Pomegranate/Molasses Turkey

This is a unique way to prepare your Holiday Turkey.  This is a recipe by Bobby Flay that sounds so weird, but it just works.  Trust me, I would not steer you wrong.

 

For the glaze:

1 ½ C dark Molasses

1 C pomegranate juice

¾ C drained horseradish

3 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

 

For the Turkey:

1 stick of unsalted butter (softened)

Salt and pepper to taste

4 C Chicken Broth

 

Pre-heat the oven to 450F.

Mix the pomegranate juice, molasses, mustard, ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp pepper, and horseradish in a bowl, set aside in a room temperature and allow the mixture to blend.

Butter your turkey all over including under the skin (careful not to create holes) the inside portions and season with pepper and salt.

Dress with twine and place turkey in a roasting pan with breast-side up.

Roast until the turkey turns into golden brown (about 45 minutes).  Reduce the oven temp to 350F and let it stay for another hour, basting with canned broth every 15 minutes.

Apply a cup of pomegranate glaze while roasting until the thermometer inserted in the thigh will show a temp of 160F-165F.

Take it out from the oven and apply the remaining glaze.

Cover it with foil (tenting) and let it stay for about 15 minutes before slicing.

 

 

Mole Turkey

Here is a spicy spin on Holiday Turkey.  If you are feeling adventurous give this a shot.  Remember you can adjust the heat to your tastes and give it less of a kick.

Mole:

1 can diced tomatoes

3 ounces dark chocolate

1/4 C sesame seeds (toasted)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds (toasted)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 C EVO

1 can Chipotle peppers  in adobo sauce

4 ancho chili peppers (stemmed, seeded, and deveined)

1/2 cup whole almonds (or almond flour)

1/2 cup raisins

1 small onion (roughly chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 C chicken stock

1 tbsp (packed) dark brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

 

Blend EVERYTHING on this list on a food processor (or with an immersion blender).

Pre-heat oven to 425F

Once sauce is thickened, coat entire turkey (including under skin) with Mole and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350F until you hit that internal temperature between 160 – 165 F.  Make sure you baste your turkey every 15-20 minutes.  It will develop a dark skin, but that is what you want.

Let it rest for 15 minutes before you cut into it to serve.

 

Turkey Confit

A slow cooker is great for this technique.  Turkey often gets dry when over cooked.  With this technique you are slow braising this in duck and back fat.  Surprisingly it will not be as oily as you think once it is finished.  Fork tender and delicious EVERYTIME!

 

12 oz. duck fat

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 Head of garlic

2 bay leaves

8 bacon slices (cut into 1 inch pieces)

2 tbsp salt and pepper

EVO as needed (at such a low cooking temp that it will not burn like in a deep fryer)

 

Cut the turkey into 2 half breasts and 2 whole legs. Rub salt and pepper under the skin of each turkey part and place on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least overnight or up to 16 hours.

Place the legs, skin side up, in a slow cooker. Place the breasts, skin side up, on top of the legs. Add the duck fat, thyme, bay leaves and bacon. Add enough EVO to cover the turkey parts by 1 inch. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 hours.

Transfer the turkey parts, skin side up, to a rack set over a separate foil-lined baking sheet. (The skin on the turkey parts will be pale…it is cooked do not worry)

Preheat the ovens broiler.

Broil the turkey parts until the skin is golden brown and crispy (8 to 10 minutes.)  You could also just sauté the meat and develop a slight caramelized crust to it.

Transfer the turkey parts to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Try serving it with arugula, and creamy mashed potatoes or polenta.  Do not forget the cranberry sauce!

 

 

Smoked Turkey

It starts with a simple brine and ends with a long, slow smoke either on the BBQ or in the smoker.  Make sure you watch the internal temperature on this, because it is easy to push passed the 160-165F internal temperature and dry out.

 

For the brine:

2 C kosher salt

1 1/4 c packed dark brown sugar

6 Thyme sprigs

2 Heads of Garlic

1 C maple syrup

1/4 c whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons whole allspice berries

3 L cold water

 

Mix all these ingredients together in a cooler and submerge Turkey completely (you can add or subtract water as you see fit).  If you cannot place cooler in the refrigerator, put in a bag of ice, seal and let stand 8-24 hours (just keep some ice in the cooler to prevent spoilage)

Pre-soak Applewood and Pecan chips.

Pre-heat BBQ to 225-250C

Rinse and dry the turkey when you are ready to smoke it.  Fill smoke box and place on BBQ or in smoker when you are ready to cook.

Place off of direct heat and smoke.  Cooking times will vary due to size of Turkey.  Your meat thermometer will come in handy.  Look for an internal temperature of 160-165F when done.  Watch it carefully as you do not want to dry it out.  You do want a nice bark to develop on the turkey which is loaded with flavour.

 

Try this as a gravy:

1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 small tart apple (such as Granny Smith), cored and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼  C bourbon

½  C apple cider or apple juice

1 small bay leaf

2 C chicken broth

½ stick of unsalted butter

¼  cup all-purpose flour

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Add the onion, apple, and reserved turkey neck. Season with salt and pepper stirring until onions are translucent.

Add the bourbon to deglaze the bottom of the pan and boil until the alcohol is nearly evaporated.

Add the apple cider or juice and bay leaf, continuing to scrape up any browned bits, and boil until reduced by half.

Increase the heat to high, add the broth, and bring to a boil.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.

Mix the butter and flour to make a paste for your roux.

Slowly pour in the sauce back into the pan to finish off.  As you add the roux paste you should be whisking constantly until smooth.

Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring often. Season as needed with salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.