The secret to the perfect Thanksgiving turkey is a pillow case

Don’t sleep on this rooster hack.

Using a “pillow case” to cook your Thanksgiving turkey is the key to a perfectly cooked bird.

The famous Internet recipe shared by TODAY food contributor and chef Elizabeth Heiskell involves placing a whole turkey in a pillow case.

Pillow turkey is made by basting the bird in butter and then wrapping it in bacon and, finally, a clean cotton pillowcase that has been moistened with a mixture of butter, wine and chicken stock to ensure that the bird to remain moist.

RELATED: Where to order a Thanksgiving turkey: The 7 best mail order options for 2024

Once you’ve roasted and cleaned the pillowcase-wrapped turkey, remove the pillowcase and finish it in a hot oven to get the bacon and skin nice and crispy.

You can also use a tablecloth instead of a pillow case if you prefer to stick to kitchen items rather than bedroom items.

Heiskell explained in the Williams Sonoma recipe that it was actually her grandmother’s recipe, and in the 1920s, there was no way she could afford a cheesecloth.

Her grandmother was a “perfectionist” and it “drove her that her rooster would get too much coffee before the bird was done.”

“Being a resourceful woman, she took a clean, white pillowcase, tore it in two, wrapped it around the turkey, and then washed it down with sherry, white wine, and melted butter. Just before the turkey was done, she removed the pillow case and then put the bird back in the oven to color,” she said. “Not even a Norman Rockwell painting was more beautiful than my grandmother’s turkey .”

Better Homes & Gardens put the recipe to the test and said it was “the best turkey I’ve ever tasted.” Their Test Kitchen director Lynn Blanchard called it “well worth the effort.”

The test kitchen at BH&G tried both the cheesecloth and pillowcase methods, and the pillowcase turkey came out on top.

“Until we tried the pillow case against nappa, I never would have thought it would make such a difference. The pillowcase method gets a thumbs up for sure,” Blanchard said.

Culinary expert Emily Nienhaus agreed, saying, “Since it’s a complicated recipe, I’d say the pillowcase version is worth the effort and the cheesecloth version isn’t.”

Instructions for making a turkey pillow case:

1. Prepare the turkey: Rinse the turkey, remove the giblets and neck, then stuff the cavity with onion, celery and lemon. Pat the turkey dry. Rub the butter on the skin and season with salt and pepper.
2. Wrap the turkey: After wrapping the turkey in bacon, wrap it in a cotton pillowcase or large cheesecloth. Place in the baking dish breast side down. Thoroughly saturate the pillow case/jacket and turkey with wine, gravy and melted butter. Make sure it is fully soaked so it doesn’t dry out or catch fire while cooking.
3. Roast the turkey: Roast the turkey, covered, until cooked through, basting it hourly with the pan juices and making sure the pillow case remains saturated. If the pan dries out, pour in equal parts wine and broth.
4. Remove the turkey: Remove the turkey from the oven and wrap it in a pillow case. Turn it so that it is now chest side up. Brush the breasts with the remaining butter and continue baking until the skin is crisp and browned, about 10 minutes.
5. Let it rest and finish: Transfer turkey to a carving board and let rest at least 20 minutes before carving. Use the juices in the roasting pan to make gravy.