It’s been a really long time since brown paper bags were available at grocery and retail stores. Back in the old days, the only bags you were offered were the brown paper bags. You used them to carry everything you purchased to your house. They were sturdy but a little awkward to carry. Finally, the brown paper bag disappeared, and was replaced by the easy-to-carry, plastic bag. Some people would say that, anything a brown paper bag can do, a plastic bag can do, too. That might be true most of the time but, if Thanksgiving is approaching, the plastic bag can’t begin to do what a brown paper bag can. If you bake your turkey in a brown paper bag you’ll see that it will be one of the most delicious you’ve ever had.
No, you probably can’t find a brown paper bag in any of your local stores but, if you shop online, you can still purchase them in assorted sizes. The bag doesn’t necessarily have to be brown, though; a white paper bag also works great to bake the most scrumptious turkey this Thanksgiving.
Have you ever tried to burn a brown paper bag? If you try to light it on the side, or bottom, you’re wasting your time. You have to set it afire by lighting one of the edges, otherwise, it won’t catch fire, it will just turn black where the fire is held. Whereas most people would think that the brown paper bag would catch fire while baking the turkey, you’ll find out that it simply isn’t true.
Start with a clean, brown paper bag and place your turkey in it, breast-down. Don’t add water, butter, or anything else – although you can stuff the turkey, if you want. Roll the top of the bag up tightly. To make it easy to put the turkey in, and take it out, set it – bag and all – on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for the recommended time stated on the wrapper or for 15 minutes for each pound.
Don’t open the bag to check on the turkey; just let it cook for the full amount of time. When you take it out of the oven, just tear the bag open, and take the turkey out of the bag. You’ll find it to be juicy, browned, and ready to eat. It’s so delicious that you’ll probably want to make it with a brown paper bag every year.