Bacon Wrapped Turkey

Who doesn’t like Bacon? The bacon helps the turkey stay juicy. Season to your own taste. We like to taste the turkey so we don’t use much seasoning.
Ingredients:
1 Turkey – I used a 6.64 lb. bird with guts and wings removed
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper (Optional: your favorite seasoning)
1.5 lbs. Thick Cut Bacon strips
Stuffing if you want to stuff the bird – Recipe below:
Directions:
– Completely rinse your turkey and trim out the inside. You can leave the wings
– Pat turkey dry with paper towels
– Rub olive oil, salt, and pepper all over the turkey and under the skin
– Stuff the turkey with your favorite stuffing in the open whole. I use my Mother in Law’s recipe because it is simply the very best!
– Basket weave your turkey with bacon strips, by laying one strip crosswise over the breast and the other one lengthwise. Keep going and folding up the strips already placed to fit the new ones under. The bacon will shrink when you cook the bird, so place the strips nearly on top of each other.
– Line a roasting pan with foil on the bottom – this helps clean up faster
– Place the bird on a rack inside the roasting pan
– Cover the pan with foil for the first 2 hours so you don’t burn the bacon
– Bake a 6-7 lb. turkey on 350 degrees in the oven for 2.5 hours to 3 hours and 15 minutes. Thermometer should read 170 degrees from the meatiest part of the bird when it is ready
– Remove the foil when the thermometer reads 120 if you want crispy bacon  
– Once thermometer is at 170, remove it and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing into it
– Remove the breasts first and slice into individual servings
– Serve this on sandwiches or for your favorite holiday meal with stuffing and mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes: