Preparing a fantastically spicy yet superbly juicy turkey is an art that requires careful attention to flavors and cooking techniques. Whether you prefer a traditional roasted turkey or a smoked one, embracing the right blend of spices and maintaining adequate moisture levels throughout the cooking process are essential to achieve a delectable dish. From selecting the perfect turkey to choosing the ideal seasonings and injecting flavorful marinades, this journey will guide you in creating a main course that will become the star of your table. With the right knowledge and techniques, you'll be able to impress your family and friends with a turkey that tantalizes their taste buds and leaves them craving for more.
Here are our top 8 tried and tested recipes!
JUICY TURKEY RECIPE
Learn how to make the juiciest turkey! All it requires is a few key tricks and a good set of thermometers to have a juicy turkey recipe people will rave over.
Provided by Rachel Farnsworth
Categories Main Course
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Use an instant read thermometer to test the internal temperature of the turkey to make sure that no part of it is frozen. Internal temperatures should be above 32 degrees F. Remove the turkey from its packaging and place onto a roasting pan. Discard neck and gizzards.
- Fill two plastic sandwich bags with ice. Clip them together and place them on the bird so that the ice can chill both breasts. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then discard ice bags. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
- Starting at the neck cavity, loosen the skin from the breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers and gently pushing between the skin and meat. Place slices of butter in between the skin and the meat.
- In a small bowl, stir together paprika, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Sprinkle over the skin of the entire turkey and rub in to coat.
- Insert an oven safe thermometer probe so that the tip of the probe is in the center of the breast of the turkey. The probe should be inserted from the neck area and be parallel to the roasting pan.
- Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 150-155 degrees. Baste 1 to 2 times if desired.
- Use an instant read thermometer to test different parts of the bird for doneness and to ensure that the breast meat really is 150-155 degrees in the center. The dark meat in the legs should register between 175 and 180 degrees F.
- Once the internal temperatures reach their desired level, let the turkey rest 20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 593 kcal, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 70 g, Fat 34 g, SaturatedFat 14 g, Cholesterol 273 mg, Sodium 496 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
JUICY THANKSGIVING TURKEY
My grandmother and mother passed this recipe on to me. It changes just a little every year, because we've never written it down before. But it is always incredibly juicy and succulent!
Provided by Kirsten
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 3h20m
Yield 20
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.
- Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
- Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 555.6 calories, Carbohydrate 4.3 g, Cholesterol 201.2 mg, Fat 24 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 69.3 g, SaturatedFat 7 g, Sodium 680.2 mg, Sugar 1.9 g
SPICED ROASTED TURKEY
Pushing a buttery spice paste underneath the turkey's skin allows the flavor to perfume the meat-and gives it extra juiciness. Here, we use the favorite Indian combination of garlic and ginger paste, along with the technique of toasting spices and then grinding them, for the freshest, most powerful result. Though the paste may smell pungent, its flavor, once the turkey has been cooked, is quite gentle.
Provided by Lillian Chou
Categories Poultry turkey Roast Thanksgiving Fall Winter Gourmet
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 25
Steps:
- Make turkey:
- Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position.
- Toast spices with sea salt in a dry small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and coriander is a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to grinder and pulse until finely ground. Reserve 1 teaspoon spice mixture, then stir together remaining spice mixture with grated ginger, garlic, and butter to form a paste.
- Rinse turkey inside and out, then pat dry. Fold neck skin under body. Starting at large cavity end of turkey, gently slide your fingers between skin and flesh of breast and legs to loosen skin, being careful not to tear skin. Using a spoon, slide spice paste under skin of turkey breast and legs, pushing butter out of spoon with a finger on outside of skin (do not put spice paste under turkey skin in advance). Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and tuck wings under body.
- Pat giblets and neck pieces dry and cut into 1-inch pieces. Heat vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté giblets and neck pieces, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add scallions, carrots, celery, and sliced ginger and sauté, stirring, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
- Add rice wine and boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute. Stir in 4 cups broth, soy sauce, and reserved teaspoon spice mixture and bring to a boil. Pour mixture into roasting pan, then set rack in roasting pan, arranging neck pieces and vegetables around rack as necessary (liquid should be just below bottom of rack).
- Roast turkey on rack, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thighs (test both, close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan, then transfer turkey to a platter, reserving juices in roasting pan. Let turkey stand, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 175°F).
- Make gravy while turkey stands:
- Strain pan juices through a large fine-mesh sieve into 1-quart measure, pressing hard on and then discarding solids, and let stand until fat rises to top. Skim off and discard fat. (If using a fat separator, pour pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from separator into measuring cup, discarding fat.) You should have 4 cups stock. If there is less, add more broth. If there's more, boil to reduce. Transfer all but 1/2 cup stock to a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup reserved stock in a small bowl until smooth, then whisk into boiling stock and boil, whisking occasionally, 2 minutes. Serve turkey with gravy.
FANTASTIC SPICY AND SUPER JUICY TURKEY
Using some ingredients from my imagination, Nigella Lawson's 'Feast', Tyler's Ultimate, and the 'Joy of Cooking', I created a warm, spicy, and savory brine that produced a JUICY and succulent bird. Do not be intimidated with the brine procedure...Using a large ice chest, it was the easiest part! It just takes a little more time in which the outcome is well worth the two days the turkey has spent soaking in a bath of glorious flavors.
Provided by grego73
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 3h
Yield 5-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 25
Steps:
- In a large ice chest, combine the water, dissolved salt, and sugar, stirring well. Add all the other ingredients and mix until all are soaked with the liquid. Add Turkey and ice, allowing the ice to cover the Turkey and delicious components. This concoction will need to sit overnight, preferably at least 24 - 48 hours. During that time, simply rotate the turkey and add ice as needed.
- When ready to cook the turkey, remove the bird, rinse well and use a towel to pat dry. I use a hair dryer, which in turn, helps create a crisper skin. Allow the turkey to arrive at room temperature This should take 40 min - 1 hours Preheat oven to 450°F In the cavity, stuff the salt pork, rosemary bunch, garlic cloves, and oranges inside.
- Combine the olive oil, pressed garlic, and butter in a bowl, and brush the entire turkey's skin. I do not truss the bird. Any ingredients that may fall out add a great flavor to drippings if you're making gravy with them.
- Place the turkey breast-down in your roasting pan. Place in the oven and cook at 450°F for 40 minutes, turning temp down to 350°F for the duration of roasting. There is no need for basting this turkey, and opening the oven will only prolong it's cooking time. Turn the bird breast-up during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Turkey should reach 165°F when checked with a thermometer in the thigh joint.
- 10lb = 2.5 hours.
- 15ld = 3.00 hours.
- 20lb = 3.75 - 4.00 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2273.2, Fat 121.2, SaturatedFat 37.3, Cholesterol 726.1, Sodium 57390.9, Carbohydrate 79.8, Fiber 7.5, Sugar 62.6, Protein 207.8
SWEET AND SPICY TURKEY RUB
This dry rub recipe is an adaptation of a cajun rub recipe I came across. It reduces the salt and replaces it with brown sugar and a couple more savory spices. It is good for a 12- to 16-pound turkey and should also work well with chicken and pork.
Provided by Tracy Law
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 10m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Combine brown sugar, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, salt, and cumin together in a bowl; stir until well mixed.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 27.9 calories, Carbohydrate 6.3 g, Fat 0.4 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 0.6 g, SaturatedFat 0.1 g, Sodium 875.2 mg, Sugar 4.2 g
SPICE-CURED TURKEY
It may seem like a bit of trouble to brine the turkey, but it is well worth it: This is the best turkey we've ever tasted. If you don't have a stockpot large enough to hold the turkey, you can use a new plastic tub instead. It is helpful to have an extra refrigerator to brine the turkey, as it will take up a lot of space.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry Turkey Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- In a large stockpot, combine salt, sugar, carrots, celery, onions, leeks, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, cumin, red-pepper flakes, cloves, and allspice. Add the water, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. The brine needs to cool completely before the turkey is soaked in it: It can be made a day ahead or chilled over an ice bath.
- Rinse turkey under cold water; pat dry. Place in stockpot, breast side down. Add brine and enough water to cover. Cover the stockpot, and refrigerate overnight. Remove turkey from brine; drain.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill cavities with stuffing, being careful not to pack too tightly. Secure skin over neck cavity with toothpicks or skewers, and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub turkey generously with spice butter, and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Place in oven, and roast 30 minutes. Baste, rotate pan, and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue basting every 30 to 45 minutes, until temperature taken in thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees. 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Once turkey is well browned, cover with foil, in sections, if necessary to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil for last 30 to 60 minutes, to crisp skin. Allow turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving. While turkey is resting, remove stuffing.
- To make gravy, pour liquid from the roasting pan into a gravy skimmer; set aside. Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat; deglaze with 1/2 cup apple cider, using a wooden spoon to scrape up bits stuck to the pan. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of reserved fat from pan and flour; cook 3 to 4 minutes, until browned. Add reserved apple-cider mixture, stock, and any separated juices from pan. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Serve.
SPICY TURKEY MIX
Provided by Marian Burros
Categories dinner, easy, quick, main course
Time 45m
Yield 8 tortillas
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place the turkey in a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the fresh peppers, and saute, stirring constantly for 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, hot sauce, honey, relish and cilantro, and cook an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Serve wrapped in tortillas.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 432, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 51 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 28 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 716 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams
SPICY ROAST TURKEY
This is a moist and flavorful bird with a crispy, spicy skin. I developed this particular recipe myself. I just don't like a soggy-skinned bird and the spices really kick it up. The roasting technique is my adaptation of Alton Brown's Good Eats turkey. The photograph that I included is actually a deboned bird that made for Thanksgiving 2003. The turkey (especially the leftovers) loses much of the gamy flavor if it has been deboned prior to roasting and it is so much easier to slice!
Provided by Mercy
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 3h20m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Mix the spices into the mayonnaise until thoroughly blended.
- Tuck back the wings and slather the spicy paste all over the turkey, massaging it into the bird.
- (Rub inside the bird, outside the bird and make sure to spread it under the breast skin).
- Roast on lowest rack of the oven at 500°F for 30 minutes.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and cover the breast with a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil folded into a triangle (leaving the legs and dark meat uncovered), insert a thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return it to oven.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Roast until the turkey temperature reaches 161°F (14 to 16 pound bird only needs a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting).
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest, loosely covered for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Tips:
- Choose the right turkey: A fresh, free-range turkey will yield the most flavorful and juicy results. Look for a turkey that is plump and has a moist appearance.
- Brine the turkey: Brining the turkey helps to keep it moist and flavorful. You can brine the turkey in a mixture of water, salt, sugar, and spices for 12-24 hours before cooking.
- Roast the turkey at a low temperature: Roasting the turkey at a low temperature (325°F) helps to prevent the meat from drying out. Cook the turkey until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Use a meat thermometer: Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure that the turkey is cooked to the proper temperature. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone.
- Let the turkey rest before carving: Let the turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful turkey.
Conclusion:
This collection of turkey recipes offers a wide range of options for preparing a delicious and memorable holiday meal. Whether you prefer a traditional roast turkey or a more creative dish, these recipes provide all the information and guidance you need to create a perfect turkey dinner. With careful preparation and attention to detail, you can ensure that your turkey is moist, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and get ready to enjoy a fantastic spicy and super juicy turkey that will impress your family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!
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