but I'm usually able to get it in there. This is the slow cooker that I use for my turkeys 9 lbs and under.

If I have a turkey larger than 9 lbs, I usually use this slow cooker

Things to keep in mind before cooking a turkey.

Remember that you need plenty of time to defrost the turkey. Defrosting time depends on the size of the turkey.

Time to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator
8 to 12 lbs.	2 to 3 Days
13 to 16 lbs.	3 to 4 Days
17 to 20 lbs.	4 to 5 Days
21 to 24 lbs.	5 to 6 Days

Slow Cooking Times on LOW

I usually make a 7-9 lb turkey. I'm sure that everyone won't be making the exact sized turkey, so here is a little cheater below. Please keep in mind that some slow cookers run a little hotter, or cooler than others, so you may need to cook your turkey a little longer or shorter than I cook mine

8 to 10 lbs.	8 – 9 hours
12 to 14 lbs.	10-12 hours

Okay y'all, we covered all the important stuff. Make sure that you save this recipe on Pinterest!

Be sure to watch my slow cooker whole turkey video, and follow me on Facebook!

Slow Cooker Whole Turkey

Here's a whole juicy turkey that you can make in a slow cooker. No basting or brining needed! Flavorful, moist and tender, this is a great treat for Thanksgiving.

Course Dinner, Entree, Slow Cooker

Cuisine Slow Cooker, Thanksgiving

Keyword Slow Cooker Whole Turkey

Prep Time 2 days

Cook Time 9 hours

Total Time 2 days 9 hours

Servings 6 servings

8-10 lb whole turkey cleaned & cavity emptied
3 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
4 garlic cloves
1 medium sized orange using only half
2 medium apples any baking apples will do
2 medium onion yellow, white, or red, chopped
2 stalks of celery cut
2 large carrots peeled & cut
5 sage leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary

Stuff the turkey cavity with apple slices, half of a orange, celery, carrots, garlic, onions, and the fresh herbs.
There will be leftover vegetables, herbs, and apples. Set them to the side.
Drizzle the turkey with 2 tbsp olive, or vegetable oil.
Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and garlic powder all over the turkey.
Rub the turkey down, to make sure that the oil and seasonings all over.
Now take the remaining vegetables & etc, and toss them in the slow cooker.
FYI - as mentioned within my video & blog post, I like to use slow cooker liners.
Drizzle the vegetables & etc, with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Now place the turkey in the slow cooker.
Set the slow cooker on low, and cover with the lid.
Now cook for 8 - 8 1/2 hours.
Serve & enjoy the most juiciest turkey ever!