Marinate
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2 cups Kentucky Bourbon
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Citrus Stuffing
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1 orange, cut into halves
10 whole cloves, pin them to orange skin
1 bunch of thyme and rosemary
1 small onion
Herb Butter
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1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Others
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1 15-18 pounds turkey, reserve neck and giblet for making turkey stock
1 cup pure maple syrup for basting
1 cup water
1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 cups rich turkey stock (see below for recipe)
1 cup pecan, lightly toasted and chopped
salt and pepper
1) Turkey needs to be marinated overnight. Mix marinate ingredients in a large bowl.
2) Use fingers to carefully loosen turkey skin over the breast and thighs. Put turkey in a large bag. Pour marinade under the turkey skin and press and distribute it evenly. It's easier to use a flavor injector to inject marinade directly into the turkey. Warp turkey tightly in the bag and seal it tight. Refrigerate overnight.
3) On roasting day, bring turkey to room temperature before roasting. Preheat oven to 323F (160C) Create a herb butter by adding thyme to the soften butter and mix well. Rub herb butter under the breast skin and some over the skin.
4) Stuff turkey with citrus stuffing to infuse flavor while the turkey is roasting. Tie the turkey legs together with twine.
5) Pour half of marinade into roasting pan and roast the turkey for 30 mins. The baste turkey with pan juice and add 1 cup water to roasting pan. Roast turkey for another 1 hour, basting it with pan juice and then brushing it with maple syrup every 30 mins. After 1.5 hours of roasting, cover turkey loosely with foil to prevent the breast from being burnt. Roast for about another 2 hours, till the meat thermometer reads 165F in the thickest part of the thing.
6) Remove turkey from oven and transfer it to a carving board. Cover loosely with foil and let it rest for at least 30 mins.
7) Pour pan juice into a bowl and skim the fat. Add 4 tablespoon of the skimmed fat to a sauce pan. When it's heated, add 1/2 cup of flour. Whisk it and let the flour cook for about 2 mins. Add the rich turkey stock and pan juice. Whisk well to prevent any lumps. Whisk till sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper and then add chopped pecans. Transfer sauce to a gravy bowl.
8) Remove and toss citrus stuffing before carving turkey Arrange on a platter and serve with the bourbon-pecan gravy.
Turkey stock recipe: https://loveswithfood.com/recipes/741-rich-turkey-giblet-stock
Name: Aihui Ong (i-we)
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