Here's a rough estimate of the cooking time for an 18-pound turkey: 20 minutes per pound, or about 360 minutes total. But, if you're using a convection oven, you can shave off about 30 minutes of cooking time - isn't that cool? Just remember to baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so to keep it nice and moist.
Now, if you're planning to stuff the turkey, you'll need to add some extra cooking time to the mix. A good rule of thumb is to add about 30 minutes to the total cooking time, just to make sure the stuffing is cooked through and the turkey is nice and tender. And don't even get me started on the importance of using a meat thermometer - it's a total game-changer!
