For all the elaborate attention we lavish on Thanksgiving turkeys year after year, the truth is: more work doesn’t necessarily yield better birds.

I’ve roasted a flock of turkeys in my time. Six of them already this year. I have brined them, marinated them, slipped herbs under their skin. I have stuffed them, trussed them, smoked them and grilled them. Once I attempted to inject a poor bird with garlic butter. It seemed brilliant, but ended up shooting all over the kitchen floor.

You don’t need to do any of those. I am convinced less is actually more when it comes to turkey roasting. That is, I swear by no brining, no stuffing, no trussing and no basting.

Instead of a messy wet brine, I use a dry rub (well, technically a dry brine), which is really just a salt and pepper massage administered a few days, or even a few hours, before roasting. It locks in moisture and seasons the flesh.

Keeping the bird unstuffed and untrussed allows it to cook more quickly (no more waking up at dawn to get that 22-pounder into the oven), with the white and dark meat finishing at about the same time.

And if you oil your bird but don’t baste it, you’ll get skin as crisp as a potato chip without slowing the cooking by constantly opening the oven door.

So this year, take the easy way out. We promise it’s the best way, too.